Oslo, August 31st is a look into a day in the life of Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie) near the sad end of summer as he takes a brief break from his drug rehabilitation center to consider his life and whether or not he wants it continue. Anders is a chronically depressed writer with an addictive personality who can't seem to muster the energy or desire to live anymore, and the camera follows his psychology as he goes through an existence that he is just as removed from as we are. Though it's clear from Ander's first suicide attempt (or perhaps trial run) where he fills his pockets with rocks and plunges into a pond, only to resurface moments later, that he's not ready to leave, his sadness, insecurity, longing, and self-hatred are so raw and relatable that the film will break your heart many times over.
This is the first and only film I have seen from Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier, but it's clear that he has a tight grip on conveying the isolation one feels as a young and depressed person. He takes the boring and the banal from everyday life and gives them purpose, using cafe conversation eavesdropping to show loneliness or repetitive ex-girlfriend calling to show Anders' painful reminiscence. A lot of the movie is everyday, there isn't anything particularly inventive or groundbreaking about the camerawork, plot, or cinematography, but none of that detracts from- in fact, it may add to- the fact that this is one of the most emotionally true, devastating, and heart-wrecking movies I have seen all year. There's a little piece of Anders in all of us, and even if you choose not to believe it's so at first, as the movie goes on it will become abundantly clear.
"If someone wants to destroy himself, society should allow him to do so."
This is the first and only film I have seen from Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier, but it's clear that he has a tight grip on conveying the isolation one feels as a young and depressed person. He takes the boring and the banal from everyday life and gives them purpose, using cafe conversation eavesdropping to show loneliness or repetitive ex-girlfriend calling to show Anders' painful reminiscence. A lot of the movie is everyday, there isn't anything particularly inventive or groundbreaking about the camerawork, plot, or cinematography, but none of that detracts from- in fact, it may add to- the fact that this is one of the most emotionally true, devastating, and heart-wrecking movies I have seen all year. There's a little piece of Anders in all of us, and even if you choose not to believe it's so at first, as the movie goes on it will become abundantly clear.
"If someone wants to destroy himself, society should allow him to do so."