10th of February 2022. Watched.
My rating: 9/10.
I was reading in the sun, all nice and warm when suddenly a bout of melancholia hit me in the face. To cure it, I came back downstairs, set all the windows, spread all the drapes and decided to watch The Worst Person in the World because I had my eye on it for a long time. But, instead of suppressing my mood, it made it flourish into this lovely bouquet of sadness and roses. My heart was about to be ripped out of my chest by the time I was done with it.
My ears are still burning and my eyes are still full of concealed tears. And I love this film for it.
The film began with the side shot of a protagonist having a smoke and looking as if she needs to be somewhere else, following with the text on a black background declaring it was a 'A film in 12 chapters, a prologue and an epilogue.'. Now, I was reading Satyajit Ray's piece that he had written about his fascination with the French contemporary director, Jean-Luc Godard, right before I watched this film. So naturally it reminded me of how Godard's 1962 film Vivre Sa Vie: film en douze tableaux (Living your Life: film in twelve scenes).
I believe I watched Vivre Sa Vie in the December of 2020 and I remember appreciating it but not liking it much. And now after watching this 2021 Norwegian film, I can't help but say that it feels like a 21st century remake of the 1962 French film. Both are character studies. Both are a character study of a young woman in a big city. And both break conventions of the genre by the use of non-traditional forms of camera movement to communicate the connections and disconnections of the protagonist from the people around her, thus contributing to the cinematic language in it's own unique way.
The other film which it reminds me of in it's tone and narrative structure which spans years is Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013), the erotic epic of 3 hours about 2 women. Both TWPITW and BITWC are about an existential movement in search of self. Both the films follow the protagonist when they're young students and follow their journey towards adulthood and self actualization. As it turns out, 30 is the new 20 in our ethos of the 20s' (2020s'). At least that's what these coming of age films set around characters in their 20s and early 30s seem to be pointing towards anyway.
The film uses many tricks not only visually in it's imaginative blocking, but also in its soundtrack as well. The many well thought out inclusions of popular songs as diegetic and non-diegetic that would've resulted in a severe distraction in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, instead provides for an utterly moving aural experience.
But the soundtrack can only make for a vibrant backdrop for the actors' performances if they are on par with the rest of the production. And its such a delight to say that not a single character felt miscast. Especially Renate Reinsve as the leading lady. If it had been the case, the film would've simply sunk like a dead rock. Like most people, I had never heard of her before this film and like most people the first thought that I had upon looking at her as Julie in this film was that she was the spitting image of Dakota Johnson. The bangs, the slimness, the dress she wore in the opening shot... everything came together to shout Dakota Johnson. Oh please, if there is goodness in this world, don't make an American remake of this film with Dakota as some lost souls are trying to remake the Danish film, Another Round (2020).
There are a couple of people in my life who are in their early 20s (and 19) who will love this film. The sad reality is that they'll never watch it because its either not in English or Hindi or because I asked them to watch it. I've stopped recommending people movies unless they specifically ask me to. And I think that's working out pretty well for me, even though I would've liked my circle to be a bit more into my likings. But don't we all want that!
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