Oslo, August 31st (reviewed)

Set mostly in Oslo at the sad end of summer, this wrenching sophomore feature from director Joachim Trier (“Reprise”) is itself a kind of long goodbye, bidding farewell, it seems, to 30-ish Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a chronically depressed writer and nominally rehabbed addict who can’t seem to muster the desire to live. And yet the film is infinitely more than a bummer, displaying an invigoratingly acute understanding of the psychology of insecurity, longing, defensiveness and inward-turning rage. All of this is conveyed evocatively by the haunting Lie, whose future appears infinitely brighter than that of his character. (96 min.) 4 out of 4 stars. Rob Nelson