Oslo, 31. august
Oslo, 31. august – a film screening
Joachim Trier’s film is considered one of the greatest Norwegian films of all time.
It has become a tradition for Cinemateket to screen Oslo, 31. august on this very day. The film actually premiered on this date in 2011, and 31 August is also International Overdose Awareness Day.
With Oslo as its backdrop, Joachim Trier offers a simple yet complex portrait of a person on the verge of giving up, who may nevertheless find a reason to keep living. Or perhaps not.
With a playful and highly deliberate cinematic style, the film depicts a pivotal day in Anders’ life—one that can also feel like an entire lifetime.
The film is the second chapter in Trier’s Oslo trilogy, three films about alienation. The trilogy began with Reprise (2006) and concluded with Verdens verste menneske (2021).
A coolly observed yet boundlessly compassionate day in the life of a recovering drug addict, «Oslo, August 31st» breaks your heart many times over.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
