Critic Rating
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Director
Joachim Trier
Cast
Renate Reinsve,
Anders Danielsen Lie,
Herbert Nordrum,
Hans Olav Brenner,
Helene Bjørnebye,
Vidar Sandem
Genre
Comedy,
Drama,
Romance
Julie is a young woman navigating the troubled waters of her romantic life while also struggling to find her career path. Ultimately, she must take a realistic look at who she really is. A modern dramedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo.
A fantastic deconstruction and examination of the flawed and romanticized concepts of soulmates and 'the love of one's life'. The Worst Person in the World has amazing, well rounded characters that feel like real people, and through this great characterization it is able to comment on the reality of relationships, that no one is 'perfect' for each other, and that commitment takes work.
What makes this film genuinely great is how none of the life-altering, awful decisions that Julie makes feel life-altering in the moment. Sometimes, they don’t even feel like the worst decisions she could make. That's because nothing in this film feels black and white. Julie often follows the direction that feels the most fulfilling in the moment, but not the most logical, seemingly implying that this is what life is about — not living for the future or for the past, but simply doing what you need to do in the present moment.
This movie captures so many complex emotions so well. Julie is a very well-developed and realistic character, and Trier chooses great scenes and moments to provide insight into her struggles and indecision. I also liked how her romantic life was portrayed in a nuanced way, and how the movie stays focused on her self-discovery throughout.
The Telegraph by Robbie Collin
The film’s focus may be tight – just a few tangled, formative years – but it encompasses so much.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
Trier has taken on one of the most difficult genres imaginable, the romantic drama, and combined it with another very tricky style – the coming-of-ager – to craft something gloriously sweet and beguiling.
RogerEbert.com by Carlos Aguilar
The Worst Person in the World, Trier’s stirringly sophisticated masterpiece, unrolls in piecemeal manner, but once fully extended is a tapestry of unfeigned experiences sowed with the thread of truth, in all its painful ambivalence.
ABC News by Peter Travers
Joachim Trier’s scintillating Oscar contender from Norway, led by a captivating new star in Renate Reinsve, sets a new gold standard for romantic comedy just before it sneaks up and hits you like a shot in the heart.
Screen Rant by Sarah Bea Milner
It's a rich story that forgoes a traditional format, challenging the conventions of the industry. It's progressive, it's unapologetically feminist, and it's unforgettable.
The Associated Press by Lindsey Bahr
There is a refreshing honesty in this script, penned by Trier and his longtime collaborator Eskil Vogt, that engages with nuance and the impossible complexities of life in a way that most “rom-coms” avoid like the plague.
Uproxx by Vince Mancini
I find myself at a bit of a loss when trying to explain exactly what about it had me so engaged, probably for the same reasons Julie can’t seem to decide on a career. The Worst Person In The World feels like life. And how do you sum up a life?
Entertainment Weekly by Leah Greenblatt
Worst has no shortage of gorgeous-people problems — more than enough, in fact, to fill 12 cinematic "chapters" — but it vibrates with real life, a film so fresh and untethered to rom-com cliché it might actually reshape the idea of what movies like this can be.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Chandler Levack
Trier has an incredible ear for dialogue and can observe the pitiful drama of a millennial breakup like no other.
Vanity Fair by Richard Lawson
Trier pulls a lot of stylistic tricks in the film, but they somehow never play like gimmicks, like adornments merely there to show off the talent of their creator. The film has a lilting, lively rhythm; the glimpses we see of months and years in Julie’s life ably provide a whole picture.
The Film Stage by Ed Frankl
The film’s opening quirky comedy routines give way to something much richer––a startlingly observant, sharp, romantic, provocative, and poignant view of millennial culture and how life comes at you fast.
Variety by Guy Lodge
In essaying Julie, a character at once watery and opaque, shaped by everything around her but vocally resistant to influence, Reinsve has a tricky assignment that she nails with remarkable fluidity and grace.
The Playlist by Iana Murray
Detailing the thrills and fears of turning 30 down to its mundane but absorbing minutiae, Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s fifth feature is a pure delight. Laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, it’s perhaps his best film since “Oslo, August 31st.”
TheWrap
This is a film of unfolding delights, providing a terrific canvas for the actors.
TheWrap by Jason Solomons
This is a film of unfolding delights, providing a terrific canvas for the actors.
Screen Daily by Wendy Ide
A chaotic, unpredictable portrait of a chaotic, unpredictable individual, The Worst Person In The World is a spirited and thrillingly uninhibited piece of filmmaking from Joachim Trier.
Time Out by Dave Calhoun
Any film that can combine questions of mortality with funny, fully alive scenes of sex, social awkwardness, professional screw-ups and throwaway fun is a rich one. Its brilliant, full-on performance from Reinsve deserves to be celebrated far and wide.
The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer
More than ever, Trier reveals how well he can keep shifting tones and emotional arcs without losing any narrative momentum.
IndieWire by David Ehrlich
Quick, vibrant, pulsing with all sorts of crossover appeal until a slightly moribund energy takes hold toward the end, Trier’s film is never more fun than when Julie is second-guessing herself and/or trying to keep time from slipping through her fingers.
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