Oslo, August 31

In 2011, The Norwegian film Olso, August 31 premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section to rave reviews – it even made Norway's Oscar shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film. This is certainly no surprise to anyone familiar with the work of young director Joachim Trier, whose debut film Reprise swept international film festivals in 2006 and was once again on the Oscar Shortlist. This film has many similarities with Reprise; both were directed and co-written by Mr. Triers, both star the impressive Anders Danielsen Lie, and both deal with young, promising academics who spiral into depression. However, Mr. Triers has a few years of experience under his belt, and his work more nuanced and profound this time around.

Olso, August 31 opens with an intriguing montage of Olso city scenes, underscored by voices reminiscing about childhood innocence. It is only after this that we are finally introduced to the main character, one of the disembodied voices: Anders (played masterfully by Anders Danielsen Lee). The film follows Anders as he embarks on his first day post-rehab. After spending years as an in-patient in a clinic for his drug and alcohol abuse, Anders is pushed out into the real world with nothing but a clean shirt, some cab fare, and a job interview lined up.

Along the way, Anders makes some detours to visit friends and family members he hasn't seen since in years. His best friend from college, his sister's girlfriend, his childhood sweetheart – each interacts with Anders one on one, in ten minute painfully realistic conversations. It is these encounters with the ghosts of his past that transforms this film from an after-school special to a delicate portrayal of addiction. After several reminders that he can never truly mend his relationships, and after a humiliating job interview, Anders slowly relapses into his old habits – a glass of champagne at a friend's birthday party, a beer in a nightclub, and finally a visit to his old drug dealer to purchase heroin (using money stolen from his friends' wallets, no less). He stumbles from party to party, searching for the high he used to get years ago, and never truly finds it until the last few moments of the film.

The plot may seem very dry and dense on paper – and if Anders was in the hands of any other actor, it probably would be – but from the moment Mr. Danielsen Lie appears on screen, he is captivating. Even during a four minute scene where he walks silently through a forest, I could not take my eyes off of him. He is at once menacing and pitiful, childish and wise beyond his years. He is a master both of simple glances and intense intellectual sparring, as witnessed in his scenes with his former drinking buddy turned father of two, Thomas.

Of course, no one man should have to carry an entire piece on his shoulders – and Mr. Daniensen Lie luckily doesn't have to. The other actors who make up the rest of the film aren't particularly memorable, and the movie does waver into some cliched territory, Mr. Trier (and his co-screenwriter, Mr. Eskil Vogt) have created enough dynamic shifts between scenes to keep interest. Just as I was starting to tire of the aforementioned forest scene, Anders arrives at a river bank and promptly begins a suicide attempt. After a few harrowing moments, Anders rises out of the water (sputtering, but clearly unharmed) and dejectedly walks back to his rehab clinic.

Another scene of note involves Anders waiting at a cafe, eavesdropping on fellow patron's conversations. At first, the whispered conversations are hilariously mundane – but suddenly we're drawn to three boisterous teenage girls joking about a singer who's recently killed himself. There's a brief moment of quiet, just long enough for Anders to register the irony, and then again we're drawn into another loud declaration. This time, it's a woman in her mid-twenties sharing a veritable laundry list (the monologue is almost three minutes) of all the things she hopes to accomplish, and Anders knows he never will.

In the final moments of the film, we watch in horror as Anders returns to his childhood home and his childhood room – only to shoot up heroin and collapse on his bed. He shudders once, lets out a long sigh – and then we're shown silent, pastoral images of the places Anders visited over the course of the film. It's these shifts from the idyllic to the violent that keep this movie from losing the audience's attention, and its no small feat for a movie rife with quiet, nuanced moments.

All in all, Olso, August 31 is a beautifully written and acted character study. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, and it certainly isn't for those in the mood for a comedy or action-adventure film, but there’s a lot to be said for a film that embraces the fragility of its male protagonist, and it's certainly the most realistic portrayal of a young, lost soul to grace the silver screen.