Oslo, August 31st · reception & legacy

How Oslo, August 31st has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

Premiered quietly in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2011 to strong reviews but a small arthouse footprint; its stature has climbed steadily since, and The Worst Person in the World (2021) sent a wave of new viewers back to it as the devastating middle chapter of Trier's Oslo trilogy.

What's debated

The perennial cinephile debate is Trier-ranking — whether this quiet gut-punch is actually better than the flashier, more beloved The Worst Person in the World — plus the confession that it's a masterpiece many can't bring themselves to rewatch.

Its footprint

The café scene, where Anders sits alone eavesdropping on strangers' small hopes and plans, is one of the most-cited scenes in 2010s art cinema — shorthand on Letterboxd and film Twitter for loneliness in a crowd, and a fixture of 'films that will destroy you' lists.

Where it stands

A modern Letterboxd sacred text — the crown jewel of 'sad cinema' lists and a 'you must see this' rite of passage for fans who found Trier through The Worst Person in the World.

Named by the director

Influences Joachim Trier has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.

• The Fire Within (Le Feu follet) (1963) — Trier openly framed his film as a new take on the same Pierre Drieu la Rochelle novel Louis Malle adapted, updating Malle's Paris to contemporary Oslo.
• Louis Malle — Trier repeatedly acknowledged Malle's adaptation as the touchstone he was consciously answering with his own version.