5...4...3...2...1...Reprise
I've been trying to see this little Norwegian gem for quite some time now. Finally last night I found some (late) time and pressed the play button on this one; an action I should have done a long time ago. Reprise is written and directed by Norwegian director Joachim Trier. The plot revolves around two young wannabe-authors and their lives in modern Oslo. Ambition, love, friends, mental instability, anxiety for the future and an eagerness to differ from the crowd are just some of the pieces of the puzzle behind this wonderful film.
Reprise starts off with the two leading characters (best friends Philip and Erik) just before they are ready to mail their first novels to publishers. What follows is a mix of flashbacks and alternative futures that leads to failure and success for both friends. This creative use of Nouvelle Vague and modern cinematography gives the film both freshness and edge. While the plot unrolls, we see the two friends taking different paths. Philip's book immediately becomes a hit but can't handle the success and quickly falls into a mix of depression and psychosis (hinged by his parallel obsession for the love of his life Kari). On the other end, Erik quickly faces rejection and while supporting his friend, drudges to improve his writting style and sort out his personal life. Supporting the two main characters, a number of subplots unveil, mainly focusing on the lifes of some common (and not so common) sterotypes of 20-something friends that slowly apart as everyone is trying to figure their purpose in modern society. Although the plot may sound a bit too serious and stiff, the directive style of Trier is so captivating that makes the film both intruiging and a entertaining. If you combine the plot and directive style, you'll see that at the end Reprise boils down to a nostalgic trip on early adulthood and how our plans and dreams (work, love, friends) for the future constantly evolve. Throw in an amazing soundtrack which includes tracks from Joy Division, Le Tigre and post-punk and you got an amazing film that utterly caught my attention. I won't spoil you with the end or how the story really unfolds but I'll tell you just one thing...if you haven't seen this already don't delay it anymore!
Reprise starts off with the two leading characters (best friends Philip and Erik) just before they are ready to mail their first novels to publishers. What follows is a mix of flashbacks and alternative futures that leads to failure and success for both friends. This creative use of Nouvelle Vague and modern cinematography gives the film both freshness and edge. While the plot unrolls, we see the two friends taking different paths. Philip's book immediately becomes a hit but can't handle the success and quickly falls into a mix of depression and psychosis (hinged by his parallel obsession for the love of his life Kari). On the other end, Erik quickly faces rejection and while supporting his friend, drudges to improve his writting style and sort out his personal life. Supporting the two main characters, a number of subplots unveil, mainly focusing on the lifes of some common (and not so common) sterotypes of 20-something friends that slowly apart as everyone is trying to figure their purpose in modern society. Although the plot may sound a bit too serious and stiff, the directive style of Trier is so captivating that makes the film both intruiging and a entertaining. If you combine the plot and directive style, you'll see that at the end Reprise boils down to a nostalgic trip on early adulthood and how our plans and dreams (work, love, friends) for the future constantly evolve. Throw in an amazing soundtrack which includes tracks from Joy Division, Le Tigre and post-punk and you got an amazing film that utterly caught my attention. I won't spoil you with the end or how the story really unfolds but I'll tell you just one thing...if you haven't seen this already don't delay it anymore!
Modern Oslo: contradiction in terms:)
contemporary then? :-)
I don't know, did you enjoy Oslo when you were there?
Anyway, the movie is pretty good!