First of all, I have a great deal of respect for the victims and everyone involved in the horrific events that took place in Norway. To show the world what those poor children endured is of course tremendously important. However, this movie is NOT what you'd expect and what it could have been. I have never written a review before but this movie frustrated me to the core.
It starts off with random footage from the bombing in Oslo, without any explanation of this event. After that, the 'character building' starts. This is done in about 15 minutes with the most random conversations and very slow and shaky filming (which goes on throughout the movie). You're supposed to 'see it through the eyes of someone who was there', which could have been a great idea but it failed miserably. During the hiding scenes, the breathing and talking of the actors sounds so loud you're constantly (really, CONSTANTLY) thinking 'shushhh, be quiet! There's a killer on the loose!'
They never once show Breivik. You only hear the constant shots, which I believe aren't even consistent with the weapons Breivik used. The movie shows a few terrible deaths but because of the constant frustration I had, I just couldn't feel it.
The little information you get at the end (that is again, shown in a painstakingly and unnecessarily slow manner) doesn't even begin to cover what they could have shown. Names, faces of victims for example. Or the fact that Breivik was only sentenced to 21 years in prison.
If you're interested in what happened on Utoya, I highly suggest you watch one of the great documentaries about it that are out there. Not this movie. Just, don't.
It starts off with random footage from the bombing in Oslo, without any explanation of this event. After that, the 'character building' starts. This is done in about 15 minutes with the most random conversations and very slow and shaky filming (which goes on throughout the movie). You're supposed to 'see it through the eyes of someone who was there', which could have been a great idea but it failed miserably. During the hiding scenes, the breathing and talking of the actors sounds so loud you're constantly (really, CONSTANTLY) thinking 'shushhh, be quiet! There's a killer on the loose!'
They never once show Breivik. You only hear the constant shots, which I believe aren't even consistent with the weapons Breivik used. The movie shows a few terrible deaths but because of the constant frustration I had, I just couldn't feel it.
The little information you get at the end (that is again, shown in a painstakingly and unnecessarily slow manner) doesn't even begin to cover what they could have shown. Names, faces of victims for example. Or the fact that Breivik was only sentenced to 21 years in prison.
If you're interested in what happened on Utoya, I highly suggest you watch one of the great documentaries about it that are out there. Not this movie. Just, don't.