Movie Review: Reprise

After looking through the latest movie ratings on metacritic, I decided to take a shot at Reprise. Since I had to head up to San Francisco to see it at Embarcadero one, I decided to make a nice Sunday out of it by combining it with a scenic run along the Marina.

Reprise is a Norwegian film, which I think is the first I've ever seen of that Nationality. It takes place in Oslo and focuses on the literary and life aspirations of two friends played by Anders Danielsen Lie and Espen Klouman-Høiner in their early 20's who are joined by a common interest in literature and writing, finding heroes in Norwegian authors and driven towards finding company among them.

The film begins with them standing in front of a mail box with their first novels packaged in yellow envelopes, both standing with hesitant feelings knowing that dropping their work down the slot will have a major effect on their young lives. At this moment in the film and as the film progresses, it's clear that the prospect of rejection is much more benign than the realization of fame.

For one, it's the latter that occurs, leading to time in the spotlight, which becomes much too bright when combined with the onset of mental illness that follows a turbulent romance. Whether this mental decline is brought on by the pressure and attention that accompanies his newfound fame or his relationship with his new girl friend (Kari, played by Viktoria Winge), that remains unclear. What does seem apparent is that the joy of writing is gone for him as he struggles to reconnect his life.

As for his friend, he is relieved to have his novel rejected, allowing to him continue living as he was. In this way he's not as tempted to make any drastic changes to his life, which he does question subtly as he lives at home and spends time with friends and a girl friend who provide support, but do not challenge him.

The most compelling theme of the movie is the friendship between the two young writers, whose support and sympathy for each other overcomes their quiet competition and the repelling angst brought on by the mental and emotional problems faced by one of them. As the movie switches gears between tenses, it's clear that their relationship is meant to be lifelong.

I enjoyed the dark humor of the movie, which had me laughing at various points. I also liked the theme of following one's bliss despite the odds and challenges that accompany that philosophy. It was not hard to relate to the characters and life styles despite the foreign setting. If you're looking for sense of what Oslo is like, this is probably not the movie for it as I left feeling as if it could have been set in Minnesota as far as I saw.