Recently watched films by Norwegian director Joachim Trier because his last feature, The Worst Person in the World is out in cinemas1.

Still from Reprise by Joachim Trier. Protagonist Philipp is pictured wearing a white shirt on the bus, among other passengers. He is looking slightly down and to the side, not straight at the camera, and seems lost in thought.

Both Reprise (2006) and Oslo, August 31st (2011) are streaming on MUBI. The Worst Person in the World (2022) completes the so-called "Oslo trilogy".

While the films aren't actually a trilogy, they're all set in (surprise!) Oslo, and could be described as character studies on how people deal with unmet expectations and/or difficult situations (mental illness, drugs). But despite the sometimes difficult themes, the films feel surprisingly light, touching. They're both mundane and gripping. They feel human.

Warmly recommended!

Footnotes

  1. Also worth a read: this interview with Joachim Trier and Renate Reinsve (winner of the Best Actress award at Cannes for The Worst Person in the World). Lots of fun details about the film, but also spoilers: read after watching. ↩