Oslo, August 31st

Name: Oslo, August 31st
Genre: Drama
Released: May 25, 2012
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 84
Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava

2012

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Universal acclaim based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 44 Ratings

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7.7

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7.7	Your Score
7.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 44 Ratings

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Oslo, August 31st

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Movie Details & Credits

Strand Releasing | Release Date: May 25, 2012 | Not Rated

Starring: Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava

Summary: Thirty-four-year-old Anders is a fortunate, but deeply troubled man battling drug addiction. As part of his rehabilitation program, he is allowed to go into the city for a job interview, but instead uses the opportunity as a way to drift around and revisit old friends. The day grows increasingly difficult as he struggles to overcomeThirty-four-year-old Anders is a fortunate, but deeply troubled man battling drug addiction. As part of his rehabilitation program, he is allowed to go into the city for a job interview, but instead uses the opportunity as a way to drift around and revisit old friends. The day grows increasingly difficult as he struggles to overcome personal demons and past ghosts for the chance at love and a new life. (Strand Releasing)… Expand

Director: Joachim Trier

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 95 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Ty Burr

Aug 30, 2012

The surface of Oslo, August 31st is as cool and crystalline as a Scandinavian lake, but at its core is a benevolence for the life we all share and tears for the man who can no longer share in it. Read full review

100

Kenneth Turan

Jun 1, 2012

Oslo is an example of strong, confident filmmaking in which nothing is miscalculated or out of place. Anchored by a devastating performance by Anders Danielsen Lie, this portrait of existential despair is beautifully made without being self-conscious about its art. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Jul 19, 2012

Although it can be harrowing and disturbing, Joachim Trier's film -- and Lie's performance -- are so masterful that the movie seems more like a searing portrait of self-discovery and realization, with the understanding that not everything you learn about yourself will be pleasant. Read full review

David Edelstein

May 21, 2012

Crosses the blood-brain barrier like … like … whatever the drug is, I haven't tried it, thank God. The movie eats into your mind - slowly. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

May 24, 2012

Trier's voice and vision, are thrillingly unique. His ever-searching camera, which never stops moving, takes us into places we've never been, know too well and won't soon forget. Read full review

Joshua Rothkopf

May 22, 2012

Organizing the mercurial emotions and tics is director Joachim Trier, making good on the promise of his 2006 feature debut, the lit-related drama Reprise. This one's even better-it's about the honesty that often takes root in survivors, a rarely explored subject-but Oslo, August 31st is not an easy film. Read full review

Philip Kemp

May 21, 2012

Anders Danielsen Lie gives a compelling, deep-etched lead turn, and you'll find yourself drawn in as he searches for a reason to continue living. Read full review

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User Reviews

Nesbitt10

Aug 13, 2013

Without being melodramatic or overbearing, "Oslo, August 31st" is a heart-rending film about regret, and the difficulty in forgetting ones past in order to hope for a better future. "Oslo, August 31st" is an impressive adaptation that is wonderfully acted and directed a tender and subtleWithout being melodramatic or overbearing, "Oslo, August 31st" is a heart-rending film about regret, and the difficulty in forgetting ones past in order to hope for a better future. "Oslo, August 31st" is an impressive adaptation that is wonderfully acted and directed a tender and subtle portrait of a tortured soul.

This brilliantly directed second feature from Joachim Trier "Reprise" (2009), takes place over the course of one day, following Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie) as he reaches the end of his time spent at a drug rehab clinic. Some people are their own worst enemy, and Anders is exactly that person. His inability to connect with others leads to a bleak, empty existence. After a private suicide attempt, he insists in his support group that he's fine. The next day he goes to Oslo for a job interview, spending the majority of his day meeting people from his past.

The film follows Anders throughout the day with extended conversations with various people that tell us as much about Anders, as they do about themselves. Everything we learn about Anders and his past is only through these interactions, never resorting to flashbacks. Anders simultaneously displays a condescending contempt and deep envy. His friends now lead happy lives, even if it seems everyone has become much more domesticated and boring even as their responsibilities begin to amass. Anders has his freedom but his freedom feels completely empty and aimless.

In the best scene in the film, Anders sits alone at a coffee shop, taking in all the conversations around him. Everyone else is talking about their troubles, their aspirations, or their everyday routines. In contrast, Anders has none of these things. No real worries, no real direction in life. He's adrift, completely lost, and alone.

Lie's central performance as Anders is truly remarkable, a self-confessed "spoilt brat who up," his actions are not always sympathetic, but every little knock he takes over the course of the film has a cumulative effect. He's aided enormously by Trier's smart and analytical screenplay, as are the rest of the uniformly excellent cast.

It's an emotionally draining experience, and Anders' determinedly pessimistic outlook and inability to escape his past is as saddening as it is inevitable. Trier has carefully crafted a portrait of an addict, and the pressures of modern life with outstanding technical assurance. It's a sad story, but beautifully told.… Expand