Oslo

The film Oslo, August 31st opens with a series of grainy, color-saturated images shot over a period of many years in the titular Norwegian city, while a chorus of off-camera voices share their memories of the place -- mostly good, some melancholy. Nearly everyone speaks of Oslo in the past tense, as if it’s a place that was once important to them but is no longer a part of their lives today. The role of this sequence is never made obvious, but it certainly suits the tenor of the film. Oslo, August 31st concerns one day in the life of a man who is struggling to reconcile his past, present, and future while standing at an emotional crossroads during a vis...