Oslo, August 31st (2012)
90%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 19 wins & 20 nominations
An upfront study of a drug addict confronting his demons, Oslo, August 31st makes this dark journey worthwhile with fantastic directing and equally fantastic acting.
Oslo, August 31st” is a movie that will make you feel all the feels. It’s a heart-wrenching story about a recovering drug addict trying to find his place in the world. The writing is so authentic that it’s scary, and the acting is top-notch. You’ll be rooting for Anders the whole way through, even when he makes mistakes. This movie is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good drama with a touch of humanity. Just make sure you have some tissues nearby.
Production Company(ies)
FM Productions, Last Waltz Inc.,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Henrik Ibsens Gate 36, Oslo, Norway
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Norwegian, English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2012
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Petter Width Kristiansen, Anders Danielsen Lie, Anders Borchgrevink, Andreas Braaten, Hans Olav Brenner, Malin Crépin, directed by Joachim Trier, written by Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, drama, box office gross $100.7K, reviewed by David Thomson, J.R Jones, Rob Nelson, Roger Ebert, Ty Burr, Ann Hornaday, Dustin Chang, CJ Sheu, Chris Sosa, Shikhar Verma, Andrew Kendall, Sarah Cartland, Norwegian language, Hans-Jørgen Osnes producer, Yngve Sæther producer, MPAA rating N/A, drug addict, addiction, recovery, job search, friendship, dark journey, fantastic directing, fantastic acting, quiet dialogue scenes, austere style, psychology of insecurity, longing, defensiveness, inward-turning rage, observant, sympathetic, authentic writing, oppressive claustrophobia, nihilistic, lost
Worldwide gross: $1,477,112
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,944,615
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,425
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 212,063
US/Canada gross: $101,475
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $133,592
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,618
US/Canada opening weekend: $9,564
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,591
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,657
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Anders Danielsen Lie – Anders
Anders Borchgrevink – Øystein
Andreas Braaten – Karsten
Hans Olav Brenner – Thomas
Malin Crépin – Malin
Director(s)
Joachim Trier
Writer(s)
Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
Producer(s)
Hans-Jørgen Osnes, Yngve Sæther
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
19 wins & 20 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (2)
The beauty is in the array of animated faces in Anders’ life. And it’s in the simple promise and vitality of Anders’ face, which serves the film without any regard for being in a film, let alone a tragedy or a poetic vision of darkness and futility.
June 14, 2013
David Thomson
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
The movie transpires mostly in quiet, engrossing dialogue scenes, and its austere style shares a good deal in common with the protagonist, who seems both opaque and completely exposed.
August 31, 2012
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
[Displays] an invigoratingly acute understanding of the psychology of insecurity, longing, defensiveness and inward-turning rage.
August 30, 2012 | Rating: 4/4
Rob Nelson
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
“Oslo, August 31st” is quietly, profoundly, one of the most observant and sympathetic films I’ve seen.
August 30, 2012 | Rating: 4/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
A coolly observed yet boundlessly compassionate day in the life of a recovering drug addict, “Oslo, August 31st” breaks your heart many times over.
August 29, 2012 | Rating: 4/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Trier proves that he’s no one-hit wonder.
August 17, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
It’s the first/last day of Anders’s life. He observes other people leading their lives with their ordinary concerns and wishes. Trier and Vogt are gifted writers, never making life’s problems black and white and making sophistication easy and likable.
February 28, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
The writing is so authentic it’s scary.
July 1, 2020
CJ Sheu
Review Film Review
This achingly personal tale demonstrates the oppressive claustrophobia of a seemingly sophisticated Scandinavian cultural hub.
June 18, 2020
Chris Sosa
Bay Area Reporter
[Oslo, August 31st] is a dark, yet profound and sympathetic observation of a man who simply can’t succumb to the imperfection that his life has come to.
May 29, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Shikhar Verma
High on Films
What resonates watching Oslo, August 31st in 2017 is the way private jubilation and despairs are completely removed from public ones. Regardless of our personal feelings, the world goes on without us…
May 22, 2019
Andrew Kendall
Stabroek News
Director Joachim Trier sets in motion a progression of events and conversations that is simply inexorable, and can only ever lead to one destination. The question is, does Anders know where he’s going? Is he nihilistic or simply lost?
January 19, 2019 | Rating: 4.5/5
Sarah Cartland
Caution Spoilers…
Plot
Anders is a recovering drug addict in an Oslo rehab clinic. On 30 August, he is given a day’s leave to attend a job interview in the city center. After visiting his friend Thomas, he proceeds to his appointment. In the interview, he admits to being a drug addict and storms out. He then wanders the streets of Oslo for the rest of the day and night, meeting, and sometimes confronting, people from his past. The film ends the next day, 31 August. Focusing on the decisions Anders has made with his time off.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Anders Danielsen Lie delivers a “boundlessly compassionate” performance as the recovering drug addict protagonist in Oslo, August 31st.
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