NR, 95 min.
Director: Joachim Treir
Writers: Joachim Trier,
Eskil Vogt, Pierre Drieu la Rochelle (novel “Le feu follet”)
Starring: Anders Danielsen
Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava, Kjærsti Odden Skjeldal, Emil Lund, Malin
Crépin, Øystein Røger
Today’s offerings are a
little harder to find the good in, but it’s there. “Oslo, August 31st”
starts almost like a documentary praising the Norwegian city. Voiceover provide
memories of Oslo by is citizenry, and then the story begins with a man filling
his jacket pockets up with stones, picking up a huge rock in his arms and
walking into a river.
This man is the story’s
protagonist, Anders. He is not a happy man. His sinking trick doesn’t work. He
may still have a modicum of hope left in him. He’s a recovering drug addict
finishing his last two weeks of rehab. He receives a day pass to attend a job
interview and takes the opportunity to visit some old acquaintances.
He visits a best friend who
is positive and supportive. That is not what Anders wants. His sister, who
sends her girlfriend instead, stands him up. She couldn’t stand to get stood up
herself by Anders yet again. He goes to a party where he sees an old flame.
She’s losing faith herself after trying for years with her husband to get
pregnant. None of these people provide what Anders is looking for. He’s a good
person, trying to do right by these people and himself, but he knows the truth
of his situation. He will never be free again. Drugs will never let go their
hold on him.
In the end, what Anders
wants is exactly what he wanted in the beginning, a release, a way out from his
daily torture. What drug treatment has taught him is that drugs won’t supply
what he wants either. His is a sad story.
When I first saw the film last
fall, going on Ebert’s four-star review, I wanted something different than what
it gave me. I wanted hope, and through the course of a day Anders loses what
little he had left. I couldn’t find fault with the film, but I only awarded it
three and a half stars. The truth is, I can’t deny it four stars. It is
excellently made, and I fear a sadly accurate reflection of those who suffer
through addiction. But, such a depiction is not a totally negative thing. The
beginning of the film, where the residents of Oslo show their praise of the
city is the most interesting thing about the movie. It juxtaposes Anders life
with happier ones. It’d be tempting to say “more appreciative outlooks,” but it
isn’t that Anders doesn’t appreciate what others have done for him, or what
life has afforded him. He comes from a good family. He had a good life, but his
addictions won’t let go. Is his act in the end so selfish? Or is it his last
good deed to himself and those around him?
I am by no means condoning suicide,
nor do I think this film is either. What it does is open a window into the
mindset of someone who sees it as his only option. It is enlightening, the
greatest compliment you can give to a work of art.
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