by Amy Smith
Nominated for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards this year, Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World was the film with the biggest profile that premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival. Considering how weak the line-up for the Original Screenplay category is this year — a reminder that Don’t Look Up managed to get nominated — this film easily is the strongest of the bunch.
Presented in 12 chapters with a prologue and epilogue, the film follows Julie, who is in the midst of trying to figure out her life in her late-20s, from her career to her relationships. They break up each section of Julie’s story, effectively creating these snapshots that look into the film’s most important moments, as well as having fun with the editing and narrative sequences. The story unfolds in a linear structure, but specific chapters play with the sense of reality in order to capture Julie’s emotions within that moment.
photo courtesy of IMDb
The film may be titled The Worst Person in the World, but nothing that Julie does is truly despicable.
Sure, she does make a few mistakes along the way, but the audience is easily able to relate to her and understand why she feels the way that she does. She is in a place of self-discovery throughout; it is during these times that we all think we are the worst people in the world for not having things thought through or emotionally putting ourselves above others. I may question the decisions that she makes, but I can also visualise myself being in her shoes and wanting things to get better.
When you go and seek out this film for yourself, which you really should do when it officially releases in a few weeks’ time, make sure to see it with a crowd. I had already been lucky enough to catch The Worst Person in the World at home through a screening link, but seeing it in a packed screen really helped me appreciate it a lot more. The humour landed every single time, and the crowd took in the quieter moments and let the story have the impact that it needed to. Considering everything we have been through in the past few years, I think many of us need a film to hit us the way this one hit me.
You can watch The Worst Person in the World and other fantastic titles at the Belmont Filmhouse. Student & Young Person memberships are free and grant you access to all regular screenings at 5£, as well as a weekly exclusive screening on Tuesdays at 2£. For more information, go to Membership | Belmont Filmhouse.
