Rating of
3/4
Character-Driven; Loved It!
Franz Patrick - wrote on 11/01/08
I expected character depth from this film but I didn’t expect for it to look and feel low-key. Luckily, I’ve grown to appreciate low-key pictures over the years and I found it beautiful in “Reprise.” A fellow critic on Netflix claims that this movie is more for advance foreign film students because, on top of the language barrier (the whole film is spoken in Norwegian), it’s extremely difficult to relate to the characters. I disagree because even though the characters may seem like literary snobs on the outside (pretty much all they do is hang out with friends, hang out with their girlfriends and write), something deep inside them is relatable. Even though they feel jubilant whenever they experience success and get jealous when someone else is in the spotlight, the group of friends ultimately care for one another. I was impressed with Anders Danielsen Lie (who plays Phillip) and Espen Klouman-Høiner (who plays Erik) because I completely believed that they built a true friendship that started when they were children. They push each other to go on, whether it comes to writing or living life, to keep going… but at the same time they hinder each other despite their best intentions. I found the bleak look of the film to be thoroughly engaging because it added to the realism of the picture. Joachim Trier, the director, carefully molded the characters but still had time to enhance the overall feel of the film by adding voice overs and scenes that might have or could have happened. This may not be the most accessible film but what it has going for it are strong characterization and a solid medium that show the hurdles that artistic people in their twenties might face.
