Oslo, August 31st
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    Aug 30, 2012
    100
    The surface of Oslo, August 31st is as cool and crystalline as a Scandinavian lake, but at its core is a benevolence for the life we all share and tears for the man who can no longer share in it.
  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Aug 29, 2012
    100
    Oslo, August 31st is quietly, profoundly, one of the most observant and sympathetic films I've seen.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    Jun 1, 2012
    100
    Oslo is an example of strong, confident filmmaking in which nothing is miscalculated or out of place. Anchored by a devastating performance by Anders Danielsen Lie, this portrait of existential despair is beautifully made without being self-conscious about its art.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    May 23, 2012
    100
    Trier's compassion for what it takes to survive, mixed with the love he bestows on Oslo, is rewardingly profound.
  5. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    Jul 19, 2012
    90
    Although it can be harrowing and disturbing, Joachim Trier's film -- and Lie's performance -- are so masterful that the movie seems more like a searing portrait of self-discovery and realization, with the understanding that not everything you learn about yourself will be pleasant.
  6. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    May 24, 2012
    90
    It's a marvelously constructed personal journey, both wrenching and bittersweet, whose emotional ripple effects stay with you for days and weeks afterward.
  7. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Adam Nayman
    Aug 10, 2012
    88
    Trier's all in a calendar-day conceit gives Oslo, August 31a clean, clear structure, and yet it doesn't hem it in.
  8. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    May 25, 2012
    88
    Despite its themes, Oslo, August 31st is an exhilarating film, with impeccable direction and pitch-perfect performances that make the bleakness worthwhile.
  9. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Ela Bittencourt
    May 21, 2012
    88
    The evocation of things ending suffuses the film with melancholy, as Anders increasingly becomes an observant rather than a participant in his own life.
  10. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    Aug 30, 2012
    83
    The slowness and stillness in the film are, actually, a slow boil, and in Lie's taciturnity there is pain and even horror.
  11. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    May 23, 2012
    83
    Trier doesn't allow the bleakness of the material to swamp the film in a miserablist tone, but he doesn't hold back, either, in revealing every hairline crack in Lie's fragile psyche.
  12. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    May 24, 2012
    80
    Trier's voice and vision, are thrillingly unique. His ever-searching camera, which never stops moving, takes us into places we've never been, know too well and won't soon forget.
  13. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Melissa Anderson
    May 22, 2012
    80
    Matching the precision of the film's title, remembrances of things past-whether destructive or salutary, quickly mentioned or dilated upon-are shaped by just enough exacting detail.
  14. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    May 22, 2012
    80
    Organizing the mercurial emotions and tics is director Joachim Trier, making good on the promise of his 2006 feature debut, the lit-related drama Reprise. This one's even better-it's about the honesty that often takes root in survivors, a rarely explored subject-but Oslo, August 31st is not an easy film.
  15. Empire
    Reviewed by: Damon Wise
    May 21, 2012
    80
    Talented Norwegian Joachim Trier - distant cousin to the better-known (and Danish) Lars - delivers a wonderful, melancholy character piece that's funny and tender, and as fresh as a breath of Oslo sea air.
  16. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Peter Bradshaw
    May 21, 2012
    80
    An intelligent and resonant work from Norwegian director Joachim Trier, a movie that yields up its meanings and implications slowly.
  17. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    May 21, 2012
    80
    Crosses the blood-brain barrier like … like … whatever the drug is, I haven't tried it, thank God. The movie eats into your mind - ­slowly.
  18. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    Aug 16, 2012
    75
    Oslo, August 31st builds to an unforgettable climax, a bravura sequence that starts at a party, crawls through a variety of nightclubs and raves, and ends on a note of utterly surprising lyricism.
  19. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    Jul 27, 2012
    75
    As it winds down to its quiet, haunting finale, Oslo, August 31st illustrates how all of us, even the most damaged and broken people, have a purpose to fulfill.
  20. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    Jun 21, 2012
    75
    The impressive thing that Oslo, August 31st does is that it somehow relates what Anders is going through to the city of Oslo in general. Anders is not a metaphor for Oslo - that would be cheap and silly. Rather, he is just one more story in the naked city, and we see him against the backdrop of other people, having quite different lives.
  21. NPR
    Reviewed by: Mark Jenkins
    May 29, 2012
    70
    The movie falls somewhere between the austere and the playful.
  22. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    May 24, 2012
    70
    Mr. Trier and Mr. Lie - a quiet, recessive but nonetheless magnetically self-assured screen presence - emphasize Anders's individuality above all. Oslo, August 31st has the satisfying gravity of specific experience, and also, true to its title, a prickly sense of place.
  23. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Philip Kemp
    May 21, 2012
    60
    Anders Danielsen Lie gives a compelling, deep-etched lead turn, and you'll find yourself drawn in as he searches for a reason to continue living.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. nutterjr
    9
    Quiet yet powerful, uneventful yet overwhelming. Joachim Trier is a masterful observant of the subtleties that make the most profound impact and whispers them in our ears thus making them more personal.… Full Review »
  2. Rhino79
    2
    I'm shocked that this film received such high praise from critics. I found it overly bleak and lacking any real emotional depth, a shallow wallowing in exististential nihilism. This film essentially says, "Life is meaningless." If you're hesitant about suicide, this little cinematic ray of sunshine may provide the push you need to finally go through with it. And I now have absolutely no desire to visit Oslo, Norway, because evidently it is the most depressing place on Earth.… Full Review »
  3. Nesbitt10
    9
    An exquisite, intimate Norwegian drama about a young mans struggle with new found sobriety. Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie) comes from a well to do family and in his early thirties, and now lives in a sober house with other addicts struggling to assimilate back into society. He is a given a day pass from the house for a job interview, taking him back into Oslo where he meets and encounters those of his past.
    Essentially, Oslo, August 31st is a day in the life of a broken soul. The film depicts Anders' events of the day with extended conversations that tell as much about Anders as they do about the person he's talking too. There's a moment, for instance, when Anders and his best friend talk in a park about the frustrations in their lives. By the end, you won't know who to feel more sorry for, the drug addict who has nothing, or the married man who loathes his conventional existence.
    There are many things to like and enjoy in Trier's new film, starting with his generally absolute command of the medium, but what appeals most to me is the handling of the addiction, relapse, suicide theme. Nothing is conventional or obvious. Everything is balanced. Anders is or was a winner, but not spectacularly so. He was just a good writer. The script conveys with cold accuracy the effects of throwing away six years of a life, and the collateral damage to family and loved ones. Anders is not beaten down or haggard. He is sharp and healthy. The damage is inside. And as always in "real life," the problem is not the drugs.
    Joachim Trier's sophomore effort is simply extraordinary. Joachim's simplistic approach enables the audience to form a compelling bond with Anders, developing compassion for him, thus solidifying it's authenticity. For additional reviews visit: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/member/Nesbitt10    … Full Review »
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