Life in chapters in 'The Worst Person in the World'

Last fall, film director Joachim Trier and the actors Renata Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie gathered at a restaurant in midtown New York to talk about why it is that people seem to keep crying during their movie

NEW YORK -- Last fall, film director Joachim Trier and the actors Renata Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie gathered at a restaurant in midtown New York to talk about why people seem to keep crying during their movie.

If their film, “The Worst Person in the World,” was a weepy melodrama, such responses could be expected. But while “The Worst Person in the World" has moments of grief and loss, it’s principally about an uncertain, meandering journey of self-discovery for a young woman (Reinsve) in early adulthood. The emotional response the film engenders has more to do with its warm compassion and fullness of spirit. It captures much of the delight, confusion, folly and romance of life, in 35mm.

“A friend of mine was jokingly saying, ‘Oh, TV shows. Isn’t that very 2016?’” Trier said. “There’s something about: We need to fight for the big screen again and do something that breathes and has a big heart. That’s where we’re coming from.”

“The Worst Person in the World" is Norway’s shortlisted Oscar submission and Trier's stab at something like a romantic comedy. It's already been a long ride for the film, which landed Reinsve the award for best actress at the Cannes Film Festival last summer and opens in theaters Friday. Since then, it’s been a regular at film festivals (including the New York Film Festival, during which an interview took place last September before the film’s release was delayed) and on Top 10 lists (including that of The Associated Press ).