I found the presentation of this story of friends Phillip (Anders Danielsen Lie) and Erik (Espen Klouman-Høiner),two aspiring young novelists, to be distractingly self-conscious. The flash backs, flash forwards, omniscient narrator, abrupt cuts to a blank screen, and speculations about scenarios that might have been, impeded the storyline rather than propelled it. If through these devices director Trier was trying to frequently draw our attention to the fact that we were watching a movie, then he succeeded. The style did not work for me.

Very early on Phillip suffers a nervous breakdown and is consigned to a mental institution. Once he gets out of there he sleepwalks through the rest of the film in an affect-less daze. It's hard to judge Lie's acting based on this undemanding role. Actor Sigmund Sæverud adds some much needed gravitas as a reclusive older writer, but Viktoria Winge (as Phillip's girlfriend Kari) is the highlight, she captured my attention whenever she was on screen.

I felt that I never got to know Phillip or Erik well. How were they making their livings? At least we see Kari working as a telemarketer. I know it is hard to dramatize someone sitting at a desk and writing, but we so rarely see Erik writing that it is hard to believe writing is the central focus of his life.

Most good novels are rooted in the life experiences of their authors and display an impressive talent for observation. What life experiences did either Phillip or Erik have that would form the kernel of a novel? Both were living at home with their mothers and hanging out with rather pedestrian friends. The guys never showed any depth of personality or intellectual curiosity that I would associate with being a fiction writer.

In a hilarious send-up of TV shows where authors are interviewed, Erik allows as how his novel is a search for "the absolute language," a language which can grasp all the world's nuances. That scene made Erik look a bit of a fool and did not inspire me to think his novel was of any consequence, hence it was hard for me to take him, or the movie seriously.

"Trier perceptively fastens on that hygge and ennui are the two faces of the same mirror of Scandinavian existence, financial comfort and quotidian amenity doesn't necessarily lead one to happiness, Phillip is ill-prepared for the fame engendered by his juvenilia, and he is almost destroyed by it, a stable relationship with a nice girl Kari (Winge) might save him, but the jury is still out. Meantime, Erik has a more orthodox approach to pursue his vocation, it is a bumpy road but you never know when a pat on the back can boost your morale. REPRISE is a film underlay in reality and fraternity, but systemically it is desultory, like its somber, stonewashed palette, it dissuades you from investing yourself too much in the characters, Erik is a honest-to-good, handsome young man, but lack in personality, or enough sophistication (which is a prerequisite for a man of letters); Phillip is more angular, but tends to keep his own counsel and his psychosis feels like a cheap plot device, plus the blokeish banters reek of caddishness typical of the noughties."

Read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.

'Reprise', the 2006 debut film by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, is a tribute to the directors of the French New Wave and their films. In many ways it looks like a New Wave movie made in Norway in the 2000's. Its heroes are young intellectuals searching for their personal and artistic identity. It is filmed mostly on the streets of the metropolis that is Oslo, and even includes in the story two episodes that take place in Paris. The style of the narration is non-linear, reality is intertwined with imaginary 'what-if' scenes, the point of view is personal and the off-screen voices are used copiously. The problem is that 'Reprise' was made about 45 years after the New Wave appeared on the screens of the world, and another 15 years have passed since then. The novelty effect is non-existent. In order to be able to capture the attention of the spectators, it is necessary to have a story and characters that will win the interest and, if possible, the affection of the spectators. From this point of view, the success is partial.

'Reprise' begins with an exceptional opening scene. Two young men stand in front of a mailbox, each with a large envelope in his hands. They are excited and hesitant. They finally put the envelopes in the box. The two are Philip (Anders Danielsen Lie) and Erik (Espen Klouman Høiner),two 23-year-olds aspiring to become writers. The envelopes contain the texts of their debut books, which they hope to see published. From here, with the help of the off-screen voice, we enter the field of conditional mode. One of them may succeed and the other may not. Their sentimental ties may have diverted them from writing. Life and literature may come into conflict and the price of success may be the inability to feel or, conversely, the fear of feeling and engaging too much.

The narrative is quite twisted, storytellers alternate, and the style of 'possible scenarios' is a permanent challenge for viewers. The masters of the New French Wave understood the difficulty and in their best films they had the skill and maybe the luck to cast actresses and actors who won the empathy of the audiences of their time. They also simplified their stories or used classic narrative structures borrowed from the detective genre or from American movies. Joachim Trier, in this debut film, failed to follow his teachers from this point of view. He tries to say too much, which is a debutant syndrome. It is obvious that he is very familiar with the environment he describes, after all the heroes are his generational fellows. He has some great ideas, such as the mute dialogues with outside voices between lovers. The soundtrack is composed exclusively of live music, punk and metal, violent and at full volume, kind of a counterpoint to the rules of Scandinavian conversation. However, the narrative is too contorted, and from the cast only Anders Danielsen Lie as Philip and Viktoria Winge as his girlfriend Kari manages to create a credible relationship on screen. The rest of the characters are simply not interesting enough (at least that's how they seemed to me) and their intellectual contortions and even the satire of the editorial system remain too abstract, especially since we are never told what the writers film's heroes write. 'Reprise' is the interesting debut of the talented director who was to become Joachim Trier, but the title of the chronicle of the debut book of one of the heroes, 'Form without substance' fits also the film.