Citation

Gjelsvik A. Journal of Scandinavian Cinema 2019; 9(1): 75-88.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019)

DOI

10.1386/jsca.9.1.75_1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article argues that mental health and mental illness are important topics in Joachim Trier's oeuvre. In Reprise (2006), two aspiring writers face multiple challenges when one of them suffers a mental breakdown and is hospitalized. Oslo, August 31st (2011) chronicles the final day of a depressed drug addict before he commits suicide. In Louder Than Bombs (2015), three family members try to process trauma and loss after the mother's sudden death; the main character in Thelma (2017) struggles with emancipation while at the same time suffering from strange seizures, seemingly caused by some unidentified psychological issue. Focusing on close readings of central scenes in Oslo, August 31st and Thelma, the article investigates how the relationship between the protagonists and their environment is used to portray mental illness and create insight into the experience of depression and anxiety. © 2019 Intellect Ltd Article.

Language: en

Keywords

Anxiety; Depression; Mental illness; Joachim trier; Norwegian cinema; Oslo; Space in cinema