Misunderstood by his peers, rejected by the art establishment, wracked with grief over the loss of his older sister and tortured by addiction, the film captures Munch's life, painting an intimate and nuanced picture of a unique and multifaceted person and artist. This modern adaptation takes the viewers to four important chapters of his life: The story of Munch's first love, and the controversy around one of his early exhibitions in Berlin. This is followed by Munch's admission to a psychiatric clinic, where he was forced to make the biggest decision of his life. Finally, the film shows the artist's battle at the end of his life to save his works from the Nazis during World War II.
—The Norwegian Film Institute