[In Eng.] When In Norway, Do As The Norwegians Do (« Psychobitch »)

Being a teenager, it’s… not that easy. Not at all. Especially when you’re depressive, or when you are stuck in a situation where you are supposed to be perfect.

In Psychobitch, the former is Frida, and the second is Marius, and their first appearances mark who they are: we learn that Marius is excellent in English, while Frida is the best of the school, almost ready to kill herself – and she tried to do it before. When things are set like that, it seems to be a classic rom-com between two teenagers: one who is an outsider, and the other one who is popular, and their love will triumph.

In Psychobitch, the fairytale is a bit messed up. Why? Because nobody is perfect in it. Instead of glorifying the characters’ strengths, Martin Lund emphasizes their weakness, without being overdramatic. The good, the bad, everything is shown, but the whole narrative is an incredible harmony, just as the soundtrack. Trumpet, piano, pop, electro, music genres underline every emotion and character in the movie. Actually, music is the reflection of who they are to one another.

Moreover, the actors’ game feels damn right. The whole mess adolescence is seems to be present in every actor, whether they are lead or not. Through Marius and Frida, this is the truest portrayal of youth that I have ever seen. Young and old people can find themselves in Marius and Frida, and remember what it is to be torn apart by emotion, people and reality.

The only flaw of Psychobitch may be the lack of different sexual orientations – but hey, we have different skin color representations and mental disorder depictions. Martin Lund’s movie is not perfect, but it’s close enough.

Mathilde Rozec.