The Worst Person in the World (2021)

I'm not even sure where to begin. A monumental piece of art.
It was only 2 hours and I feel as though I lived a lifetime. Through the college years, the indecision, the relationships, the insecurities, the loves, the heartbreaks, the infidelities, the longing and wanting and clarity and resolutions and more. So much more. You live a life with Julia. You go through it all with her. You feel the ups and downs and you feel as though you might even know her better than she knows herself.

It's a double-edged sword: it's a movie that gets better with age. Seeing it only a few years later, with just a little more life epxerience under my belt, I pulled meaning away from this that I hadn't on my first watch. And yet, I hope this is a character and life I veer away from. I'm torn. She's a good person, a great person to some and sometimes. But also she is the worst person in the world. Why? I'm not really even sure. Because she hasn't made up her mind? Because she wants different things out of life at different stages in her life? Because she's indecisive?

Life is messy. There are so many things that we go through. Family relationships, romantic relationships, career aspirations, and every single tiny thought and experience in between. There isn't a clear path or a line we can chart to even connect the dots through it all. life takes unexpected turns and we're just meant to go along for the ride.

Obviously there are some BIG scenes (the mushrooms and the time stop) and important scenes (the first infidelity), but what I loved most about the direction and style of the movie was the more subtle; how Trier places us in the head of the protagonist with something as simple as a facial expression or a camera move. The script is powerful powerful powerful stuff.

Art is important. FILM is important. The perfect medium to pull you into a life and wraps you in its intricacies like that, inviting you to commiserate and join along for the ride in such a personal way.

I'm not sure what else I can say about this. Except that Norweigan architecture and scenery is ELITE.