Reprise (2008)

Beautifully shot, written, acted, edited & directed chronicle of Norwegian twenty-somethings making the transition into adulthood, focusing on two wannabe novelists, close friends. Much more creative, imaginative, risk-taking and original than similar films made in the US. Friendship between males is intimate & warm in a way never seen in US movies, where we're too macho for this. Content is dense & detailed, tho film may appear breezy & casual, which is one of its accomplishments. But above all, something which isn't even mentioned, the movie is hilariously funny. Can't even reprint most of the jokes, given the yoke of censorship and political correctness around our necks in the US, esp. on the internet. Suffice it to say a punk band plays a song entitled "Fingerpult av Gerhardsen" and obscene fun is had at the expense of politically correct "fascism." That director Trier, an accomplished skateboarder, got his start in filmmaking by making movies about skateboarding may offer a clue to his irreverence and energy. (His new film, Thelma, is also top notch.)

I like movies, I like new movies, I like not afraid to watch a different movie, also I saw the whole movie. Now, why did I not like this movie? For me, there was no point. There was no beginning or end. No story. Just some character development which was OK, the characters seemed interesting. I like that it was in Norway, I like to see how foreign people talk and act. But besides that, i got nothing from this film. It was to choppy and didn't flow very well. People make fun of me for liking "boring" "deep" "drama" type movies but....This movie was actually boring. It touched on a few things like love, and depression/suicide. But on a very shallow level, just a slight touch. Not enough to feel the depression or love ourselves. I do not mind watching movies that have a slow pace, but they have to pay off with some substance, and this movie made me regret even watching it. I usually always say a movie was "ok" but this one was not. I will still watch Oslo 31 august, to visit Norway again, but Reprise was simply to boring and not impact-full enough.

I usually enjoy most films about writers and their artistic process, whether they're fictional (such distinct films like "Barton Fink" or "Wonder Boys") or biographical narratives (Virginia Woolf's imagined but wonderfully creative portrayal in "The Hours", Brian Gilbert's rendering of "Wilde", etc.). I haven't seen many interesting attempts to portray the young writers of the new millennium, but Joachim Trier's captivating début "Reprise" is as fresh, smart and instigating as discovering a new literary voice.The story of two competitive Norwegian friends from Oslo (played by Anders Danielsen Lie and Espen Klouman-Høiner), their literary ambitions and troubled personal lives, is told with fast editing, quirky humor and solid ensemble acting. Trier clearly knows what he's talking about, an has an eye for stylish, bittersweet and cynical images (there's a fantastic scene with the protagonists' group of friends and a female editor who's interested in one of them, as they sit and talk by the water: the dialogue is sharp, the imagery is sensual, vibrant and tense all at once, and it plays like a good cathartic speech directed by the Danny Boyle of "Trainspotting" time). This is a promising director we should keep an eye on. 8/10.

Avoid this movie! I saw this film as part of a press screening in San Francisco. At the time of this writing, it had not been released yet in the theaters here. This film will be appreciated by unsophisticated, young, art students with angst and a pack of Gauloise non-filter cigarettes, but not by anyone else, unless they're Norwegian. (Norwegians are so happy to see a film in that language that they temporarily lose their common sense) Beautifully shot and very well acted, this film makes for a frustrating evening spent. The entire audience was muttering as they left the screening. Some were visibly angry for having been suckered into the screening. As it appears to have absolutely flawless accolades everywhere *before release*, it appears that their publicity machine has been working overtime to pump up what is essentially 103 minutes of wasted time. (That actress is quite pretty, by the way. Let's hope that she gets a better script next time)