Hi everyone!
Welcome back to Streaming Saturdays! Well, maybe welcome back isn’t the right greeting for today’s film, which takes a look into the horrific mass shooting in Norway in 2011. I don’t know if I would recommend other films on mass shootings, and while I don’t have any other Norwegian films to suggest, I can suggest a few from their neighbor Sweden, including “Let The Right One In” (Episode #024), “Häxan” (Episode #131), and “Borg vs McEnroe” (Episode #231). And if you have any suggestions, let me know at onemoviepunch.com.
And now...
Today’s movie is “22 July” (2018), the Netflix Original biographical drama written and directed by Paul Greengrass, based on the novel “One of Us” by Åsne Seierstad. The film follows the events of July 22nd, 2011, when a far-right extremist detonated a car bomb in Oslo and proceeded to massacre the participants at a Labour Party teen leadership camp.
Spoilers ahead.
Also, a trigger warning. This film is going to deal with an active shooter situation. If that is something that may cause you personal trauma, skip this review and come back tomorrow for another movie review. Please take care of yourself. No judgments here.
Approximately one out of every four people in Norway directly knew someone involved in the attacks. One extremist with readily available materials shaking a nation to the core, justified with far-right ideologies which have their counterparts in a growing number of countries, including the United States. It’s a frightening scenario that plays out over and over again in the United States, at schools and other public places. However, what I think is critically important about this film, especially for folks in the United States, is to see a dramatically different approach to dealing with mass shootings and terrorist attacks. Instead of declaring war on other countries or populations, we see a government first ensuring they understand the extent of the problem, then moving forwards in a judicious manner. Instead of the usual thoughts and prayers in the United States, we see a government taking responsibility for any failures and working to make sure those failures don’t happen again. And most importantly, we see a government not taking advantage of the public’s feelings to push through an agenda. All of these lessons can be learned from this film.
“22 July” follows two main characters: Anders Breivik (Anders Danielsen Lie), the far-right extremist that carried out the attacks, and Viljar Hanssen (Jonas Strand Gravli), the son of a mayoral candidate for the Longyearbyen Community Council in Svalbard. We follow the pair over three acts. First, the attacks themselves, where Breivik shoots Viljar five times and leaves him for dead, and the immediate aftermath. After that, the narrative bounces between Viljar’s recovery and Breivik being investigated, evaluated, and preparing for his trial, along with a host of supporting characters. The final act brings both main characters together in the courtroom, and sees Breivik sent for the equivalent of a life sentence, and a nation beginning to move forward. I thought all of the performances were great, and appreciated the attention to detail in crafting the sets, costumes, and effects, along with complimenting shots of Oslo and other parts of Norway. It’s a moving experience, if you have the time for it.
Because this film is two hours and twenty-three minutes long, probably thirty minutes longer than it needed to be. I imagine given the subject matter that there were probably concerns about making sure all parts are treated with respect. I think if the film had better pacing, it wouldn’t have seemed as long, because there were more than a few times I thought it could have ended, and instead I found that there was still a significant amount of time left. Also, I was really turned off by the choice to film in English, especially for a film about the greatest tragedy in Norway’s recent history. Maybe that helps the folks who hate reading subtitles, and maybe it makes the material more accessible to English-speaking audiences, but hearing everyone speak in English took me out of the moment so many times, especially with Norwegian signs and labels everywhere. No matter how well everything else was recreated, the lack of Norwegian ruined key moments for me.
“22 July” (2018) is a meaningful look at how Norway responded to a deadly far-right terrorist attack. It uses the perpetrator and a victim to carry the story from the initial attacks to the conclusion of the judicial process, showing how the country responded on the social and individual levels. Fans of historical dramas about tragedy will definitely enjoy this film, but heed any and all trigger warnings ahead of time.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 76
One Movie Punch: 7.8/10
“22 July” (2018) is rated R and is currently streaming on Netflix and playing in select theaters.
