The Worst Person in the World (2021) Movie Review
The Worst Person in the World is a Norwegian film from writer and director Joachim Trier. It is a coming of age story for someone approaching their thirties. Julie (Renate Reinsve) bounces around from one thing to the next searching for something she can’t quite name. In school, she changes her focus several times from medicine to photography and everything in between. After school she gets a series of random jobs, with nothing really fitting very well. She falls in love with Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie) and moves in with him.
Over time, the relationship turns stale and Julie is left wanting again. She leaves Aksel as she searches for the next thing that will entertain her. The Worst Person in the World essentially follows Julie around as she tries to make sense of her life and what she wants out of it. Along the way, Julie loves people and hurts people, all in the quest to find something that makes life worthwhile – that lights her up and makes her feel something. This movie will resonate with younger people who are meandering (sometimes aimlessly) through life searching for a purpose.
Reinsve is phenomenal as Julie, perfecting the constant yearning and fear most people have in their twenties. Danielsen Lie is also excellent, giving a depth to Aksel that makes him relatable and sympathetic. The chemistry between him and Reinsve is fun to watch. There is one scene in particular where Julie is running to meet a new lover where time seems to stand still. Everyone and everything is frozen in time as Julie sprints through the city to meet him. It’s truly a remarkable scene and an interesting and unique way to showcase the power of new love.
The Worst Person in the World doesn’t offer many answers to the questions it poses. But it shows the difficulty of navigating life especially when others seem to be moving ahead with their lives. Julie often finds herself stuck, unsure of what the “right” move is. Director Joachim Trier doesn’t shy away from exposing the characters as flawed human beings who make messes of their lives and their relationships. Julie especially is trying to balance others’ perceptions of her with the real person she is.
The Worst Person in the World encompasses the journey following young adulthood when you are thrust into the real world and searching for meaning. It showcases the struggle of trying to find who you are in a world that is constantly telling you who you should be and what you should want. A poignant look into a world of confusion and unrealistic expectations, The Worst Person in the World forces you to examine yourself and grapple with the idea that you might not be a “good person” after all.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You have hit a wall in adulthood
2. You like stories about finding the meaning of life
3. You like Norwegian cinema
