There's one thing I don't think I'll ever understand. Why certain movies are made...
Especially one’s that are promoted as "reminders".
I watched Utøya 22 Juli at the Berlinale and I don't think I will ever find the words to properly express how it left me feeling. But I was traumatised, paralysed ...
People started clapping, clapping for a blank screen, clapping before the end credits even started.
After, the director Erik Poppe "answered" the question Christina, my friend sitting beside me pronounced right after the movie...
"Why would anyone make such a movie?"
I surely can't answer that and I don't think Erik's explaination will ever satisfy disturbed viewers. But I remember the day 2011 those news hit media. Just 16 years old at that time myself I couldn't understand the political motives and now I don't think I will ever understand the producing motives behind 72 minutes of living through hell. Because I can tell you I don't need a movie premiering at the Berlinale in a competition section to remind me that what that monster did was wrong in every human sense...
And yes I know that some people might need a reminder but a reminder for what... what do you want to remind people of if they haven't already learned from it. It's inclusion, it's not isolating people with different views in society. It's explaining to them it's teaching them, it's making them part of a society where they would've never even had the chance to develop such thoughts.
Do not attack minorities, do not shame people for their views but try to understand. Understand where those ideas are coming from. And man if you can't I know there's some stubborn fascists, racists etc at least keep them in the circle so you can watch their every move.
And please just be aware that this movie will consist of 72 minutes of terror. Be prepared if you really want to watch it because I certainly don't recommend it to people that easily get nightmares or already had a traumatising experience with guns. Because there will be gun shots heard throughout this movie. And it might sound actually harmless if you think about Hollywood productions but this is a whole different calibre.
