The Reel Deal

Upper-class drug addiction seems to be a Scandinavian thing, and it's studied to excess in Oslo, August 31, a Norwegian-made flick by Joachim Trier that follows protagonist Anders Danielsen through a single day. That day takes him from a rehab facility to a blow-by-blow showdown in the real world while...

By Susan Froyd

September 13, 2012

Audio By Carbonatix

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Upper-class drug addiction seems to be a Scandinavian thing, and it's studied to excess in Oslo, August 31, a Norwegian-made flick by Joachim Trier that follows protagonist Anders Danielsen through a single day. That day takes him from a rehab facility to a blow-by-blow showdown in the real world while on a one-day pass for a job interview. Filmed documentary-style as Anders fails at drowning himself, meets with an old partying friend whose life has turned down a domestic path and is forced to admit to his addiction during the aforementioned interview, Oslo, August 31 slowly reveals the price paid for the love of a drug.

The bleak Oslo is just one film offered on this season's International Film Series schedule at the University of Colorado at Boulder; it screens today at 7 and 9 p.m. in Muenzinger Auditorium on the CU campus.

That season, which kicked off just a little over a week ago, is worth perusal not only for its variety, but also because the IFS is one of the few series still dedicated to screening films in all their traditional reel-to-reel, celluloid glory, eschewing the ubiquitous digital print, the way IFS director Pablo Kjolseth believes film was meant to be seen. Dinosaur or not, this fall's series will proceed with a season of old, new and cult offerings, including a sub-series co-produced with Alamo Drafthouse, a free quartet of classic Japanese films from Nikkatsu Studios, and a variety of special screenings with in-person appearances. Admission is $4 to $7 (or pay $50 for a ten-time punch card); for details and a complete downloadable schedule, go to www.internationalfilmseries.com or call 303-492-1531.
Sun., Sept. 16, 7 & 9 p.m.; Mon., Sept. 17, 7 & 9 p.m., 2012

Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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