Oslo, August 31st (2011)

One day in the life of Anders, a young recovering drug addict, who takes a brief leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo.

Director:

Joachim Trier

Writers:

Pierre Drieu La Rochelle (novel), Joachim Trier

Stars:

Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava

19 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anders Danielsen Lie	...	Anders
Malin Crépin	...	Malin
Aksel Thanke	...	Terapeut (as Aksel M. Thanke)
Hans Olav Brenner	...	Thomas
Ingrid Olava	...	Rebekka
Øystein Røger	...	David
Tone Beate Mostraum	...	Tove (as Tone B. Mostraum)
Kjærsti Odden Skjeldal	...	Mirjam
Petter Width Kristiansen	...	Petter
Emil Lund	...	Calle
Johanne Kjellevik Ledang	...	Johanne
Renate Reinsve	...	Renate
Andreas Braaten	...	Karsten
Anders Borchgrevink	...	Øystein
Lennart Anker	...	Terapigruppen

Storyline

Anders is a recovering drug addict in an Oslo rehab clinic. On 30 August, he is given a day's leave to attend a job interview in the city center. After visiting his friend Thomas, he proceeds to his appointment. In the interview, he admits to being a drug addict and storms out. He then wanders the streets of Oslo for the rest of the day and night, meeting, and sometimes confronting, people from his past. The film ends the next day, 31 August. Focusing on the decisions Anders has made with his time off.

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Plot Keywords:

despair | topless swimming | suicide | emptiness | ex girlfriend | 

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Taglines:

Live today, one minute at a time.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anders Danielsen Lie's real-life wife is named Iselin.

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Quotes

Anders: Look at my life. I'm 34 years old. I've got nothing. I don't want to start from scratch.

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Connections

Version of La grande collection: Le feu follet (1994)

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Soundtracks

I've Been Losing You
Written by Pål Waaktaar
Performed by A-Ha
© 1986 Warner Bros. Records / Sony ATV Publishing

User Reviews

Thoughtful character study with profound thoughts on life, ambition and happiness. Great cinematography though it struggles with pacing and story.

With influences from two of my top 10 films, Hiroshima Mon Amour and La Haine, Oslo August 31st inherently belongs in a category of films I love. It's a very thoughtful character drama with great profound moments on life, ambition, happiness, fulfilment and second chances. The film's strongest moments are its concise reflections as the protagonist meets with an old friend or eavesdrops at a cafe. The highlight is the performance from the lead actor, Anders Danielsen Lie, who carries the whole film on his shoulders and the great washed out hand-held cinematography with its fantastic muted colour palette and interesting camera movements. However, it does struggle with pace and content at some stages where we just follow the character without meaning and purpose before we get to the interesting moments which don't feel as connected as they could have been. It's still a great, subtle and tragic film.

8/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Norway Denmark Sweden

Language:

Norwegian English

Release Date:

31 August 2011 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Oslo, August 31st

Filming Locations:

Henrik Ibsens Gate 36, Oslo, Norway

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,564, 27 May 2012

Gross USA:

$101,475

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,470,679

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motlys, Don't Look Now, Norsk Filminstitutt

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1