Berlinale 2018: Norway's 'Utøya 22 July' Film is Harrowing, Horrifying

One of the darkest days in Norway’s modern history is July 22nd, 2011. On this day, a lone-wolf, ring-wing extremist terrorist attacked government buildings in Oslo with bombs and then went to an island near the city and shot over 200 children and teens camping there, killing 68 of them. The film Utøya 22 July, also titled simply U: July 22, is a cinematic recreation of this day on the island and it’s utterly harrowing. I sat through the film’s first press screening in the morning at the Berlin Film Festival and it’s so intense at times, I was literally sick to my stomach. It’s an immersive, exhausting experience that follows one young woman in one 72-minute long-take shot as she scurries around the island, desperately trying to stay alive and find her sister. It stays focused entirely on her and puts viewers right there in the middle of it as it’s happening. ›››

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