Reprise DVD review |

Reprise, a darkly humorous coming of age story, comes to DVD from Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment today. Executive produced by Academy Award winner Scott Rudin (No Country for Old Men), Reprise turns cinematic storytelling on its head, and explores the divide between the dreams of exuberant youth and the harsh realities of adulthood. This snapshot of two lifelong friends volleying for literary fame and fortune in Oslo, is exactly the type of film made for a serious DVD introspection. While I felt the story was overly meditative at times, and the humor somewhat harsh, particularly towards women, having that overview on the process and motivations of the filmmakers made for an very enjoyable DVD experience. This is a film, you’ll want to watch the extras on, which include over 50 minutes of bonus features including casting of Reprise, anecdotes from the set told by cast and crew

First-time director Joachim Trier was inspired by French New Wave, and creates an original perspective on fame and ambition. Most memorable for me, was the opening sequence, which involved black and white, contrasty voice-over work, with dramatic edits, reverse camera angles and a heart-wrenching monologue.

Set in Oslo and Paris, the film combines voiceover and flash forwards, to tell the story of Phillip (Anders Danielsen Lie) and Erik (Espen Klouman-Hoiner), a pair of lifelong friends who share a passion for punk rock and cult novelists, and a dream of achieving fame and fortune as writers. When both young men submit their first novels for publication, Phillip’s book is immediately accepted, while Erik collects rejection letters. As Erik continues to live the life of a struggling artist, success exacts a terrible price on Phillip and the friends find themselves in a vastly different world from the one they had imagined.

Bonus features