REPRISE (Norway/Sweden, 2006). Wednesday, 22nd October 2008REPRISE
Norway/Sweden, 2006. Directed by Joachim Trier from a screenplay
by Eskil Vogt and himself. Photography(Colour): Jakob Ihre.
Music: Ola Fløttum. Certificate: “15”. Length: 107 minutes.
Leading Players: ESPEN KLOUMAN HØINER (Erik Hølaas),
ANDERS DANIELSEN LIE (Phillip Reisnes), VIKTORIA WINGE
(Kari), SILJE HAGEN (Lillian), SIGMUND SAEVERUD
(Sten Egil Dahl), PÅL STOKKA (Geir).
It is a special pleasure to present this first feature by Joachim Trier because it has so many of the attributes that one looks for in a debut work but which are all too often absent. There is a youthful energy about it, a love of cinema and also novelty in the material chosen by Trier who shares the writing credit for the original screenplay with Eskil Vogt. It appears that Trier is a relative of Lars Von Trier, but any suspicions about him getting ahead on account of that are eliminated by the quality of his work here (indeed before embarking on Reprise he had already made short films and won prizes for them).
In some respects Reprise can be thought of as a playful and spirited piece but if that suggests something insubstantial that would be misleading for, while hardly aiming to be a masterpiece, Reprise is a work full of ideas that are thrown up for our consideration. In particular, it’s a tale about the literary world and about what makes for success at a time when quality is not necessarily the criterion by which work is judged. Trier approaches this by way of a tale that reflects life but which adopts a tone that is colourful rather than drably naturalistic. Thus the two friends in their twenties who are the central characters, Erik (Espen Klouman Høiner) and Phillip (Anders Danielson Lie), not only share an ambition to achieve fame as an author but post off the manuscripts of their respective first novels on the same day.
As presented to us, it is Phillip who hits the jackpot since his novel is accepted and is then well received on publication. It is, however, quite possible that Erik’s work which is rejected is in truth far more distinguished. In any case the audience can reach its own conclusions on several points given the stylised nature of the film which is as willing as Laurence Sterne’s Tristam Shandy to deal in digressions. Furthermore, the tale is told to us through a voice over and, since this purports to be that of someone who is himself an author, it is quite on the cards that he is a candidate for the well-known role of the unreliable narrator. Given all this, we can decide for ourselves whether or not certain sequences that we see are more imagined than real.
Although Trier was born in 1974, he is clearly an admirer of the French New Wave which played such a key role in cinema in the sixties. Reprise may mainly take place in Oslo (a pleasantly unfamiliar location, but this is at heart a Norwegian film) but it also features material shot in Paris that includes street scenes specially photographed in black and white. Consequently, it is not surprising that this piece has been compared with the films of François Truffaut. It could, however, be argued that Jean-Luc Godard has been an even greater influence as is suggested by a number of details here: I would instance Trier’s use of jump cuts, an episode in which the sound is cut off and the film’s abrupt ending. Indeed, although it’s probably far-fetched to suggest it, it could be that Phillip’s object of affection, a girl named Kari (Viktoria Winge), is so named as a reminder of Godard’s one-tine wife and muse Anna Karina. What is certain is that Reprise is in part a heart-felt homage to the Nouvelle Vague and a far more attractive one than Christophe Honoré’s Dans Paris which tried to be that but was decked out with unappealing characters and modern-day crudity. In contrast, anyone who looks back with affection on that past era of French cinema will delight in the reflections of it here.
Another part of the stylisation comes from Trier’s very adept use of pop songs on the soundtrack but, however much one might be tempted to regard Reprise as a youthful work in which style is more important than content, it would sell this film short to take that view. I have already suggested that the film has much to say about commercialism and trendy fashions in the literary world. It’s also the case that while Erik too has a girl-friend – Lillian played by Silje Hagen – the two male protagonists are very much the centre of the film. In looking at the hopes and aspirations of the young, Reprise is very much about the extent to which for both Phillip and Erik a desire for personal fulfilment through art can make careers more important than relationships. If their ambitions lead to behaviour that can put a strain on their personal lives, it is all the more ironic that it is open to question as to what truly constitutes success for an artist. Popularity with the public can be regarded as a way of measuring success, but what sells can be influenced by reviewers who may be mere purveyors of fashion rather than sound judges. This is a question of particular concern to Erik because of the rejection of his novel, although it is Phillip who despite his apparent success succumbs to depression and has to be helped. In any case it is Erik’s work that eventually earns praise from an older writer who becomes aware of it, Dahl played by Sigmund Saeverud. As an established writer, he might seem to be secure and safely above the prejudices of fashion, but what happens to him suggests that this may not be the case.
Nicely played by all concerned, Reprise works on several levels. The surface is often intriguing, even when there for its own sake (the repeated effect of incorporating a count-down that carries a sense of impending danger may be a bit of a cheat but suspense certainly is generated). That’s balanced by the ideas thrown up as discussed above, while it is also the case that we come to believe in the characters sufficiently to speculate about them. Thus, to take one example, we may ask ourselves to what extent Erik and Phillip remain genuine in their responses to one another since rivalry may have undermined the honesty that one would expect between two old friends. As I hope you can tell from my description of it, Reprise is a piece that both stimulates and entertains as it offers a genuinely fresh take on styles that were integral to much of the adventurous cinema of the sixties.
“Manages to make a big impression. Both leads are impressive”
– Charlotte O’Sullivan, Evening Standard.
“Redolent of early Truffaut” - Variety.
“Cockily confident. The film has the elegant exuberance of indoor fireworks”
- Philip French, The Observer.
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“”One of the most passionately ad intellectually uninhibited works from a young director I’ve seen in ages. Tender, funny, galvanising and ambitious” – New York Times.
“A genuine pleasure. An agreeable debut, it bears the hallmarks of a newcomer’s
palpable excitement at setting out on a film-making career”
– David Gritten, Daily Telegraph.
– Programme Note by Mansel Stimpson.
