Film Review: THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

WDCB’s Gary Zidek reviews THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD.

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The new film THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD is starting receive some mainstream attention after generating some buzz on the festival circuit last year. It’s been nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. And is now playing in two Chicago cinemas, the Music Box Theatre and the Siskel Center.

Renate Reinsve plays Julie in THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD.

With a title like THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, some people might come in with some preconceived notions. The film isn’t about the worst person in the world or even a bad person.

Instead, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD offers glimpses into the life of a young woman named Julie. Written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, the movie is divided into 12 parts, 10 chapters with a prologue and epilogue. The chapters document key moments from Julie’s life over an unspecified time period as she transitions from 20s to her 30s. Julie is played by Norwegian actor Renate Reinsve. She’s tremendous in the role and won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The Julie character is quite normal in many respects, but Reinsve gives her oceans of depth on screen.

Renate Reinsve in THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD.

There’s certainly a universality to this story. We can all relate to watching a young adult develop over a period of time, but I suspect millennials and maybe Gen-Z folks will have a deeper connection to Julie. My description may have made this film sound like a drama filled character study, it is that. But there’s also quite a bit of humor and Trier’s visual skills elevate the film to another level. There are some gorgeous shots on display here. Many of which capture Julie’s emotions and others which celebrate Oslo. In some respects the film serves as a tourism commercial for the Norwegian capital. The Scandinavian city really shines as the backdrop for Julie’s story.

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD is one of my favorite films of the year, I give it 4 out of 4 stars.