Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World is a bit misleading in its choice of title. While initially viewers are led to believe that lead character, Julie (Renate Reinsve), a 20-something who changes interests so fast it’s hard not to get whiplash, is a destructive force that should be avoided at all costs. And, at times, Julie seems like she is purposefully hurting the ones she cares about for no other reason than to feel something. But as the viewer gets to know Julie over the course of the film, which is divided into 12 chapters and a prologue/epilogue, it becomes clear that, at any given moment, someone might be the worst person in the world to someone else, or they might be their favorite person.

Trier explores that dichotomy throughout several years of Julie’s life. First, she spends time with a comic book artist named Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie) who serves as the older, more mature boyfriend that forces Julie to take stock of what she truly values in life. Surprisingly, though, the relationship between Julie and Aksel explores a lot more than just the age gap. The Worst Person in the World has a lot to say about the compromises that exist in relationships and whether they are worth making. At first, it seems like Julie and Aksel are diametrically opposed, but their time together and out in the world shows them their common ground.

It’s not a spoiler to say that Julie and Anders' relationship doesn’t last, but the exploration of why it ends is fascinating. Trier’s script, which he co-wrote with Eskil Vogt, leverages its chapter-based structure to highlight the relativity of time. Chapters that contain moments that might seem pivotal to the characters and the audience are given just a few minutes of screen time. Julie writes a provocative essay that gains her some notoriety, for example, but the chapter that features her writing is very brief. On the other hand, a chance encounter with Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), who seems to better align with Julie’s values, is given a ton of screen time, eventhough the scene takes place over one night.

Throughout The Worst Person in the World there is no big moment of revelation. What might feel like big changes that happen in Julie’s life are washed over quickly, but the key landmarks on her roadmap to self discovery are oftentimes unexpectedly poignant. There’s a very clever sequence where everything comes to a complete stop except for Julie and Eivind, who spend a romantic day together and during which Julie cements her feelings about leaving Aksel. But even more time is paid to the agonizing tug of war that occurs when Julie finally tells him she is leaving and he pleads for her to stay.

As is usually the case with first loves, Julie is not done with Aksel and usually when he is around the film has the most to say. It has a devastating meditation on the finality of death and the harrowing nature of declining health, but it never becomes preachy. There is no central message to be found or some big revelation that sets Julie on a given path towards happiness. She is navigating her life as best she can and making choices that feel right in the moment. And yes, at times she does seem like The Worst Person in the World, but to her, the choices she makes feel right.

The Worst Person in the World is out now.

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