410. Utøya - July 22; movie review

UTØYA – JULY 22
Cert 15
97 mins

BBFC advice: Contains sustained strong threat, injury detail

What on earth must it have been like to be on a Norwegian island when right-wing extremist Anders Breivik was running amok with a semi-automatic rifle?
From interviews with survivors, director Erik Poppe has recreated the desperate attempt to stay alive and save others.
Poppe is not attempting to mimic Paul Greengrass's movie on the same subject. He doesn't seek to explain Breivik's motivation or, indeed, is his face even seen.
Neither does he examine the police reaction to the massacre or look into the political fall-out.
This is solely an atmospheric piece which dramatises what it would have been like during the 72 minutes of carnage.
At first, I felt slightly shortchanged that Poppe alighted upon a fictitious central character, wondering why he needed embellishment when he could have stuck to facts.

However, I then realised that this is a Norwegian film which covers a subject matter which still cuts very deep in the country where the tragedy happened and he tries to touch on the experiences of a number of the victims through one central figure.
Thus, he chooses, Kaja (Andrea Berntzen) who is portrayed as being one of those on an ill-fated Labour youth movement camp.
Poppe brilliant translates several elements of the reaction to the attack.
Firstly, there is the confusion, not knowing the nature of the loud bangs which turned out to be gunshots.
Then, after the initial panic is the decision of how best to protect oneself.
Thereafter, in Kaja's case, was the need to find her sister (Elli Rhiannon Müller Osbourne) with whom she had a row minutes before the killings began.
In addition, there is the traumatic call home and the sporadic discovery of a dead or injured child with the constant fear of being shot.
At no point is it clear that there is a single attacker nor who he is. Indeed, as Breivik was dressed as a police officer, there is initially a thought that it is an elaborate drill.
Throughout the movie, we were faced with the question of what if that had been us or our children. No wonder the post-traumatic stress of survivors has been intense.
I haven't had the benefit of seeing Paul Greengrass's movie about July 22 but Mrs W has and prefers it because Poppe's film presumes knowledge.
However, regardless of the subject matter, I felt this demonstrated with great skill the terror of the victims both emotionally and physically.
It is one of the most intense cinematic experiences of the year.

Reasons to watch: Puts its audience right in the spot of a terror attack
Reasons to avoid: Gives little context.

Laughs: None
Jumps: One moment which made me gasp
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Director quote - Erik Poppe: "We need to get the ownership of these events back to the victims. Therefore I wanted to tell the story from the point of view of the youngsters who survived, and the relatives. Some people have said it’s too early to show it, but others said: when is the right time then? If we wait for everyone to agree, it will be too late!"

The big question - Could the Norwegian POlice have done more to stop Breivik?

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