“Oslo, August 31” coming to DVD in North America
"Oslo, August 31st" is coming to North America on DVD on Sept. 18. Enter our drawing to win your free copy!
Film festival favorite “Oslo, August 31” is coming to DVD to North America. Enter the Norwegian American Weekly drawing to win one of five free copies!
Special Release
On Sept. 18, the critically acclaimed film “Oslo, August 31” will be released on DVD in North America. From Joachim Trier, director of “Reprise,” the film finds Anders on the verge of successfully completing treatment at a drug rehab in the countryside. As part of the program, he is allowed to go into Oslo for a job interview but instead uses the opportunity to revisit friends and old haunts. Thirty-four-year-old Anders is smart, handsome and from a good family, but deeply haunted by all the opportunities he has wasted and all the people he has let down. For the remainder of the day and long into the night, he will wrestle with the chance of love and the possibility of a new life.
“Oslo, August 31” is Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s second feature film. He made his feature debut in 2006 with “Reprise,” which received numerous international awards, including Best Director at Karlovy Vary and the Discovery Award at Toronto. Trier was also named one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch at Sundance. “Reprise” also won the Amanda (Norwegian Oscar) for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.
He previously won acclaim with a number of prize-winning shorts and commercials, such as “Procter,” a short about the unexpected footage found in a dead man’s video camera.
Born in Copenhagen in 1974, Trier grew up in a filmmaking family and began shooting his first 8mm films at the age of five. He became a national skateboarding champion in Norway and made skateboarding videos. After attending the European Film College in Denmark, he trained at the British National Film and Television School.
He shared some thoughts about the film to give insight to the main character.
“‘Oslo, August 31’ is the story of a resourceful person with a very dark mind. The paradox to the Anders character is that he’s gifted, formerly ambitious, but he lost years of his life because of a lifestyle he couldn’t sustain. I’ve been getting more and more into character studies and I have an ongoing fascination with observing middle class life. I’ve always been curious about the various destinies I’ve seen around me. For example, my friends from my teenage years as a skateboarder. I saw how their lives went into very different directions. Some became drug addicts, others turned out having very successful careers. There’s also great drama in the lives of those with choices,” he said.
“I’ve always seen myself as a filmmaker who looks at things from a critical point of view, at the same time I make films about the seemingly fortunate and the privileged. I always get a bit sad when people say life is so good here in Norway that there’s nothing to tell stories about, that we don’t have any conflicts. I completely disagree. There are great tragedies in middle class life as well,” added Trier.
The cast stars Anders Danielsen Lie (“Reprise”) as Anders, Hans Olav Brenner as his friend Thomas, and Ingrid Olava as Rebekka, Thomas’ wife.
The film is available for pre-order through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite retailer.
Exclusive offer to Norwegian American Weekly readers:
Win a free copy of “Oslo, August 31” on DVD! Email us at naw@norway.com or call toll-free at (800) 305-0217 by Sept. 17. Five winners will be chosen with random.org on Sept. 18 and notified by the Norwegian American Weekly. One entry per person, please.
