band of outsiders

Within the first few minutes of Joachim Trier's sensational debut feature, "Reprise", we're treated to a glimpse into the bright and broken futures of two best friends with aspirations of literary acclaim for their debut novels. After a peek into a future not so far off, we come back to the present and watch them nervously deposit their manuscripts into a mailbox. Cue Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" over the credits and the slow motion image of the spirited Independence Day march in Oslo, Norway and immediately you feel like you're watching something inspired by the excitement and vigor of youth. Trier has made a convincing case of what it means to be young, creative, and on the way to personal discovery. The film is lead by a wonderfully semi-non-professional cast of vernal, stylish Norwegians who spend their afternoons goofing around, discussing literature, rhapsodizing about cult icons and their nights attending punk shows and late night parties where the music can't be loud enough. After several break-ups, breakdowns, hook-ups, trips abroad and relationships mended along the way in the lives of these young folks, Trier assuredly delivers an affecting ode to the joys and pains of growing up. It's one of the most stylish films of 2008 as well as one of the best.