Reprise Details

One of the best films of 2007

Didn't get much of a cinema release but still made loads of film of the year lists. Brilliantly filmed, great music and very hip. Packed full of ideas and genuine intelligence. Highly recommended and can't wait to see what Joachim Trier does next.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Artistic Vice

A bright, enjoyable, though somewhat flashy directorial debut from Joachim Trier that jumps back and forth through the lives of its two protagonists, aspiring writers Phillip and Erik.

Trier confidently and accurately captures the exuberance and melancholy of that milieu - twentysomething men, their friends & relationships, ambitions and failings - in a way that very few contemporary films have.

If the fragmented chronology sometimes gives the impression of a director who doesn't trust his material enough to just let it play out straight, it nonetheless serves its purpose in allowing a space for the characters to dream up possible futures. And in fairness this is balanced out by terrific performaces from an unknown & inexperienced cast, a hip soundtrack, and (cinematographer) Jakob Ihre's gorgeous style. [Look out for his equally great work on the forthcoming 'Unmade Beds'].

Worthy of a mention too is the refreshing manner in which it treats Phillip's mental illness - refusing to romanticise or equate madness with artistry.

Films about literature are notoriously difficult to dramatise, but Reprise succeeds by focussing on the lives, letting the writing remain a compelling but largely invisible force.