It looks like they wasted the title of The Worst Person In The World on the wrong Norwegian film, because a much better claimant has appeared. Brought to you by the same producers as that Oscar nominee, this comic drama from Kristoffer Borgli paints a portrait of a monster, and suggests that the hunger for attention can lead to utter self-destruction.
Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp) shares an unhealthy relationship with artist and thief Thomas (Eirik Sæther), but the narcissistic pair seem strangely well matched despite his tendency to mock and belittle her. He may be dishonest, but she’s maniacally desperate for attention, telling whatever lie pops into her head to make herself seem more interesting, more accomplished or – when all else fails – more sympathetic. It’s to the latter end that she voluntarily destroys her skin through a massive overdose of dodgy drugs. In the absence of any discernible talent to inspire admiration, Signe has decided to resort to shock.
A strange sort of monster movie, where the monster turns her fury on herself
There’s a solid, if obvious, idea here about the thirst many of us have for attention in a world where everyone seems to be doing better. But if Bogli’s script is social media influenced it doesn’t rely on lazy influencer jokes: Signe announces her disease online, of course, via a carefully choreographed Princess Diana-esque photo, but the director avoids endless phone videos in favour of traditional media. It's an effective way to keep the focus on human weakness, as is the decision to keep us in a sunnily oblivious Oslo – a striking contrast to the body horror of Signe’s progress.
As the reality of her predicament becomes increasingly unacceptable, Signe escapes into comforting fantasies one minute and scares herself with nightmares of discovery the next. But in the end, no one looks closely enough to discover her secret, and she doesn’t change much. That makes this a strange sort of monster movie, one where the monster turns her fury on herself and doesn't even see where she's gone wrong. Hopefully the viewer learns a little more than she does.