U: July 22

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Ola G @Ollie1972 Nov 30 Kaja (Andrea Berntzen) is attending a Labour Party summer camp on Utøya with her younger sister Emilie. On 22 July, participants receive news that a bomb has exploded in the Government quarter in Oslo, but they believe they are safe as long as they are on an island, away from the city. Soon, gunshots are heard, and the campers quickly disperse as it becomes clear that it is not a drill. At first, most campers attempt to hide in the camp's main building while loudly crying and screaming, but then they run away to the nearby forest. While hiding behind trees, Kaja and her friends call 112, and the police claim to be on the way. The others agree to run for the water so they can swim to safety, but Kaja runs back towards the camp to look for Emilie. Kaja finds a boy named Tobias, whom she convinces to run into the forest. When Kaja is unable to find Emilie in their tent, she runs back into the forest to find her... The critical reception of "Utøya: July 22" was mostly positive. Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus reads: "Utøya: July 22 probes a nation's lingering shock and grief with a drama that grapples with difficult themes to deeply - and appropriately - unsettling effect." The film was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival. "Utøya: July 22" received eight nominations for the 2018 Amanda Awards during the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, winning for Best Actress (Andrea Berntzen) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Solveig Koløen Birkeland). At the 2018 European Film Awards in Seville, Martin Otterbeck won the award for Best Cinematographer for his work on Utøya: July 22. (Via Wikipedia) Erik Poppe´s "Utøya: July 22" is based on the Utøya summer camp massacre that took place on 22 July 2011, but the characters are fictional. A national trauma for Norway that will never heal for sure. I myself have spend a lot of time in Norway and predominantly in Oslo over the years and I have many close friends there and I will never forget that day in 2011. I paid my respect at the temporary monument over the victims this summer in Oslo. So, with that said this film is difficult to see, at the same time I think director Erik Poppe and cinematographer Martin Otterbeck has done a magnificent work with shooting the film in a single take, shot in real time, that truly puts you "live and direct" in the horrific moments at Utøya. Andrea Berntzen as Kaja is magnificent in her performance. "Utøya: July 22" is as said very difficult to watch and at the same time a truly dramatic and well made film. Trivia: The purpose of Utøya: July 22 is to promote understanding of the victims by showing the massacre from their perspective. The film was created in close dialogue with over 40 survivors, to get the action as close to reality as possible. Most of the film consists of a single take, shot in real time, and follows the character Kaja from the third-person perspective before and throughout the 72-minute attack. The terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, is a figure in the periphery throughout the film, and is only briefly seen two times. (Via Wikipedia) See more Mar 18 Wasn´t as I expected, very deeo way of explaining something so tragic See more Benjamin H 10/09/2022 A dramatic retelling of the tragic 2011 terrorist attack at Utøya 22. July, this film manages to capture the grief, tragedy and drama of the terrible incident while being unsettling and thought-provoking. See more ole t 08/19/2022 Profound movie from the angle of the hunted. See more 09/05/2021 I've had the Paul Greengrass' film laying around for a while but I never felt watching it. Poppes film has been on my "to see" list for a while and while it popped up on TV one day I had to see it, even if I never was in the state of watching a strong film like this one. But then again, can you ever be ready for something like this? The story is gruesome, naturally, and the film is doing a great job setting the mood. It's linear - done in one take - at least that's what it looks like. It's minimalistic, but very real. I guess this film is better than Greengrass', and I'm not sure if I'm ever going to give that one a go. Superb acting by the lead, and a film that you kind of can't recommend. Strong stuff, important film and very well excecuted. 7.5 out of 10 mosquitoes. See more Daniel L 02/28/2021 An excellent movie that really, really captured the absolute horror these poor teenagers went through. I sat at the edge of my seat with tears streaming down cheek for almost the entire movie. This really is a movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. See more Read all reviews

U: July 22

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