Review of King of Devil's Island (2010) by Amanda Ø — 20 Oct 2012

Kongen av Bastøy (King of Devil's Island) is a wonderful piece of Norwegian cinema; based on a true story about the "Bastøy Boys Home", a correctional facility for juvenile 'delinquents' in Norway, in 1915. This film is about survival amongst the harshness, and the rebellion towards the facility's cruel system, and resistance to the abuse, and oppression the so-called 'correctional facility' lay upon the boys. These boys get disciplined by the common whip, food rationing, isolation, humiliation, and the like. This is only one of the things that may be the cause of a vicious uprising.

I thought this film was great, taking place in the cold, dull Norwegian winter. The cinematography is lovely and desolate; alongside the hellishly well done performances--they were convincing, as far as I'm concerned. The story is also simple, yet compelling--and I thought it was conveyed decently, nonetheless, well told. There are some definite heart-wrenching scenes in the film; it has an interesting portrayal of tragedy and sullen bleakness. What else can I say? I thought it was well worth the watch, and quite interesting. The costumes are great, the score is also commendable, and the story is intriguing. It's a solid film.