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U: July 22

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U: July 22

2018

1h 33m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

A teenage girl fights for survival and to locate her young sister during the 2011 terrorist attack at a political summer camp on the Norwegian island of Utøya.

Critics Consensus

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.

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

The characters in the film are fictionalised but based on the accounts of real survivors; fine to protect their identities, but dubious to deliberately twist the narrative to create additional sympathy.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 29, 2018

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

It's a grim, startling, and immersive experience, but without the historical rigour of Paul Greengrass's Bloody Sunday or the comforting heroics of United 93.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 26, 2018

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

The film is competent, disturbing and even, whisper it, propulsive. In a way that no film about the real and recent murder of 69 children and their summer camp helpers should ever be.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 26, 2018

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a well-intentioned misfire that never quite takes off.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 30, 2023

Full Review

Gisela Savdie

El Heraldo

And here we thought there were countries with immunity to terrorism [Full Review in Spanish]

Sep 19, 2020

Full Review

CJ Sheu

Review Film Review

The camera is dynamic, subjective, and participatory, and post-production special effects are used only to heighten the realism in otherwise impossible ways[.]

Jul 1, 2020

Full Review

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Audience Member

Wasn´t as I expected, very deeo way of explaining something so tragic

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

Full Review

Benjamin H

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/09/22

Full Review

ole t

Profound movie from the angle of the hunted.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Daniel L

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/28/21

Full Review

Audience Member

I felt like I was with the kids, on that island even though it must have been 1million times worst it was poignant and unpredictable as it was in real life! Not for the faint of heart! The young actress is amazing!!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Erik Poppe

Director

Andrea Berntzen

Kaja

Aleksander Holmen

Magnus

Brede Fristad

Petter

Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne

Emilie

Sorosh Sadat

Issa

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Synopsis

A teenage girl fights for survival and to locate her young sister during the 2011 terrorist attack at a political summer camp on the Norwegian island of Utøya.

Director: Erik Poppe
Producer: Finn Gjerdrum, Stein B. Kvae
Screenwriter: Anna Bache-Wiig, Siv Rajendram Eliassen
Production Co: Norsk Filminstitutt, Nordisk Film & TV-Fond, Paradox, MEDIA Programme of the European Union
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Norwegian
Runtime: 1h 33m