No. 96 (2021) THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD Nov. 27th.

 

Film No. 96 (2021) November 27th.  8:00 PM SOMERVILLE Outdoor U.W.A.                        

"Yes, I love you, but I also don't" (Julie grapples with confused feelings).

Jakob Ihre is, for me, one of Norway's premier film makers. His marginally underrated THELMA (2017) signalled his innate ability to delve inside the human condition, unravel the fragility involved in everyday decisions and the sliding door moments that channel life's path and the repercussions that follow.

THE WORLD'S WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD gives us Julie played expertly by Renate Reinsve. Julie is searching for fulfilment as her body clock ticks. She's trying to find the right person to meet her needs - who may well be under her nose - but how does she comprehend that? The two hours we spend with her may trigger thoughts and feelings we have experienced travelling through our own corridors of life.

There is not a lot to this film. It is a slice of an ordinary person's life (4 years). So why spend 130 minutes here, in Julie's life? Well it's a good question, but so many of us have been there. How many of us question our career choices?  Here, Julie studies and works and we meet her in a window in her life where she's a photographer. She meets a man (a cartoonist), Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie) a good man and very focused on his pursuits. Julie falls in love and seems truly settled just at the right time in her life. Really?

This is where we question Julie's next series of decisions. Julie will always see her life through a lens where pastures sometimes seem greener on the other side of the fence. She is tempted at a week moment, and infatuation with someone else robs her of the goodness she has. But the twist comes in a very clever way on two counts. Julie has to see Aksel again which brings out the best in her, and then she makes the biggest decision of her life.

Our journey here is with Julie, but Danielsen Lie steals the show. His portrayal of Aksel is wonderfully fragile, insightful and ultimately real.  Julie is likely to turn up in another chapter from Ihre's imagination.  10GUMS.