The Worst Person in the World
Verdens verste menneske

Danish-born Norwegian director Joachim Trier (Oslo August 31st, Louder Than Bombs, Thelma) delivers a delightful twist on the romantic comedy in The Worst Person in the World. Renate Reinsve gives a star-making turn as Julie, a thirtysomething who has yet to make up her mind about several key life choices, namely those of career, family, and romantic relationships. It’s those romantic relationships that take center stage, primarily her partnership with an acclaimed underground comic artist named Aksel  (Anders Danielsen Lie), who is fifteen years her senior, and her extended flirtation with a married barista named Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), who is her own age. 

None of these characters could ever qualify as “the worst person in the world,” though they sometimes view themselves that way. Instead, the hyperbolic title captures something specific to the generation Trier and his long-time screenwriting collaborator Eskil Vogt keenly observe. Their film offers a distinctly Gen X perspective on Millennials that captures, without condescension, the indecision and angst unique to those currently in their thirties. Trier and Vogt also make astute, sympathetic observations about the older generations’ inability to let things go, their world-weariness, and possible obsolescence.  

The film’s episodic structure allows for a fluid passage of time, whimsical flights of fantasy, and touches of magical realism, all while remaining grounded in a straightforward chronological narrative. The sequences in the individual chapters range from familiar (even derivative) to spellbindingly original. One of the early chapters outshines the opening of Annette as my favorite sequence of any film this year.

But the main attraction here is the layered, internalized performance of Reinsve. Her lovely, expressive face provides a window into all the thoughts and feelings that go on behind Julia’s eyes. These may not be the most profound thoughts and feelings, but her way of navigating the ordinary preoccupations of life is precisely what makes us identify with her. Regardless of your age, you will see yourself in Julia and also be charmed by her.

The Worst Person in the World is out to circumvent romcom tropes, including tidy, happily-ever-after conclusions. That admirable goal of avoiding a genre’s well-worn grooves makes it perhaps inevitable that the movie doesn’t end as strongly as it begins. There is a character arc to follow here; one that is honest if not entirely satisfying. But then it’s rare to discover a movie that focuses on uncertainty as its defining theme. The trait is not presented as something to be pitied or looked down upon—and that’s perhaps the most surprising and original aspect of this terrific picture.