Award-winning director Erik Poppe delivers a harrowing reconstruction of the terror attack of 69 young people on the 22nd of July 2011 in Norway, unfolding in real time in a single, devastating 72-minute take.

 

After exploding a bomb in a government building on 22 July 2011, far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik took his murderous attack to the heart of Norway: a youth summer camp on Utøya island. Through meticulous interviews with survivors, Poppe has created composite characters for this drama. These include 18-year-old Kaja, whom the camera ceaselessly follows as she attempts to hide from Breivik. Utøya – July 22 isn’t easy viewing, but it’s a lucid, critical reminder of the tremendous cost of a tragedy and a powerful memorial to its young survivors.

Top Photo: Agnete Brun