The Worst Person in the World

The Worst Person in the World

The chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

  • Released: 2021-10-13
  • Runtime: 127 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
  • Stars: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum, Maria Grazia Di Meo, Hans Olav Brenner, Marianne Krogh, Helene Bjørnebye, Vidar Sandem, Anna Dworak, Thea Stabell, Deniz Kaya, Lasse Gretland, Karen Røise Kielland, Karla Nitteberg Aspelin, Sofia Schandy Bloch, Savannah Marie Schei, Eia Skjønsberg, Nataniel Nordnes, Rebekka Jynge, Gisle Tveito, Ruby Dagnall, Ine Jansen, Torgny Amdam, Sigrid Sollund, Are Skeie Hermansen, Siri Forberg, August Wilhelm Méd Brenner, Tumi Løvik Jakobson, Jonathan Nielssen, Maren Emilie Haagenrud Buskoven, Olav Stubberud, Martin Gran, Geir Ørnholt, Tobias Klemeyer Smith, Trygve Indrelid, Trude Schjelderup Iversen, Zoe Maland Rogers, Jonas Lund, Hildur Kristinsdottir, Johanna Brym Ryg, Thomas Teige, Margrethe Glambek
  • Director: Joachim Trier
 Comments
  • ayhansalamci - 14 May 2024
    What are you looking for?
    "I Feel Like A Spectator In My Own Life."

    If you cannot find the purpose of living in the ocean of thoughts that you are stuck in your life and you reject the judgments or rules determined by the society and at the same time you want to say "I'm here" to society that you are uncomfortable and don't accept to them. This situation of being stuck in between reduces your tolerance level towards everything and if you're experiencing all these situations, this wonderful movie tells about you.

    Sometimes I wonder if searching for the feeling called happiness is what keeps us alive. In fact, when we feel cornered in life, it is easy to think that sadness, tragedy, failure or fear are the product of a single existence. To think that it's result of not just living, that's living in a certain way. I mean I think it would be a lot easier if we understood that there's no lifestyle that makes us immune to pain. There's pain in the nature of happiness, one cannot exist without the other and of course, there are different types. I guess we will never be in pure happiness forever in any life. Thinking that such a life could exist can only increase our unhappiness in the life we live.

    It was one of the movies that I should have firstly in my watch list but I guess I watched it a little late :) After 10 years I was very surprised to see evolution of Renate whom I remembered from the movie that Oslo 31 August. It was inevitable to get lost in thoughts after the movie which had great acting and content was over. Joachim Trier and his star Andersen will always be my favorites.

    "I Feel Like Never See Anything Through. I Go From One Thing To Another."
  • jboothmillard - 4 February 2024
    The Worst Person in the World
    I originally recorded this Norwegian film when it was shown on television, I remembered the title and that it was rated highly by critics, then I later found out it was part of Awards Season, so I was hoping for something worth watching. Basically, in Oslo, Norway, medical student Julie (BAFTA nominated Renate Reinsve) transfers to psychology and then photography. Julie is in her late twenties and has started a relationship with comic artist Aksel Willman (Anders Danielsen Lie), who is fifteen years older than her. She is dabbling in writing and spends a weekend with Aksel at his parents' house. Aksel suggests the idea of starting a family with Julie, but she is uncertain. While walking home from a publishing event for Aksel, Julie crashes a wedding reception and meets Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), a barista. Though they are both in relationships, they spend the night together sharing jokes and intimacies, but without having sex. They exchange only their first names and part ways. Julie writes a short story about feminism and oral sex. Aksel is impressed by it and after encouragement to post it online she receives attention. She celebrates her 30th birthday at her divorced mother's home, but her father does not attend, claiming back pain. Days later, Julie's half-sister inadvertently reveals that their father was watching her play at a football tournament on Julie's birthday. He makes excuses to decline Aksel's invitation to visit him and Julie in Oslo. Julie starts working at a bookstore, where she runs into Eivind and his girlfriend Sunniva (Maria Grazia Di Meo). At dinner with Aksel's brother and sister-in-law, Aksel complains about the cinematic adaptation of his politically incorrect comic series Bobcat being changed, and Julie is left feeling bored and ignored. She daydreams about going on a date with Eivind, where they fall in love. The next day, she decides to end her relationship with Aksel. Eivind leaves Sunniva, who has a restrictive lifestyle, she is obsessed with social justice and extremely climate conscious. Julie and Eivind move in together. He hosts a small party, during which Julie experiences hallucinations after consuming psychedelic mushrooms, the stash was found by one of Eivind's friends. The following night, she tells Eivind that she can be herself around him. Aksel's brother meets Julie at work and reveals that Aksel has incurable pancreatic cancer. Sometime later, Eivind finds a short story written by Julie. He assumes it is autobiographical, but Julie angrily denies it and patronises him. Julie learns she is pregnant but does not tell Eivind. She visits Aksel in the hospital, where he tells her he is scared of dying and that he still loves her. Julie admits that she is pregnant. He assures her that she would be a good mother, but she is frightened. Returning home, Julie tells Eivind about her pregnancy, and that she needs time to decide if she wants to keep the baby. She later receives a voicemail from Aksel's brother saying that Askell may not survive the night. While showering, Julie has a miscarriage. Sometime later, Julie is working on a film shoot as an on-set photographer. She photographs an actress and later sees her outside with Eivind and a baby. It ends with Julie returning home to edit the photos she has taken. Also starring Hans Olav Brenner as Ole Magnus, Helene Bjørneby as Karianne, Vidar Sandem as Per Harald, and Lasse Gretland as Kristoffer, with the voice of Ine F. Jansen as the Narrator. Reinsve gives a good relatable charming leading performance and proves the sarcastic title untrue, there is a clever sequence where she goes for a run and everyone around her is frozen, it is a simple but effective coming-of-age story of a young woman unsure where to go, what to do or who to be with, the laughs are mixed and the love element is fine, overall it is a worthwhile romantic comedy-drama. It was nominated the Oscars for Best International Feature Film, and Best Original Screenplay, and it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. Very good!
  • keithhmessenger - 26 October 2023
    Modern Life In All Its Confusing, Touching Glory
    Norwegian film-maker, Joachim Trier's 2021 film is an intriguing watch and features a number of standout acting turns. As we follow Renate Reinsve's (life) confused Oslo, bookshop worker, 'modern twentysomething', Julie, one of the biggest criticisms I had was, despite Julie's haphazard life trajectory, Trier adopts a fairly regimented narrative structure (delineated with 12 'chapter' headings), taking in pretty much everything that someone like Julie could (by any stretch of the imagination) be likely to face, including love, sex, infidelity, generation gap, career aspiration, heredity, drugs, eco-awareness, ageing, the patriarchy, parenthood, death, etc. Despite this, however, Trier's writing and his characterisations (largely) overcome any resulting strictures to give us an engaging watch in which we do care for his characters. It's a film that does not shy away from harsh truths - striking a fine balance between (true) black comedy and more (Hollywood-style) romcom - but Trier overlays Julie's life tribulations with quite a light touch, personified by the film's eclectic soundtrack (which includes music by Harry Nilsson, Caribou, Ahmad Jamal, Amerie, Billie Holliday, Todd Rundgren, Maurice Ravel, etc.).

    Reinsve has been rightly praised (the actress won the Best Actress Award at Cannes) for her performance here as the mercurial (by turns, 'irrationally' ruthless and touchingly caring) Julie, but her two main collaborators are pretty much the actress' equal. Herbert Nordrum impresses as the kindly bakery worker, Eivind, who, with Julie, features in one of the film's less predictable 'chapters' that of 'Cheating', which does not progress quite as we might expect. Even better, though, is Anders Danielsen Lie's more complex (comic) writer and Julie's 'first love', Aksel - the actor excelling at the full range of human emotion. Visually (and conceptually), the film is relatively unadventurous - perhaps the two main exceptions being the highlight scene in which time (and narrative) literally freeze as Julie rushes through the street to meet Eivind, and then the dream sequence experienced by Julie, following her bout of magic mushrooms. In terms of comparator films (or directors) Trier's creation (and the balance between light-heartedness and more darker themes) makes this something of a challenge. As I watched, elements of a range of film-makers occurred, including Woody Allen, Greta Gerwig, Ruben Ostlund, Francois Ozon, Lukas Moodysson and Joanna Hogg, but, suffice to say, Trier has created something of a 'curious hybrid' of styles.
  • Slash071 - 8 December 2022
    A different love story
    A bit different from cliché love stories or better say more realistic that almost touched the real life. Making it in chapter to chapter and showing each chapter as the revolutions in a person's life (You may have experienced them too), was like reading someone's diary. The movie shows aspects of life that may you haven't experienced yet but feel it or least sympathy with them or become happy and sad; it all happened because of the story and acting. Good color balanced depicts spectacular shots that will be unforgettable. It is in this way that the director conveys the feelings to you, just by looking at the color and shot, you will get the feeling of cold or warm at the right moment of the story.
  • tinfinity14 - 24 October 2022
    Masterpiece in its simplicity
    Yes, this is a portrait of an ordinary life of woman in thirties. But, it is not just about the women. It is painted with many layers of humans' body and soul, very deeply but subtle.

    Movie is fulfilled of doubts, fears, indecisions, searching for our own purpose and fulfillment at least for one day. And most of these themes are very hard to be told even to ourselves. But, Julie, even if seems that she is not linked with her own life, at least is courage enough to admit her vulnerabilities. These ones that are very familiar to all of us. Julie is facing them and even if she is still in "searching process", yet living her path. That is why I find this movie very realistic, relatable and enormously inspiring.

    Many praise for all crew, from acting to writers and for every simple detail, filmed so simple and approachable, but carried within everything but simplicity.

    Two hours with these companions have been past like half an hour and like whole my life at the same time.

    Bravo!
  • masonsaul - 17 September 2022
    Incredible comedy drama
    The Worst Person in the World is incredible, skillfully avoiding all the cliches of the genres its in whilst exploring a quarter life crisis in all its existential glory with genuine warmth, pain and humour, divided into 12 cleverly titled chapters (plus a prologue and epilogue).

    Renate Reinsve gives a true tour de force performance, showing a full range of emotions throughout the film with a standout moment of realisation. Anders Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum are excellent, imbuing their characters with a humanity rarely scene within the genre.

    Joachim Trier's direction is phenomenal, employing so many different stylistic choices from snappy camera work and surreal visuals to a powerful moment where everything just stops. The only thing that doesn't really work is the narration but thankfully it isn't overbearing.