Reprise

19 October 2022

Director: Joaquin Trier

See

Him: Reprise, directed by Joaquin Trier, the first in the Oslo Trilogy, follows Philip (Anders Danielsen Lie) and Eric as two writers alternatingly up and down. 

Her: Last film in Joaquin Trier’s trilogy, first one chronologically. Reprise is a story of two friends aspiring to be writers, their relationships and everyday challenged that shape them into what they will become one day.  But now they’re still young and want to party and experience life. 

Think

Him: Their friendship is like a counter weight to each other from the moment they simultaneously drop their manuscripts into post boxes. Philip succeeds initially and Eric fails to get published at first. 

Philip struggles with success and his personal life implodes, becoming obsessive about his ex girlfriend and having a mental breakdown.

Her: It was interesting watching this film after the later ones. Seems like Joaquin Trier is still developing his directing style here, trying different tricks and ways of telling the story. Wish there was a fourth film where these boys are still kids. 

Feel

Him: I enjoyed the Guy Richie smash edit style of exposition to a school yard bully, Philip and Eric’s childhood friendship, a brother’s band, Philip’s trips to Paris (and a possible future for Eric abroad) before they meet again. But most of all it was their admiration for the Norwegian writer Sten Age Dahl. Everything else was around their writing. Not about it. Or how they channel the way in which they perceive the world. I loved Philip’s blind countdowns with his girlfriend and riding a bicycle, ad switching from devastated to effortlessly cool.

Her: Clearly I could not relate to this story as much as to The Worst Person in the World. It had its moments but overall I didn’t feel too much for either of of the characters. Anders Danielsen Lie’s philip is probably the more relatable one. Maybe it’s also because I already know what happened to him next in the movies. Also seems like Trier was into Guy Richie at that time, borrowing his signature techniques to tell a completely different story. My impression of this film is somewhat patchy at the moment, I might need to think more about it.