The Worst Person in the World: A brave, deep dive into post-millennial angst
Set-in modern-day Oslo, this 2021 Cannes Palme d’Or competitor is a peek into the life of
Julie, a somewhat confused, free-spirited and selfish girl on the brink of turning 30. She
drops out of university, becomes a photographer, and moves in with a cartoonist 15 years older
than her. Nothing goes wrong, yet she still feels discontented, The film follows her as she navigates life in a muddled way reminiscent of Phoebe Waller Bridge’s Fleabag.
Julie is wonderfully played by Renate Reinsve who captures her charm, wildness, and reoccurring helplessness. She is the film’s MVP. Despite Julie’s questionable actions, you are constantly in love with her, enthralled by her. She is blissful one moment and sullen the next. She is witty, saying to her older boyfriend’s even older friends: ‘If men had periods, that’s all we’d hear about.’ Julie could have easily been a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (think Summer in 500 Days of Summer or Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) but thankfully her characterisation resists that trope.
There are times when you want to enter the screen and shout at Julie, tell her take a step
back and stop! She has so much – a successful artist boyfriend, a city centre apartment,
thriving social life – but then gets bored with it. She doesn’t seem to have money trouble and
has a supportive mother who lets her switch from medicine to psychology to photography
with no scruples, who will happily have her move back home after successive romantic
failures, and puts together a wonderful birthday celebration for her thirtieth birthday.
What exactly then is Julie’s problem? She is directionless and unsatisfied. I suppose this is a
feeling so common amongst her generation. They have done everything they’ve been told to
do – from their teachers, their parents, and the media – only to find that what they’ve worked
for and what they’ve been sold isn’t all that. In this sense, The Worst Person in the World
portrays some of Fight Club’s post-millennial angst but takes it to a starkly different and less
destructive conclusion.
Julie’s strong relatability lies in how we can lose ourselves in her carefree and chaotic life.
We think to ourselves, if Julie – a former class topping medical student – lives life this
stupidly, then surely, we’re not so bad. I’m not sure Julie’s problems stem from either
capitalism or patriarchy or any other oppressive social system. It is the portrayal of the
anxieties and worries of any human approaching their thirties who doesn’t feel their age,
shown through the prism of a 21st century, millennial young adult.
Told in a somewhat unnecessary split of 12 chapters, the film has been expertly shot. The
camera glides about as effortlessly as our female hero. There are shining winter scenes
where you see the chilly breath leave people’s mouths. In the summer portions, the camera
captures a vivid sunrise, painting an ambiguous celebration of Julie’s recent actions. This
Oslo background is charged by a great soundtrack which is apparent in a mesmerising
narrative sequence at the start which sets the scene. A firmly catchy and eclectic array of
hits and lesser-known tunes, which can be found here:
It’s sad that most people won’t take the time to watch the film I’ve seen it twice – in two near
empty theatres – astonished at the lack of turn out. Maybe it’s the foreign language aspect.
Perhaps it’s the lack of superpowers, crazy guns, and special effects. Or maybe it’s the fact
that it’s brave enough to take a deep look at why so many of us are completely and utterly
bored and hopeless. Either way, The Worst Person in the World is easily one of the best
films of the year.
