Do we like them?

Do we like Joachim Trier?

Our score: 8 out of 10. No harmful words, acts or dodgy company turned up, and his one political moment was a plea for children; the record on his conduct is thinner than for a long-time activist.

Trier grew up in Norway in a film family, with a maternal grandfather who was a film director and producer. He trained at the European Film College in Denmark and the National Film and Television School in London, then made short films before his first feature, Reprise, in 2006.

Before cinema it was skateboards and punk. SBS reports he came up in Norway's 1980s hardcore scene, where people didn't drink, and became a two-time Norwegian skateboarding champion. His first films were skate videos, which explains a lot about the DIY streak.

The harm check came back clean. We searched on LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants and the climate and found no harmful words or acts from him, no dodgy company, and no pattern of grievance. The one thing we did find on women was him saying he didn't want The Worst Person in the World read as an ideological story. That's a thin record, so it's a pass on what's there, not a deep dive.

His one big political moment came at the Oscars in March 2026. Accepting Best International Feature for Sentimental Value, he quoted James Baldwin on all adults being responsible for all children. Afterwards he told reporters that any child who dies in war is a responsibility for all adults who elect politicians. Where you land on the wars he had in mind may differ, but it was a plea for kids, not a swipe at a group.

We found no court cases and no allegations against him. His Oslo trilogy (Reprise, Oslo, August 31st, The Worst Person in the World) is about people coming undone under expectation, and Sentimental Value became the first Norwegian film to win that Oscar. He told Variety he was interested in tenderness, and said people who deny emotions make terrible choices.

Nothing new on him lately beyond the awards run, and no next film turned up in our searches. He's a thoughtful director with a clean record as far as the sources go. We'd happily watch whatever he makes next.