Review of Reprise (2006) by Benjamin F — 05 Sep 2008

A powerful Norwegian film about friendship, relationships, and dealing with the past - whether recreating events or figuring out what to hold onto and what to leave behind in life. A rather rough coming of age tale, with a top notch script, strong performances from the entire cast, gorgeous cinematography, and a great soundtrack.

I could certainly relate to the main characters of Phillip and Erik a good bit in my own way, being an aspiring author myself, on the verge of finishing my first novel and pursuing publishing - and becoming a published author for the first time this month/September, in getting my first short story published in an online literary magazine.

I could relate to the dealings with the issue of literary fame - though I'm not exactly confident I'll ever have to deal with it firsthand myself, haha - as well as, to a degree, the mental illness Phillip coped with, in addition to his relationship problems.

(Though I'm fortunate in never having had a relationship as twisted as Phillip's, nor one self-indulgent on my end as Erik's.) Not so much from firsthand experience, but mild paranoia, in addition to time spent in a mental facility for a short period when I was younger.

Experiences like that can be pretty terrifying, after all, and Phillip's depression and consuming obsession with Kari are powerfully portrayed. Their friends are certainly a mixed bag of characters - each unique and stand-out in their own ways, and certainly believable, but not exactly all likable or sympathetic either.

(But then, they don't all need to be, anyway.) Their fixation on the fictional author Sten Egil Dahl was interesting to watch unfold as well, and I was glad he didn't turn into some trite mentor character at any point.

Though while I've certainly got my own influences as a writer, I can at least say in somewhat more confidence than these characters that I'm not trying to be just like those I look up to - for better or for worse.

Overall, Reprise is a very strong, moving character drama. I watched it with my mother and older brother after my older brother Netflixed it when my father'd mentioned reading a strong review of it - my mother and older brother insisted on turning it off when there was only half an hour left, since the narrative made them miserable.

But I certainly connected with the narrative and characters - as well as the quality of writing - on multiple levels, as someone devoting his life to the literary arts. I'm glad I finished it, and I highly recommend the film, especially to the literary inclined.