The Worst Person in the World (2021) is a romantic drama that follows Julie, a soon-to-be 30-year-old medical student in Norway. The film introduces her while she is still in university, stuck in a cycle of indecisiveness and exploration, frequently switching careers and engaging in fleeting romances. She struggles with self-doubt about her future and often changes career paths before eventually pursuing photography.
She then meets Aksel, a comic book artist fifteen years older than her, and they quickly hit it off. Seeing him as a safe and stable partner, she begins dating him. However, after meeting his friends and family, she starts feeling infantilized in their presence and realizes she is not ready for the commitment of having children and starting a family. This moment deepens her insecurities, as she compares herself to other women her age who have already started motherhood.
One night, Julie spontaneously crashes a wedding party, where she meets Eivind. Though both are in relationships, they connect instantly and share an intimate but non-physical night together. This encounter further fuels Julie’s uncertainty about what she truly wants in life.
Eventually, both Julie and Eivind break up with their respective partners, feeling restricted in their relationships. They start dating, and later, Julie discovers she is pregnant. Around the same time, she learns that her ex-boyfriend Aksel has been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer and visits him in the hospital. Aksel expresses his fears of dying and professes his love for her, while Julie confesses her pregnancy and her fears of motherhood. Aksel reassures her, insisting that she will be a good mother. When she returns home, she tells Eivind about the pregnancy but admits she needs time to decide whether to keep the child.
In the following sequence, Julie learns that Aksel will not survive the night, and she later experiences a miscarriage while in the shower. The film then fast-forwards in time, showing Julie working as a photographer on a film shoot, where she sees Eivind with another woman and a baby.
The film explores themes of self-discovery, love, time, and life’s uncertainty. Julie struggles with her identity, frequently changing careers and relationships, which reflect her tension between freedom and long-term commitment. While she desires deep connections, she fears being tied down. Often feeling lost and unsure of her choices, she embodies themes of regret and imperfection. Through moments of joy, heartbreak, and introspection, the film portrays the unpredictability of life, emphasizing that navigating relationships, ambition, and time is essential to self-acceptance.
The Worst Person in the World (2021) won the Best Actress award (Renate Reinsve) at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and received Academy Award nominations for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay (Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt) in 2022.
The Worst Person in the World (2021) Awards:
Academy Awards (94th Oscars) – 2 Nominations, 0 Wins
- Nominated: Best Original Screenplay – Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier
- Nominated: Best International Feature Film – Norway
British Academy Film Awards (75th BAFTAs) – 2 Nominations, 10 Wins
- Nominated: Best Actress in a Leading Role – Renate Reinsve
- Nominated: Best Film Not in the English Language
