Oslo, August 31st

Oslo Rehab and Life Sucks type film
As the late Amy Winehouse discovered, offers of a visit to rehab often get received with a `no, no, no'. Well in this case Anders played by Anders Danielson-Lie, is in rehab, whilst he is successfully completing the course it is obvious that he is just going through the motions and sobriety, which can be depressing at the best of times, has left him feeling worthless. So he fills his pocket with stones and jumps in a lake - which sort of fails miserably.

After drying off he is given a pass to go to Oslo for a job interview and a day out, so off he goes. The problem is that he comes from Oslo and all his old `friends' are still there. They have moved on with their lives whereas he has been in a downward spiral of drug abuse for years. He doesn't even have good times to show as most of it was an intoxicated blur. The interview goes badly and Anders slowly goes back to what he knows will give him solace.

This is not the first film to say drugs are bad, it is not the...

"Everything will get better. Except it won't."
"Oslo, August 31st" (2011 release from Norway; 95 min.) brings the story of Anders (played by Anders Danielsen Lie), a 34 yr. old recovering drug addict. As the movie opens, we see Anders spending time in the drug rehab center, and receiving the word that he is allowed an evening out from the rehab center in order to travel to Oslo for a job interview. Anders takes the opportunity to reconnect with friends and acquaintances from years ago. One of his best friends, now married with two young children, gets Anders to open up. At the end of the conversation, Anders concludes "Everything will get better", but after a short pause he adds "Except that it won't". How will the job interview pan out? Can Anders make amends with some of his (girl)friends from the past? To tell you more would ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first and foremost, this is a bleak movie, there is no other way to put it. Without...

Intensely Disturbing
Oslo never looked as beautiful as on a summer day in August. We follow an addict as he contemplates his past and his future with the knowledge that his addiction is inescapable. As he talks with a friend we are allowed to see the depth of his self-loathing, and we are allowed inside his past with his family as he lies dreaming in the warm sun at a park. We follow him through the despair of his version of August 31 and recognize that it takes many steps to make the decision he ultimately takes.

For friends and families of addicts of any sort, this is a painful reminder that the decision to live with an addiction is a lonely and ultimately individual one.

It is hard to assign stars to a film like this. I cannot say "I Loved It" simply because it churns the stomach and one's emotions. The film, however, is unimpeachable in what it has set out to accomplish.

Click to Editorial Reviews