Directed by: Erik Poppe
Cast: Gard Bjørnstjerne Eidsvold, Anders Danielsen Lie, Lisa Carlehed, Lisa Loven Kongsli
Not many leaders can say that their name has its own meaning in a dictionary. For former Norwegian Minister President Vidkun Quisling, you will find that Quisling means: a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country. Erik Poppe’s latest film is a tense post-World War II court drama that takes you into the mind of the disgraced leader and recounts his final days from the perspective of a prison chaplain. The intent of the film as the director acknowledged, is not to humanize and play devil’s advocate for Quisling, it is to understand the leader, and how he rationalized his actions, and investigate how a person who was not found to be criminally insane could commit such heinous acts. And in 146 minutes, Erik Poppe accomplishes this with beautiful cinematography, excellent pacing, a suspenseful score, and outstanding performances by the film’s two lead actors.
The film begins with the death of Hitler, already a joyous start. Everyone in Norway takes to the streets to celebrate the end of the war and the eventual end of Nazi occupation and the Quisling fascist regime. Well everyone except Vidkun Quisling (Gard Bjørnstjerne Eidsvold) and his colleagues of course. They deliberate about whether to keep fighting, or to abandon ship and flee the country. Quisling believes the latter is the only option and heads to the police station where the chief will grant him asylum. However, the police at the station have received differing orders and arrest Quisling upon his arrival. Masterful gambit by the allies. There he is charged with high treason, aiding a foreign government, murder, embezzlement, theft, and other crimes. A real doozy of a case for any defence lawyer if I do say so myself. To contrast Quisling’s narcissism and self-justification, we have prison chaplain Peder Olsen (Anders Danielsen Lie), a man of faith who has the uphill task of trying to get Quisling to admit regret and atone for his sins.
What follows is a series of meetings between the accused and the chaplain as the latter attempts to get him to open up. This is done through offering help and comfort for Quisling’s wife, feeding Quisling baked goods made by Olsen’s wife, and exploring passages in the bible related to seeking forgiveness, such as the one about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. They begin to form a professional bond, that is until the trial begins, and details of Quisling’s tyranny come to light and tensions begin to emerge between Olsen and Quisling. I’m a sucker for a good courtroom drama and the testimonies that take place offer more context about Quisling’s psyche. From old school classmates to Auschwitz survivors, these testimonies showcase how pathetic and uncharismatic of a person he was growing up, and how negligent and vile of a politician he became over the course of the occupation. And as the film’s title suggests, the trial doesn’t go Quisling’s way and ends with a bang.
It was astonishing to learn in the post-screening Q&A that this was Eidsvold's debut leading actor role. The way he is able to masterfull play both a maniacal man and a human coming to terms with his demise should land in contention for nominations during awards season. And Anders Danielsen Lie, who I loved in the 2021 romantic comedy drama The Worst Person In The World, brilliantly plays a holy man who struggles with his beliefs, who has regrets, and is faced with the impossible task of trying to find a path towards forgiveness for a man who caused misery. The look of the film is gritty, occasionally claustrophobic, and dark despite the optimistic outlook of society. And with the editing of the film, hearing rumours about atrocities and trying to piece together what is true and what is false, puts you in the mindset of a person living in post-war Europe. Everything is chaotic, and with unfathomable information finally being brought to light, it’s hard to know what to believe.
While this takes place in 1945, the message and intent of the film can unfortunately still be applied to modern day world leaders. Take for example Quisling testifying in court that he, “has done more for Jewish people than anyone else in Norway.” While Poppe may have implied that this is a foreshadowing of leaders like President Trump, when I heard it I immediately thought of President Biden’s claim that he has, “done more for the Palestinian community than anybody.” A quote (and lie) which can be argued is in even worse taste than Trump. And yet, the mainstream media doesn’t paint Biden as a fanatical fascist dictator. What the film suggests is that not all leaders throughout history have been psychotic meth-loving tyrants, some have actually been sound minded individuals who truly believed that what they were doing was just.
Anyone can be capable of evil due to the experiences and material conditions of their upbringing. In Quisling’s case, he worked for the Nansen Mission which was responsible for supplying aid to those suffering famine in early 1920’s Ukraine. As such he became fearful of a USSR occupation of Norway, leading to his cooperation with Nazi Germany in the early years of World War II. Thus from that perspective, it is understandable why Quisling became a traitor to his state. Now this doesn’t excuse his horrible deeds like the deportation for Norwegian Jews, who of the thousand or so that were sent to concentration camps, only 12 were fortunate enough to return home to Norway. And even from the perspective of Peder Olsen, who himself acknowledges that even though he is a chaplain, he is also not exempt from sins and was forced into situations that led to the demise of others, something that Anders Danielsen Lie heartbreakingly portrays.
Labelling a historical figure a monster or a traitor is too simple. It is important to acknowledge that there is a human inside these leaders and to understand the paths that lead someone to commit horrible acts of brutality. It is an even harder task to figure out a path towards forgiveness for those who plan and order these atrocities. Quisling - The Final Days is a marvellous film that attempts to answer these philosophical and psychological questions. With the rise of fascist autocrats all around the world, it is vital that we learn the mind of the Pharisee and that of the Tax Collector.
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