The Worst Person in the World, streaming on MUBI, is rare tale about a flawed woman that resists judging her

The female lead Renate Reinsve submits herself to her character that's equally funny, messy and problematic

The Worst Person in the World

Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier's latest outing, The Worst Person in the World, headlined by Renate Reinsve, is an unlikely coming-of-age tale of a woman, who's yet to find her way in life. All through the story, Julie is trying to understand herself and her choices better. She may not be the nicest person on the planet but there's something very appealing and charming about her honesty. Life throws many opportunities at her to build a stable career and forge long-lasting relationships and yet she doesn't grab them with both hands, simply because she's not ready yet and is seeking answers within.

The narrative prepares you for the rollercoaster ride right in its initial stretch - Julie gives up medicine to study psychology and later claims she's interested in photography but ends up working at a library at a university. She leaves behind a stable relationship with a youngster, sleeps with her professor and in a while, has a steamy affair with a model she's just photographed. At a gathering with the model, she falls for an author Aksel, who's much older than her; they almost give up on the relationship but realise they can't do without one another right at the time of their breakup. What does this tell you about Julie? Not much but for the fact she's still in the self-discovery phase.

The film zips past phases that most women go through in their 20s - the decision about the men, pregnancy, the need to settle down, and the conflict between building one's identity and submitting oneself to a man. Here, the phase is even more complicated for Julie because she's moved in with a man who's elder than her. He's keener to make up for lost time and take a step forward in the relationship. The issues between a couple with a wide age gap are quite obvious. While he wants to make babies and build a family, she wants some space to breathe. While he's quite assured about his career, she is still going back and forth between her mundane job, writing and photography.

The dramedy also captures a phase in Julie's life, where the normalcy in her relationship with the author doesn't excite her anymore; it's a delicate phase that most relationships go through where the fizz is amiss and requires some work to resurrect. She finds love again in the most absurd of situations - gatecrashing into an unknown party, having the hots for a man, (Eivind) and shamelessly flirting with him while drawing boundaries about 'cheating'. It's hard to say what drives Julie to come out of relationships so hastily - perhaps, what she wants is the freedom to fool around and make mistakes.

On her 30th birthday, Julie looks back at the lives of her various ancestors at the same age (when they were 30) and understands how far women in her family have evolved across generations (in terms of the freedom they enjoy to make their own decisions). She isn't even afraid to call her partner marginally sexist in the way he showcases women in his comic books. The complexity in her characterisation is compelling and the narrative looks at Julie's life from various perspectives.

At times, you feel all that need Julie needed was a good friend/pal who could be her emotional anchor - she's always jumping from one relationship to the other and doesn't have an outlet to vent out her trauma. The presence of a friend, male or female, would've helped the filmmaker to spell certain things out, though you can't dispute his creative choice. The physical intimacy between the characters is raw and organic and the director uses the sexual tension smartly to generate humour. The pacing of the film is intriguing too - there's a raciness in the screenplay but yet the filmmaker gives so much space for the characters to nurture meaningful, poignant conversations that offer a deep dive into the character's minds.

The Worst Person in the World gains depth and is at its poignant best in the climactic stretch with the commentary on life, death, pregnancy and moving on. One of the more memorable moments in the film doesn't have to do anything with Julie. Aksel, on his death bed, talks about his growing years, how he knew what to do with life before technology took over and the world was progressing at a sleepy pace. Julie and him, even while not being partners anymore, embrace one another on the hospital bed and have this thoughtful, honest conversation about their past. The class of the filmmaker comes through in these instances that aren't exactly integral to the story but still offer food for thought.

Renate Reinsve brings a vulnerability and accessibility to the character that has depth despite being featherlight in its exterior. There's a mystery and a lot of wounds behind her smile and assurance in her personality - it's just what Julie as a character needed. The men in her life aren't characters that are as well-rounded as Julia but the heart of the film lies in the equation between her and Aksel. Anders Danielsen Lie (as Aksel) and Herbert Nordrum (as Eivind) know their limits within the story and perform accordingly. The film's final moment says enough about how Julie has evolved - she watches her ex with a new partner and a baby, sports a wry smile and silently moves back to her desk for work.

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