Oslo, August 31st is Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s effective follow-up to his acclaimed 2006 debut, Reprise. Re-teaming the filmmaker with gifted actor Anders Danielson Lie, Oslo is the story of Anders, a young recovering drug addict who can’t shake the ghosts of his past. Allowed leave from a countryside rehab facility to attend a job interview in the city, Anders decides to look up old friends and visit familiar haunts. As his day unravels, so too, do his hopes for the future. Far from sunny, this masterfully directed drama is worthy of your contemplation.

Oslo, August 31st is a Strand Releasing release.

(Originally appeared on Flavorpill.com in May 2012.)