Just your average Holocaust movie, so of course, it's sad and heartbreaking but it's not the movie's effort making it that, it's just that it's the HOLOCAUST. The movie doesn't do anything to set itself apart from other holocaust movies, only that it mostly takes place in Norway, which I guess is a sorta unexplored area in this sub-genre. And obviously, the movie hits harder when it takes place in your home country, where Norwegians are the bad guys and not the Nazis.
In the technical department, little goes on, to be honest. The screenplay is not great as it struggles to make the audience invested in the main characters. Of course, you root for the victims because they are victims, but the story doesn't give any reason to really care about them on a personal level. Also, some of the directing choices are just so devoid of any significance, like slowly panning down on a desk, seemingly to unveil some grand reveal, even though we've known what the camera-pan is trying to show for 20 minutes at that point. Or a character suddenly appearing in a concentration camp without any prior explanation as to how he ended up there.
It's a frustrating watch on a lot of levels, but it's definitely not the worst Norwegian war movie I've seen.
Strong 6
Just your average Holocaust movie, so of course, it's sad and heartbreaking but it's not the movie's effort making it that, it's just that it's the HOLOCAUST. The movie doesn't do anything to set itself apart from other holocaust movies, only that it mostly takes place in Norway, which I guess is a sorta unexplored area in this sub-genre. And obviously, the movie hits harder when it takes place in your home country, where Norwegians are the bad guys and not the Nazis.
In the technical department, little goes on, to be honest. The screenplay is not great as it struggles to make the audience invested in the main characters. Of course, you root for the victims because they are victims, but the story doesn't give any reason to really care about them on a personal level. Also, some of the directing choices are just so devoid of any significance, like slowly panning down on a desk, seemingly to unveil some grand reveal, even though we've known what the camera-pan is trying to show for 20 minutes at that point. Or a character suddenly appearing in a concentration camp without any prior explanation as to how he ended up there.
It's a frustrating watch on a lot of levels, but it's definitely not the worst Norwegian war movie I've seen.
Strong 6
