This film was about the terrorist attacks of 22 July 2011 in Norway, in which far-right extremist Anders Brievik blew up government buildings in Oslo and shot at the teenagers in a summer camp. 77 people were killed in total. Brievik was diagnosed by psychiatrists pre-trial to be a paranoid schizophrenic, but other sources claim he was in his right mind and knew exactly what he was doing during the attacks. He idolised various far-right extremists and performed a Nazi salute at his trial.
The film centred on Viljar Hanssen, a 17-year-old boy who survived the attack at the summer camp even after being shot five times. He lost sight in one eye and, to this day, still has bullet fragments next to his brain stem, which could kill him at any moment if they move slightly. He had to learn how to walk and write again during his rehabilitation. His brother was also at the summer camp although he survived for the most part unscathed, so the film describes how the Hanssens dealt with the trauma as a family. Two of his best friends died at the camp, and so did his friend’s sister.
I thought this film was extremely well acted and written, and from my research it seems to be quite historically accurate. Indeed, the only inaccuracies appear to be the handshake scene at the end, and a few omissions of events, such as some survivors of the island attack who managed to swim to safety even after they had been shot.
I thought this film was emotional but not overly sentimental, so even when the support of Viljar’s family and friends was shown it wasn’t soppy. I also found the situation around Brievik’s lawyer very interesting: even though it was clear to all that Brievik was guilty, he was still entitled to a lawyer like any other criminal.
