With a title that captures the self-flagellating feeling of being ashamed of your actions rather than suggesting that its protagonist is the devil incarnate, The Worst Person In The World takes a good look at the trials of a young, directionless woman. By turns irreverent and illuminating with some sadness along the way, it skips by delightfully, finding much to say about the complexities of love and life for a generation less wedded to tradition.

It's the fifth narrative feature from the Danish-born, Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier and the third part in his Oslo trilogy, which began with his 2006 debut Reprise, followed by Oslo, August 31st in 2011. Trier comes from a family of notable filmmakers: his father Jacob was a sound technician who worked on stop-motion smash The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix (1975) while his grandfather was Erik Løchen, known for experimental work such as 1972's Remonstrance. The artform, it seems, is in his blood.

Trier isn't afraid to experiment either, and The Worst Person In The World benefits hugely from its quirky telling; for all of its astuteness, there's a sense of a filmmaker playing around and changing things up as required. Life is unpredictable, so why shouldn't movies be the same? Trier and his screenwriting collaborator Eskil Vogt divide their film into 12 chapters of wildly varying lengths: some are merely brief or humorous interludes, others are significant episodes whose impact will be felt by our heroine for years to come.

The heroine in question is Julie (the magnificent Renate Reinsve, winner of Best Actress at last year's Cannes), first introduced in a fun montage which shows this intelligent but easily-bored young woman flitting from studying medicine to psychology and on to photography, and having her head turned by romantic encounters along the way. Eventually she settles down with older comic-book artist Aksel, played by the excellent Anders Danielsen Lie, a regular collaborator of Trier's. Finding herself in the shadow of his success whilst she's stuck working in a bookstore, Julie resists the pressure of having children with him.

After crashing a wedding on a whim, she meets Eivind (Herbert Nordrum) and the pair mischievously push the boundaries of what is permissible without being officially classed as cheating. Later, we see Julie struggle with her lack of notable achievements as she turns 30, while she continues to put off motherhood. Soon, we gain insight into her upbringing when we meet neglectful father Harald (Vidar Sandem) who has another family which he routinely puts first.
With its wild variety, introspection and sometimes emotionally exhausting ups and downs, The Worst Person In The World takes us on what feels like a real journey, remaining absolutely compelling every step of the way. In a role that spans the protagonist's student days to settling into her stride many years later, Reinsve is incredible. This understated actress boasts an astonishing ability to communicate personal growth and life taking its toll; she's equally believable as wide-eyed and weary, and shows herself adept at both the comic and dramatic material. 

The film also contains some superb artistic flourishes with kudos to cinematographer Kasper Tuxen for his lovely, fresh lensing. In a fantastical touch, Julie puts the rest of the world on pause so she can do something impulsive and taboo, with Trier capturing the agony and ecstasy of this illicit love affair by combining a swooningly romantic orchestral accompaniment with guilty glances. A mushroom trip is depicted in humorous, provocative and mind-bending style while things get pretty heavy as the director digs deep into fear and regret when one character receives some earth-shattering news.

The cheeky, wildly exaggerated title might draw you in but it's the film's credibility, eccentricities and disarming little details that will keep you hooked. It explores the pressure we heap on ourselves to be perfect, and society's expectation that women can have, or should even want, it all. This supremely enjoyable and immaculately constructed movie shows how hard it is to get your shit together, yet retains a hopefulness that, whatever life's trials, things have the potential to work out in the end. 

In cinemas from Friday 25 March.