The Worst Person in the World
2021 · Directed by Joachim Trier
Original language: Norwegian
- drama
- romance
- comedy
The story
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.
What it’s like
Bright Scandinavian daylight through apartment windows, Oslo streets in cool grey and washed-out summer green, and a camera that drifts close to faces, sometimes stepping back for a long unbroken take of two people talking in a kitchen. The look is naturalistic and loose, with handheld movement that turns intimate at emotional peaks and a playful stop-motion-style interlude that adds a flicker of whimsy. Sound stays unobtrusive: ambient city noise, quiet apartment hum, and a warm, melodic score that surfaces only when feeling swells. The vibe is wistful and funny at once, bittersweet without being bleak, with a restless lightness that suits a rainy Sunday, a late evening alone with a glass of wine, or a thoughtful rewatch. Pacing is brisk and chapter-structured, moving through four years in a way that feels like flipping pages. The emotional register is candid and sometimes sharply comic, following a young woman learning to recognize her own contradictions and grow into them. Intensity is low: some sexual content and frank conversation about relationships and mortality, but no violence and no gore. For viewers who enjoy character-driven romance, quiet self-reckoning, and a witty, unhurried look at early adulthood.
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