Year: 2022
Runtime: 121 min
Language: Norwegian
Director: Joachim Trier
This poignant comedy-drama follows Julie as she explores her twenties, grappling with love, career choices, and the search for identity in Oslo. Over four years, the film chronicles her journey through 12 chapters, depicting both joyful and painful experiences. Renate Reinsve delivers a remarkable performance as Julie, a young woman navigating relationships with two very different men and seeking happiness amidst the complexities of modern life.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of The Worst Person in the World (2022), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Julie, a medical student in Oslo, embarks on a transformative journey, shifting her focus from medicine to psychology and eventually to photography. In her late twenties, she begins a complex relationship with Aksel Willman, a comic artist who is 15 years her senior. During a weekend visit to Aksel’s parents’ house, he suggests the idea of starting a family, a notion that leaves Julie feeling apprehensive.
One fateful night, after attending a publishing event for Aksel, Julie inadvertently crashes a wedding reception, where she encounters Eivind, a charismatic barista. Despite both being in relationships, they share a night filled with laughter and intimacy, although they do not engage in sexual activities, only exchanging first names before parting.
Julie’s creative expression flourishes when she writes a provocative short story about feminism and oral sex that captures Aksel’s attention and prompts him to encourage her to share it online. The story becomes a sensation. However, as Julie celebrates her 30th birthday at her divorced mother’s home, she faces disappointment when her father, under the pretense of back pain, fails to show up. In an unexpected twist, her half-sister reveals that he had actually attended one of Julie’s football games on that same day, leaving her feeling further estranged.
While working at a bookstore, Julie bumps into Eivind and his girlfriend, Sunniva. At a dinner with Aksel’s family, Aksel laments about the sanitized film adaptation of his politically incorrect comic series Bobcat, leaving Julie disinterested and lost in thoughts about Eivind. Ultimately, she decides to end her relationship with Aksel.
Meanwhile, Eivind ends things with Sunniva due to her overly restrictive ideals concerning social justice and climate issues. Sparks fly as Julie and Eivind begin to live together. During a small gathering at Eivind’s place, someone discovers a hidden stash of psychedelic mushrooms, which Julie partakes in, resulting in bizarre hallucinations. That evening, she confides in Eivind, expressing her comfort in being herself around him.
Tragically, Aksel’s brother later reveals to Julie that Aksel is suffering from incurable pancreatic cancer. A short time later, Eivind stumbles across a story Julie wrote, and, believing it to be autobiographical, confronts her. In a moment of anger, she denies his claims, patronizing him in the process.
The situation escalates when Julie learns she is pregnant but feels uncertain about telling Eivind. Visiting Aksel in the hospital, he opens up about his fear of death while professing his love for her. Despite Aksel’s assurances that she would make a wonderful mother, Julie remains terrified about the impending changes. Upon returning home, she reveals her pregnancy to Eivind and expresses her need for time to make a decision about the child. Unfortunately, she later receives grave news from Aksel’s brother, implying that Aksel may not make it through the night.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, while showering, Julie experiences a miscarriage.
Fast forward to some time later, Julie finds herself working as an on-set photographer for a film production. While capturing images of an actress, she later spots the actress outside with Eivind and a baby. Reflecting on her day, she returns home to edit the photographs, as memories of her past and hopes for the future intertwine in her mind.
Last Updated: November 16, 2024 at 17:14
Still wondering what the ending of The Worst Person in the World (2022) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
At the end of The Worst Person in the World, Julie is depicted as having gone through a profound transformation. The surreal moment where she briefly stops time—while she is about to tell Aksel she wants to end their relationship—is a symbolic representation of her indecision and desire to escape the overwhelming complexities of her life. This moment shows her internal conflict: instead of confronting her feelings directly, she chooses to slip away into a fleeting, imagined space where her choices are momentarily paused and altered. When she finally turns the world back on, she’s more resolute, having decided to leave Aksel and embrace a new path with Eivind.
The film concludes with Julie working on a film set, looking out at Eivind with his partner and their child outside her window. She’s now a confident woman who has accepted her life’s uncertainties and her own desires. The ending signifies her growth and self-awareness—she has moved from the impulsiveness and indecisiveness that characterized her earlier journey to a place of acceptance and independence. The symbolic act of the world freezing and resuming reinforces the idea that she now controls her life’s course, understanding that her choices, however uncertain, are her own. Ultimately, the film suggests that personal growth involves embracing ambiguity, taking responsibility for one’s decisions, and recognizing that no one is truly the “worst person in the world”—everyone is just trying to find their way in life, imperfect but authentic.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:57
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