The Worst Person in the World Movie Storyline. Faced with a dreaded existential cul-de-sac and the prospect of a neat and entirely predictable life devoid of surprises, Julie finds herself with her back to the wall, forced to settle down. And, somehow, pushing thirty doesn’t make things easier.
So, to find meaning and purpose in life, Julie embarks on a long, challenging, twelve-chapter journey of love and enlightenment, hoping for the best. Little by little, as she puts her dormant talents to good use, Julie flirts with other men, throws herself into a new relationship, and gains new skills and experiences. After all, the burden of choice is not the problem. It is the quintessential factor that defines who we are as a person; it shows our character to the world.
The Worst Person in the World (Norwegian: Verdens Verste Menneske) is a 2021 dark romantic comedy-drama film directed by Joachim Trier. It is the third film in the director’s “Oslo Trilogy”, following Reprise (2006) and Oslo, 31 August (2011). The film premiered in competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, with Renate Reinsve winning the award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. At the 94th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay. The score for the film was written by Ola Fløttum.
Film Review for The Worst Person in the World
The last of Joachim Trier’s trilogy, which continued with Despair with Repeat in 2006, and Oslo August 31st in 2011, The Human Man is the Worst Person in the World, is in theaters after several festivals. Norway’s Oscar nominee and Cannes graduate Renate Reins for Best Actress, and the film is a nordic romantic comedy for anyone who doesn’t like romantic comedy.
Unlike the first two films of Trier’s trilogy, this time we are watching the story of Julie, a young woman who will soon turn 30. Julie, a medical student, is a very colorful character who still hasn’t quite decided what she wants from life, and lives on the tides. He suddenly decides to study psychology, and soon after that he actually wants to be a photographer.
When Julie begins to question her life, we find her having an affair with graphic designer Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), who is 15 years older than her. Julie, who loves Aksel but has problems in her relationship because her expectations from life do not match, meets a mysterious man at a party one day and they surprisingly spend the night together.
In the morning, while everyone is on their way, the possibility of meeting these two people who don’t even know each other’s name, connects us to the movie. Yes, they meet, and they even have a love affair. However, the right person/wrong time situation pervades almost all of Julie’s relationships and does not lead her to a happy ending with either of these people. Because everything is waiting for its time.
While witnessing the four years of Julie’s life, we just have to enjoy Trier’s surreal narration from time to time. Julie wakes up one morning and hits the streets in her pajamas. And at that moment, time literally stands still and the world keeps turning when Julie makes her decision. Wouldn’t that be the case with you too? When you are on the eve of important decisions for yourself, nothing going on in the world is your concern, but when you make your decision, the world keeps up with you and continues to turn.
When Joachim Trier is mentioned, of course, a voice-over comes to mind, and we do not feel the absence of voice-overs in this movie. In this two-hour movie, consisting of a prologue, an epilogue, and 12 episodes, the colorful path Trier has chosen in this final link of the trilogy is colorful enough to inspire many people who are going through a 30-year-old crisis.
We have a character who can breathe the air of Frances Ha from time to time, but is much more hopeful. Even if these two characters met, I’m sure they would get along very well. Although Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt present Julie’s life to us through relationships, they do not limit her to just a love woman. Because Julie’s only problem is not relationships, it’s her chaotic life, career, school, work, family. Of course, I cannot pass without mentioning Reinsve’s acting. It was a joy to watch her mood swings beneath her effortless beauty.
Julie’s, like the other films in the trilogy, is actually a story of existential pain, self-discovery and courage. The film tells how beautifully everything is waiting for its time while we are looking for ourselves. And it makes you ask the question; “Do the choices we make while trying to find ourselves make us the worst person in the world?” No, it doesn’t, it shouldn’t. Because everyone is someone else in every relationship, we do not repeat ourselves. Even if our basic features do not change, a new self emerges from us that is shaped according to the person in front of us.
We can be more kind, we can be more understanding. On the contrary, we can be more insufferable, opposite people. Human relations are also shaped by action and reaction, and our expectations are constantly changing. Is your ex, who left you with bad memories, very happy with his new girlfriend? Because at the same time, they wanted the same things.
Or you, who doesn’t want children, have changed your mind in your next relationship? Because you think that the right time for you has come together with the right person. And I think there is no worse person in life than the right person who came at the wrong time. That’s the worst person in the world.
The Worst Person in the World (2022)
Directed by: Joachim Trier
Starring: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum, Hans Olav Brenner, Helene Bjørneby, Vidar Sandem, Maria Grazia Di Meo, Lasse Gretland, Karen Røise Kielland, Marianne Krogh
Screenplay by: Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Production Design by: Roger Rosenberg
Cinematography by: Kasper Tuxen
Film Editing by: Olivier Bugge Coutté
Costume Design by: Ellen Dæhli Ystehede
Art Direction by: Mirjam Veske
Music by: Ola Fløttum
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and some language.
Distributed by: SF Studios (Norway), Memento Distribution (France), TriArt Film (Sweden), Neon (United States)
Release Date: July 8, 2021 (Cannes), October 13, 2021 (France), October 15, 2021 (Norway), November 19, 2021 (Sweden), February 4, 2022 (United States)
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