A Tragedy Hits Home

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By Tom Pacak

To be honest, I had no idea what the 2011 Norway Attacks were before watching “22 July.” On July 22nd, a far-right sociopath (Anders Danielsen Lie) decided to do two lone-wolf terror attacks in Norway. In my review, I decided not to name the shooter because his name should be forgotten, not remembered. I get very angry after one of these tragedies occurs when I see the name of the shooter and facts about them on news networks. I refuse to give them that platform. 

The first terror attack was a car bomb in Oslo outside of the Norway government headquarters, which killed eight and injured 209. The second was a shooting that occurred two hours after the bombing on the island of Utoya where AUF summer camp students were shot. Over 69 people were killed and 100 were critically injured. Before seeing it, I felt pessimistic about watching a movie where a lone wolf goes on a shooting rampage. It seems a little too soon due to the fact that one of these tragedies happens every couple months.

Luckily, the first half of the film captures what it was like being on the island during the shooting and the second half captures the aftermath. Director Paul Greengrass (Bourne movies, United 93, Captain Philips) knows how to dramatize a tragedy. The first half he truly puts you at the scene of the crime. He makes you feel you’re with the students hiding to survive. The story is told from two different points of view; one from a group of brothers trying to hide, Suveinn and Viljar Hanssen (Thorbjorn Harr and Jonas Strang Gravli) and the shooter. Going into the woods, the shooter eventually finds the two brothers. He shoots Viljar in the leg, chest, and brain. There are bullet fragments in Viljar’s brain that could kill him in any minute. It’s a miracle that Viljar ended up surviving the shooting.  

The second half of the film chronicles the tragic aftermath of the shooting. Viljar goes through several stages of PTSD as he tries to move on from the tragedy. He spends his time alone in his room and even has an accident with a snowmobile. The shooter tries his best to manipulate a successful lawyer, Geir Lippestad (Jon Oigarden) to represent his case. Geir unwillingly takes the cases despite the death threats and isolation his kids experience because of it. For me, this is where the movie falls apart. I liked the story of Viljar trying to recover and not letting the tragedy define him. I didn’t like the shooter engaging with the lawyer because it kind of just gives the real-life person a platform to show his hateful agenda to the audience.

During the courtroom scenes and Viljar recovering, I was immediately reminded of the countless efforts the Parkland kids have done after the Parkland shooting. They refuse to let the tragedy define their future and are still trying to make the world a safer place. Same goes for Viljar; I respect and applaud his bravery during his struggle. I wished the film focused more on him, instead of the platform given to the shooter.

Note: Now Streaming on Netflix

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 4

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