One day in the life of Anders, a young recovering drug addict, who takes a brief leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo.
Talented Norwegian Joachim Trier - distant cousin to the better-known (and Danish) Lars - delivers a wonderful, melancholy character piece that's funny and tender, and as fresh as a breath of Oslo sea air.
Anders Danielsen Lie gives a compelling, deep-etched lead turn, and you’ll find yourself drawn in as he searches for a reason to continue living.
The film is overlong, spinning its sequential disenchantments. But mood and place are believable.
Lie isn’t afraid to play up a pugnacious, bristling self-pity, making Anders someone we care about without even necessarily liking all that much.
A day in the life of a 34-year-old recovering drug addict might sound rebarbative, but under Joachim Trier's fluid and sympathetic direction it achieves something quite moving.
An astounding achievement, Joachim Trier’s haunting film will stay with you for weeks.
A very rewarding and worthwhile film.
It's a cold, detached, very Scandinavian film, neither as sharp nor as oddly exhilarating as Malle's.
It’s a film that is at times painfully honest about the cost of one’s life choices, but the inherent sadness is tempered by the film’s visual beauty (shot by Jakob Ihre) and Trier’s ability to create authentically intimate moments between his characters.
As the movie turns darker and Anders’ actions become more self-destructive, Trier still manages to leave viewers feeling hopeful for themselves without losing sight of the tragedy that unfolds. That he does so without feeling contrived or manipulative is indicative of a filmmaker at the top of his game.
Intimate talky drama fades in second half.
Norwegian director Joachim Trier delivers a sedate, mature follow-up to his brash, energetic debut Reprise.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Friday November 18, 2011, until Thursday November 24, 2011. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/
Cameo, Edinburgh from Friday December 2, 2011, until Thursday December 8, 2011. More info: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/