Utøya 22 juillet

I'd already watched Paul Greengrass' film 22 July. Despite Utoya July 22 being about the same atrocity, you could not get 2 different films. Whilst Greengrass gave Brevik a platform and invited viewers to try and comprehend his actions, perhaps in an attempt to learn and move on, Erik Poppe's Utoya instead focuses entirely on the victims - the young Labour Party members camping on the island. In a poignant start to the film, the main lead, Kaja, looks directly into the camera and says "you'll never understand" (it turns out she's talking to her mum on the phone).

There is some debate as to whether either of these films should've been made at all. As harrowing as they are, I think they both have their place in trying to enhance our understanding of the horror of terrorist attacks such as these.

In a very clever piece of technical direction, it looks like the film is shot 'live' in one single take to mirror the horror of the 72 minutes of the young people's terrifying ordeal, whilst Brevik was attacking them.

Did I enjoy the film? No. Am I pleased I watched it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Most certainly. Does it, along with Greengrass' July 22, enhance our understanding? The jury's out. 7 out of ten

It was very heavy to watch. You get a look at the reality, what really happend. And you get to follow a caracter and see the panic that happend when all the shooting startet.

How do I even begin to explain my feelings about this movie. It´s a really really good movie. Just the way it is shot and made, the actors, the feeling you get as a audience, is just breathtaking. As a person that hasn´t lost anyone in the shooting that day, this movie made me care about the lead role, Kaja (Andrea Berntzen). I felt desperate, and helpless since I couldn´t intervene and help out. Not to say for certain, but that is probably what many felt when they were running for their lives.

Eirik Poppe made this movie all about "Kaja" and her mission on finding her sister. It is based on true stories that has been told by the youth that were there, which gives the movie a more believable plot that strikes where it hurts. The movie is a one-take film that lasts as long as the attack did in real life, and that gives a you another perspective on how long it took for the help to come.

I just wanted the movie to end after a little while to be honest, because the movie just really struck me and it got too real at times. This is not a movie I would recommend to everyone. If you want to watch it, just remember that this all happened for real. You might not be as tough as you think, I know I was certainly wrong about that. If you were there or have experienced something like that before, I would not recommend you seeing it, but of course you should decide that for yourself. Don´t get me wrong, this is a really good reminder of what happened 7 years ago and how it all went down, and I totally understand why this movie was made, but there is no way for me to say that this movie didn´t make me feel bad. It made me feel like shit, and nauseous all at once.

This day will stay im my memories foever.

I was at Utøya thar day when that monster came and took many of my friends away 😢🌹🇳🇴 .

This movie do show how confusing and terrifying the situation was. And also the tragedy of loosing a friend and family member.

I did see this movie onse just to see if it did get the rigt "atmosphere". It did it in some sense, but being there was way more horrifying that this movie shows. Thank god they did never show the shooter in this movie. Then no one who was there could never have seen this movie at all.

I'm glad they did make the movie like this, instead of focusing on the monster him self. And focusing on the people experience that day.

Im also glad they did use fiction characters and not real viktims.

Just to remind you that this movie is not about the shooter but the viktims experience.

May my friends and theirs friends rest in peace. ❤🌹 ❤

I was afraid to see this movie. But it's one of those cases where I felt I HAD to. I was inevitably drawn to it. I thought there was a risk of it being a little exploitative. But I looked at the cast list, and an actor cast as Breivik was nowhere to be found.

And as soon as you watch the movie, it makes perfect sense. Many of the campers didn't have a chance of seeing who the shooter was, and if they did they were most likely doomed. It makes the situation extremely scary, as there is no visible presentation of the threat. Just shots firing from a gun, with one person after the other getting hit...

I'm sorry, I'm getting too emotional. But it's really hard not to. I felt all the fear, all the dirt and sand and the uncertainty over whether someone was going to make it out alive or not. The fact that it's impossible to know the fate of any of the victims beforehand is particularly horrifying. There are no easy hiding places, not a spot where you can feel completely safe and sound.

It feels weird to point out the acting in a way, since never at any point in the movie did I notice I was watching people acting. But I still have to give props to the especially brilliant performance of Andrea Berntzen as Kaja. Even though her mission to find her sister is extremely dangerous, you understand it from her angle why she would do it. You can sense every heartbeat and emotion that she goes through as she finds herself witnessing things that once you've seen it, it's stuck in your mind forever.

I was bawling my eyes red at the end of it. It's unbelievable that such a tragedy struck a country like Norway, at a nice and homely island, the place where you would least expect something like this to ever occur.

Yes, it's "just" a movie. But this is the closest you will possibly come to experiencing a tragedy at an isolated resort. As horrible as watching it play out in great detail was, be as grateful as you can it never happened to you. And to all the brave people who survived, stay strong and live your lives as happily as you can.