"Reprise" review by Spaldy

Written by: Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier

Directed by: Joachim Trier

Writers are weird people. I’ve known quite a few. I’ve been one. When you go to a party or a gathering, I seem to always be able to pick out the writers of the group; just look for the most miserable people in the room. It is not necessarily because their lives are crap or that they are a particularly soul searching bunch. No, writers just look miserable because they are writers. The writers in this film are no different.

“Reprise” is the story of two writers on separate paths. One, Phillip, is talented but emotionally volatile. He rides the waves of his creativity, losing control of all other functions and connections to reality. The other, Erik, is not all that talented, but he does what the other one can not do; he keeps his wits about him and writes. Great writers often have difficulty continuing to write. Their work can be sporadic and wild. Often less creative writers succeed simply because they can commit to writing on a consistent basis. This story exemplifies this long standing stereotype that success is dependant on the talent versus sanity balancing act.

The film is as conflicted as the character Phillip is: Is this about the group of friends? Is it about the two friends? Or is it just about Phillip? The scenes play as if we are in the mind of someone taking in the day to day life, passing the occasional moments, remembering the past or daydreaming about the possibilities. These scenes are the film’s greatest strength and also its greatest flaw. Though I liked the style, I felt that the film felt at odds with itself because of it. I was never really sure if there was a main character or if it was meant to be more of an ensemble piece. I like the idea of the two paths but in many ways, the story may have been better if it centered solely on Phillip’s struggle, or even just Erik’s inner conflict. For example, the story of the relationship between Phillip and his girlfriend Kari plays out in an intriguing way, but at the same time, it felt shoehorned into a story with a lot of other characters. The lack of character focus is probably the film’s greatest detraction.

The film style of inter cutting the scenes is very French, and I think it works to great effect. It is bold and demands attention. However, I felt the concentration on the real time aspects of their lives might have been the most difficult part to this film. It slows it down and makes the film seem tedious at times, demanding a lot of patience and focus. This can be a good thing, but here it seems to make the film drag a bit. I mean, even the day to day lives of the most interesting people are not filled with nothing but moments I need to experience. Sometimes Andy Warhol just brushed his teeth; the audience doesn’t necessarily need to experience that moment with him. Here we are given a lot of simple, every day moments, and in some ways the moments are deeply personal, but often, they just seem unnecessary.

Ultimately the script is fairly well written. I would have liked a little more editing to tighten it up a bit, and to make those quiet, powerful moments punch a little more. However, the friendships at the heart of this film are worth exploring. Unfortunately, the exploration of those friendships does tend to muddle the film up a bit.

Still, for the patient viewer this film is worth a look. The direction is a little different and a little strange, but quite actually quite enjoyable. The fact that the film lacks focus while at the same time being too focused on the wrong things is a definite issue. However, there is a nice realness and heart to the story; but you have to work a bit to really experience it.