Cannes Festival 2021: "Julie (in 12 chapters)", portrait of a woman in search of meaning by the director of "Oslo, August 31"<

This is the third time Joachim Trier has been in Cannes. He presented Julie in competition (in 12 chapters), after back Home in 2015, who had not enthused the Festival. His new film depicts a bold portrait of a contemporary and independent woman, where drama confronts him with comedy.

Anima and animus

In her thirties, Julie has never found her vocation, apart from that of investing herself with a lost body in all those that pass through her head: surgeon, then psychologist, and finally photographer. She stabilizes when she meets Axel, 45, a famous comic book author, with whom she moves in. However, she left him after 10 years, when she met Evind, who was her age. But is this the right number?...

According to psychiatrist Carl Jung, the man is inhabited by the Anima, his inner female representation, and the woman by the Animus, his male inner representation. The first would correspond to the search for a single being, while the second would tend to multiply experiences. In Joachim Trier's film Julie corresponds to this approach, passing from one man to another, while his lovers only wish to find the soul mate.

An intimate truth

While Julie may seem indecisive, both in her professional vocation and in her quest for the loved one, she is more of a looking woman than an indecisive woman. In this it is independent, inhabited by a Kantian doubt, not inhibitory but dynamic, that of a permanent questioning of convictions, in order to reach an intimate truth. This psychological portrait is not elitist and does not need to be a lover of psychology to recognize itself.

Joachim Trier adheres to the art of dramatic and romantic comedy, using a humour that cleverly mixes the comedian of situation and chiseled dialogues. If he touches correctly, it means that everyone recognizes themselves in the characters and their actions: the key to a successful comedy.

To achieve this, it takes rhythm, rejuvenation and changing roles, in order to link an accomplished dramaturgy. This is the case in Julie (in 12 chapters) which also convinces by the interpretation of Renate Reineve, Anders Danielsen lie and Herbert Nordrum, while the direction is full of charm. But this is another matter to claim to the list, which is confirmed by the few comments the film elicits from festivalgoers.

The card

Synopsis: Julie, almost 30 years old, cannot settle down in life. While she thinks she has found some stability with Aksel, 45, a successful author, she meets the young and attractive Eivind.