The Worst Person in the World in its eccentric charisma is by far one of the standout cinematic offerings of the year. The Norwegian part-romcom, part-drama feels very much in the vein of Fleabag and Francis Ha in its exploration of a complicated, confused and often self-absorbed female protagonist in her mid to late twenties, as she desperately tries to understand what she wants, who she is and who she wants to be. It is structured as a series different ‘chapters’ with a prologue and epilogue, an engaging format which I think can help to boost your investment in the trajectory of the film as it jumps from vignette to vignette, spanning a number of years and giving us insight into Julie and the two biggest relationships in her life. I love how both relationships are portrayed completely differently and singularly in their impact on Julie, at times almost feeling like opposite ends of a spectrum. However, they are ultimately both heart-warming and also flawed in different ways. Despite their shortcomings, they each have an irreversible impact on Julie for the better and assist in shaping her into the woman she will become. It’s a wonderful ode to the way in which different people may come and go in and out of your life and can leave a profound and lasting impact, even if ultimately you are not destined to end up together.
The lead performance from Renate Reinsve is undoubtedly one of the absolute best of the year. She is quite astounding and unbelievably charismatic. I have read a couple of anecdotes which say that Joachim Trier wrote Julie for and around her, which would make a lot of sense to me because the entire thing really hinges on the innate likeability of Julie despite her making some questionable decisions. Anders Danielsen Lie also gives what evolves into a very moving supporting performance and he has a few key scenes in the final act which are quite profound.
Ultimately my only gripe with The Worst Person in the World is that I like how the final chapter concludes, but the epilogue, which acts as the ultimate end of the film, seems a little pointless and doesn’t add much in terms of a meaningful close to the story. For me, it is a little bit of a lose end. It’s a shame because I feel like throughout the short chapters the film is paced really well and has a very smooth flow but just fades out a little anticlimactically by the end. Still though, The Worst Person in the World in its raw and charming character study of a deeply flawed but highly likeable woman, is undoubtedly one of the year’s best.
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