The Worst Person in the World

 

                  Nominated for best International film and best original screenplay at this year's Oscars,  this new Norwegian film is more romantic drama than comedy. It tells the story of Julie, played by Renate Reinsve, a young woman about to turn 30 and still figuring out her life.

                  The film follows Julie through career and relationship changes and is divided into twelve chapters with a prologue and epilogue. Much of the story centers on her relationship with Aksel, a comic book artist, 14 years her senior, played by Anders Danielsen Lie and then later with Eivind, a coffee barista played by Herbert Nordrum.

                  The three leads, especially Ms. Reinsve are terrific. Julie's story is not defined by usual rom-com elements and while there is some humor, it is a far more serious film. Ms. Reinsve moves through the film like a breath of fresh air and we find ourselves rooting for Julie even as her life, with no clear direction, takes unexpected twists and turns.

  

                 Directed and co-written by Joachim Trier, it's a smart, original take on a well known formula.