This series portrays in a most intelligent manner the effects and impact of the terror attack in Norway in July 2011.
The choice of actors, in my opinion, has been excellent. To some they may seem amateur, perhaps because people are used to Hollywood actors' interpretation of realism. In my opinion the actors in this series appear very credible and natural, helped by a very effective and natural way of directing them. At no time was I reminded of the fact that I was watching a film.
Very impressive, hats off to all involved in the production!
11 Reviews
Realism at its finest
lexithor5 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is definitely the most realistic narration of the Norway terror attacks, as we see it through the eyes of the public, and through crucial public figures that show all the necessary aspects of the events. This series doesn't try to be cinematic, but rather tries to show exactly how the situation was through solid and sourceful material, which I respect.
Not showing the shooting on the island was the right decision, since it would not serve any purpose. It would just be a thrilling sequence of children dying, which I feel inhumane of showing. However, the scene where they go around the island and reveal the number of bodies that have been found is really powerful and gut-wrenching.
People are saying that the actors are amateur and don't stand out, but boy how they are wrong. The best actors are the ones that can act out real human emotions, which are exaggerated in the American show business. I feel every actor in the series accomplishes that, especially the brother of the girl who died in Utoya, god how his performance made me cry.
All in all, this series made me learn more about the attack, and shows how important unity is in hard times. Thank you NRK for this well-producted show, thank you!
Not showing the shooting on the island was the right decision, since it would not serve any purpose. It would just be a thrilling sequence of children dying, which I feel inhumane of showing. However, the scene where they go around the island and reveal the number of bodies that have been found is really powerful and gut-wrenching.
People are saying that the actors are amateur and don't stand out, but boy how they are wrong. The best actors are the ones that can act out real human emotions, which are exaggerated in the American show business. I feel every actor in the series accomplishes that, especially the brother of the girl who died in Utoya, god how his performance made me cry.
All in all, this series made me learn more about the attack, and shows how important unity is in hard times. Thank you NRK for this well-producted show, thank you!
Well done!
catraven-7361010 January 2020
Maybe not top acting from everyone, but most of them do a very good job.
I am well pleased with most of the people cast.
I was downtown working on July 22nd and I remember it well.
The scenes in the streets are very true to life.
So much so, that I felt a bit choked up watching it.
Only the first two epi's have been released as I am writing this, but I have great expectations and am currently not disappointed.
NRK (Norwegian broadcasting) have made a lot of very good productions during the past 5- 10 yrs.
"22. Juli" seems to follow suit :-)
A really touching series...
haraldsovik14 January 2020
Well done NRK
hansimann895 February 2020
Loved it, didn't like the main character
hpfjelstad8 February 2020
I loved it! So true to the event. I was there in downtown when the bomb went off, and watching it sent chills down my back many times. I recommend this to everyone.
Only drawback was the main character. She has a tight acting style, still immature. Her eyes lack depth and expressions.
Excellent way to tell this shocking story
JohnM6312 December 2022
Very well made docudrama about the attacks of Breivik in Norway in 2011. The story is told through the eyes and experiences of people that were directly and/or indirectly affected by the attacks. This approach works really well. It is hardly impossible to not feel affected yourself.
The story is told very cleanly without too much dramatic enactment or imagery. In this lies the power of this series.
Though this drama is centered around rightwing extremist ideology, it might just as well have originated from any other form of political or religious extremism. The series depicts a universal problem with extremist non-democratic beliefs and ideologies that anyone should be able to recognize in his or her own society.
The story is told very cleanly without too much dramatic enactment or imagery. In this lies the power of this series.
Though this drama is centered around rightwing extremist ideology, it might just as well have originated from any other form of political or religious extremism. The series depicts a universal problem with extremist non-democratic beliefs and ideologies that anyone should be able to recognize in his or her own society.
awful
zathan-328487 January 2020
This is just really bad attempt to make a series based on real events... The production is good, but all the actors are amateurs and that ruins it... Still it will score high, but that is just because of the story behind and not because of the quality of the series
Pretentious Crap
BadActionDay1 July 2020
If some script writer outside Europe, like US, read this... Please help! Write a script without any of the Nordic rasist team assembled to write this series.
There is even a scene where a white old dude standing a front of a car not letting 2 black dudes pass... Because they're black! Oh. My. God. The scene is totally useless and embarrassing. We get it, you're ravenous against white's and you need to littarually tell us. Stiff acting and script from hell should sum things up. Nice try but not even close.
There is even a scene where a white old dude standing a front of a car not letting 2 black dudes pass... Because they're black! Oh. My. God. The scene is totally useless and embarrassing. We get it, you're ravenous against white's and you need to littarually tell us. Stiff acting and script from hell should sum things up. Nice try but not even close.
Amateur actors
zathan-328486 January 2020
The production is very good, but they have used very poor actors.. after watching the 2 first episodes i really dont want to watch the rest... this being based on real events it has entertainmentvalue, but the acting is just really bad.. Its quite shame that they are exploting such a good story to make such bad television... Only Paul Greengrass has made a watchable view on this incident
a disgrace
ops-5253526 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Upon all the victims and the sorrowing families and friend and if not to say the merely whole population of norway.
its a very diametral and terribly slow and precautiously told story of what happened 22 july 2011, even though the importance the slaughtering of norwegian hospitals to make a crown saved on the budgets are interesting,otherwise it has so little to do with the whole horrific murderspree that really took fold.
its meant to describe the life of the people in occupations of great importance under crisis, e-g- ambulance, police, medical and fire services, even teachers and a deep dive into the newspaper aftenpostens crew of acute journalists, and how their lives were affected before, during and after the big bang on the innoscence of norway. all the forementioned occupations are correctly chosen, but spending nearly a half episode on one of the most radical right wingers and his ''blogwork''you can find in norway is like kissing the atomic warhead of'' little boy'' over nagasaki 1945. that was really making me , a relatively neutral man politically, gawping from shock and awe, and really makes ripples in the water of who to be compationate against/towards.
its sooo exclusivly slow told, well so slow that you forget all about the governments quarter and utøya, ABB, the culprit behind it all are nearly unheard of, the manifest of the grandious and narssicistic bomber that noone understands anyway are given more space than what was nescesarry.
no,no,no. this is a disgrace of a serieproduction for tv made by the norwegian broadcasting corporation. its logistical choices are mediocre, not to say hilarious, and the hysteria that they try to boost, but not in away that the common population of norway would think of. its based more on artistic wishes from the directors, and the selfsensorship made by the executive board of nrk. if you had based this series on 100 essays written by randomly chosen inhabitants , campers and survivors and forementioned occupations being near the crime scene it would have been a milestone better than this wormstuck mr sandmans sleeping pill story of the most important historical happening since ww2 in norwegian history.
its a disgrace, and a total miss, and not recommended by the grumpy old man.
its a very diametral and terribly slow and precautiously told story of what happened 22 july 2011, even though the importance the slaughtering of norwegian hospitals to make a crown saved on the budgets are interesting,otherwise it has so little to do with the whole horrific murderspree that really took fold.
its meant to describe the life of the people in occupations of great importance under crisis, e-g- ambulance, police, medical and fire services, even teachers and a deep dive into the newspaper aftenpostens crew of acute journalists, and how their lives were affected before, during and after the big bang on the innoscence of norway. all the forementioned occupations are correctly chosen, but spending nearly a half episode on one of the most radical right wingers and his ''blogwork''you can find in norway is like kissing the atomic warhead of'' little boy'' over nagasaki 1945. that was really making me , a relatively neutral man politically, gawping from shock and awe, and really makes ripples in the water of who to be compationate against/towards.
its sooo exclusivly slow told, well so slow that you forget all about the governments quarter and utøya, ABB, the culprit behind it all are nearly unheard of, the manifest of the grandious and narssicistic bomber that noone understands anyway are given more space than what was nescesarry.
no,no,no. this is a disgrace of a serieproduction for tv made by the norwegian broadcasting corporation. its logistical choices are mediocre, not to say hilarious, and the hysteria that they try to boost, but not in away that the common population of norway would think of. its based more on artistic wishes from the directors, and the selfsensorship made by the executive board of nrk. if you had based this series on 100 essays written by randomly chosen inhabitants , campers and survivors and forementioned occupations being near the crime scene it would have been a milestone better than this wormstuck mr sandmans sleeping pill story of the most important historical happening since ww2 in norwegian history.
its a disgrace, and a total miss, and not recommended by the grumpy old man.
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