The vibrant Norwegian
debut feature Reprise is one of those rare films about writers where form matches
content, with fresh insights about the literary world coming via a complex,
liberating series of flashbacks, ellipses, and other bold flourishes. Owing
much to the French New Wave, especially the oft-referenced Jules And Jim, it feels like a young
person's movie, connecting deeply to the fluttering thought processes of two
first-time novelists and best friends whose lives endure dramatic,
crisscrossing twists of fate. Though it can be hard at times to keep up with
the restless, scatterbrained style of writer-director Joachim Trier, it's best
just to allow the movie's freewheeling energy to take over and explore its
subject from a multitude of angles. There will be time to sort out the film's
events once it's over.
The almost interchangeably
handsome Espen Klouman-Høiner and Anders Danielsen Lie star as best friends who
harbored literary ambitions from an early age, when they worshipped reclusive
prize-winning novelist Sigmund Saeverud. In perfect step, Klouman-Høiner and
Lie drop their finished books in the mailbox at the same time, taking the first
step on the road to presumed authorial stardom. But things don't work out quite
as planned: Lie's book gets accepted for publication and he's quickly
celebrated as a major new young author, but all the attention and an unhealthy
romantic obsession over an editor (Viktoria Winge) lead to a nervous breakdown.
Meanwhile, Klouman-Høiner weathers a series of rejections until he finally
breaks through on his own, though success comes with another set of
consequences for him.
Reprise tracks the ever-changing
balance of their friendship as developments lead one to greater recognition
and/or happiness than the other, only to have their trajectories shift.
Throughout it all, Klouman-Høiner and Lie have a delicate, touching bond that's
tested on many occasions, and brings them separately to the brink of madness
and despair. The film mirrors their extreme volatility, but it never wallows in
the low moments; instead, it feels alive and engaged at every moment, which
helps compensate for some of the herky-jerky storytelling. Like many debut
features, Reprise
is a foremost a statement of purpose, and in that respect, at least, Trier
shows limitless promise.