The Worst Person in the World is a modern dramedy set in contemporary Oslo about searching for love and meaning. It follows Julie as she navigates the turbulent waters of her love life and strives to discover her career path over four years, forcing her to take a critical look at who she really is.
After ‘Reprise‘ (2006) and ‘Oslo, 31 August,’ ‘The Worst Person in the World’ is the third and likely final instalment in Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier‘s ‘Oslo Trilogy’ (2011).
The films have little in common in terms of plot, but they all deal with themes like longing, drug use, love, bereavement, and adulthood. In addition, they are love letters to Norway’s capital.
Trier explores the intricacy and whimsicality of love through a protagonist on a self-discovery journey in ‘The Worst Person in the World.’ Renate Reinsve’s Julie (Renate Reinsve) is wonderful in every way. She is indecisive, impatient, and apathetic at times, but the film avoids vilifying her and does not lead its audience in that direction.
Here’s all you need to know about ‘The Worst Person in the World’s’ conclusion.
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Synopsis of ‘The Worst Person in the World’ (2021) Romantic Movie
The storey of ‘The Worst Person in the World‘ is broken into 14 chapters, with a prologue and an epilogue thrown in for good measure. Julie, a 20-year-old Norwegian woman, is restless all of the time. She is a medical student at the start of the film.
But then she starts to feel as if she doesn’t belong there. So she ditches her boyfriend and pursues a career in psychology, with her mother’s enthusiastic backing. Julie then has a sexual encounter with her professor.
She suddenly realises that photography is her actual purpose while scrolling through images of him on her phone. This time, her mother is less enthused. Julie uses a portion of her school debt to purchase a camera and lenses. This time there is no going back. She’ll have to stick with it and see whether she can make it work.
For her, photography opens up a whole new world of models, artists, and performers. She dates a model before ditching him for Aksel, a comic book creator (Anders Danielsen Lie). Although Aksel is 15 years older than Julie, the age gap does not prove to be a significant barrier, at least at first.
When Julie goes to Aksel’s parents’ house with him, the truth of their situation begins to dawn on her. They are at opposite ends of the life spectrum. Julie, who is in her forties, wants to settle down and establish a family, but Aksel, who is in his forties, isn’t ready yet. Her single mother was her primary caregiver.
Her father is still alive, and they communicate often. He was never genuinely involved in her life, though. As a result, she’s at a loss for words when it comes to Aksel’s family. When she overhears Aksel’s brother quarrel with his wife one night, everything changes for her. Everyone, including those who appear to have it all figured out, has their own issues.
Julie meets Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), an easygoing barista who would play a crucial part in her life, while crashing a wedding. Despite the fact that they don’t have sex, they spend the night together, dancing, laughing, and savouring every moment.
Aksel and Eivind are diametrically opposed to one another. Aksel is both an artist and a thinker. Julie comes to believe that a relationship with him requires too much of her time and energy, and she uses this as an excuse to end it.
Julie then begins dating Eivind, who abandons his own girlfriend, Sunniva, in order to be with her. Eivind is everything Aksel was never. He, like Julie, is unconcerned about having children and is unconcerned about the future’s rigorous image. This relationship, however, comes to a halt when she realises Eivind isn’t her intellectual equal.
She finds out she’s pregnant before she can do anything about it. Finally, Julie comes across Aksel’s brother at work and discovers that her ex-boyfriend has pancreatic cancer and is dying.
What Happens to Julie’s Baby at the End of ‘The Worst Person in the World’?
Julie begins to feel ill in ‘Chapter 11: Positive.’ She conducts a home test, which confirms her suspicions – she is indeed pregnant. However, she has no idea what to do at first. Julie’s father is Eivind, but their relationship is rapidly deteriorating, and she is looking for a way out. Furthermore, she has only recently learned of Aksel’s sickness.
She goes to meet Aksel while suffering with an increasing amount of inner anguish. The following moments could be seen as the protagonist’s frantic attempt to find solace from a dying guy and to gain approval for her capacity to be a mother from a man who sincerely wanted to start a family with her.
Julie’s decision to contact Aksel may be both selfish and unselfish. We may confidently presume, however, that her presence made those final days easier for him. Julie eventually informs Eivind of her pregnancy, and the two separate ways so she may determine what she wants to do.
However, she is not obligated to make a decision. Julie has a miscarriage one day when she is in the shower. She appears to be relieved afterwards.
Why Doesn’t ‘Julie’ Visit to See ‘Aksel’?
Despite Julie’s lousy treatment of him, Aksel has unquestionably been a significant part of her life. From the minute she saw the interview, he had been on her mind. A substantial portion of her has come to regret her decisions. She seemed to be considering the prospect of reconciliation, but then she learns of his illness. Julie is a character with a lot of flaws. She has a tendency to be quite egocentric and even nasty.
She unnecessarily lashes out at Eivind when he tries to compliment her writing because she feels stuck in their relationship. It follows the same pattern of the scorched-earth mindset that she had when she broke up with Aksel before.
In an interview, Trier noted that his protagonist is “in that perpetual period of existential crises that some of us go through.” She is in her early thirties and has yet to figure out what she wants to accomplish with her professional and personal lives.
The necessity of making errors in life is demonstrated in the movie ‘The Worst Person in the World.’ By the age of 30, not everyone has everything figured out. Finding a feeling of self-worth typically requires a life-changing event. Julie’s death and the miscarriage appear to have played a significant impact on her life.
She does not pay one last visit to Aksel after discovering that he will not survive the night. Instead, she spends the night strolling through Oslo’s streets and alleyways, alone, dealing with her loss. When the sun rises in the morning, it brightens her face, signifying that she has a bright future ahead of her.
Starring Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, Joachim Trier's prizewinning romantic drama THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD celebrates its UK premiere tonight at @BFI #LFF! pic.twitter.com/6WQuvITmGi
— MUBI (@mubi) October 8, 2021
What Is the Importance of the Film’s Epilogue?
Julie’s transformation is solidified in the epilogue. It performs the same thing for Eivind in a minor degree. A voice-over, the mushroom-trip scene, and the time-freeze scene all examine Julie’s self-doubts and inner problems. Some time has gone between Aksel’s death and the epilogue.
Julie is now a successful photographer, and Eivind has started a family. Since the last time we saw them, both have clearly progressed. Julie, in particular, has accepted herself and found peace as a result. Her identity is no longer dependent on others, as it was previously. She’s been through her fair share of adversity and uncertainty, but she’s come out on top.
Can I Watch ‘The Worst Person in the World’ (2021) Movie Online
The Worst Person in the World is now unavailable to watch online. However, we should anticipate seeing the film streaming shortly because it’s a Neon release, and the production firm has an output arrangement with Hulu! So keep coming back to see what’s new.