Utøya 22. juli
Hyperrealistic oppressive drama about the political mass murder at a social democratic youth camp on the island of Utøya.
In a single take and filmed in real time, the Norwegian director Erik Poppe lets the viewer witness the 72-minute gruesome murder, as seen through the eyes of the victims. The director deliberately puts the victims centrally in the Norwegian national trauma, and tries to tell the story in a realistic way which many victims are no longer capable of. From the perspective of the fictional character Kaja, the director shows the gruesome events. Poppe does not provide a political background, but only registers the experience of the protagonist. She looks for her sister, and therefore constantly moves around the island.
After the premiere during the film festival in Berlin, the audience was overwhelmed, silent and in tears. A film in which you as a viewer go along with the panic and fear of the youngsters, and made as a tribute to the victims, so that we will never forget.