“If we go on, I'll fall in love with you. Then it'll be too late. Maybe we should agree to…stop seeing each other. The problem is our age difference. I'm just afraid we'll fall into a vicious circle. You're much younger than I am. You'll start to question who you are. I'm past 40. I've entered a new phase. Whereas you still need time to find yourself. You don't need me waiting. You need to be completely free. I'm just afraid we'll hurt each other.”
In preparation for the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, I found it fitting to look forward to the future of award season by looking at the previous work that led to the most anticipated film that will compete: “Sentimental Value.” It is from director Joachim Trier, who cemented himself as the premier Norwegian filmmaker with this movie: “The Worst Person in the World.” Premiering in 2021 at the Cannes Film Festival, it drew wide acclaim and helped cement Trier on the international stage.
The plot follows the life of Julie (played by Renate Reinsve, star of 2024’s “A Different Man”), a 20 something college student living in Oslo, Norway, who tries to search for her purpose in life. She studied several different majors, such as medicine and psychology, before dropping out and becoming a professional freelance photographer. But the other main thing she tries to find is a boyfriend, and her first is a 40 year old comic book writer named Aksel (played by Anders Danielsen Lie). They are happy, but she does not feel as willing as he is to have children.
Eventually, she wants a change and stays out late one night to crash a wedding, running into a man named Eivind (played by Herbert Nordrum). They spend the night participating in increasingly sensual activities that they believe would not be counted as cheating. These include watching each other go to the bathroom, aggressively biting each other and breathing the same cloud of cigarette smoke in lieu of kissing. They say their goodbyes and hope to meet again one day …
The most notable thing about this film is Reinsve’s central performance, which won her the award for Best Actress when the movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She carries the film almost single handedly, showing Julie’s evolution through the various stages of her life. Although Julie may be self centered and impulsive, Reinsve sells her indecision as passion and makes the film unforgettable.
At the 94th Academy Awards, the film received two Oscar nominations, one for Best International Feature Film and a surprise nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It is the first time that any Norwegian film has been nominated for writing, and it hopefully will not be the last.
Trier’s follow up to this film, “Sentimental Value,” once again stars Reinsve in the lead role. She will play an actress grieving the death of her mother, and her father (played by Stellen Skarsgård, star of 1997’s “Good Will Hunting” and 2021’s “Dune”) writes a film with her in mind for the lead role, but he casts a Hollywood actress (played by Elle Fanning, star of 2024’s “A Complete Unknown’) in the part instead. It will premiere this May, where it will compete in Cannes for the Palme d’Or. The last winner, 2024’s “Anora,” went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was distributed by NEON, which will also distribute “Sentimental Value,” and it is widely predicted to be one of 2025’s prospective Best Picture nominees.
I highly recommend this film, and my final rating for “The Worst Person in the World” is a lovely 10/10.
