A gritty historical drama and a profound psychological study of a delusional authoritarian, “Quisling – The Last Days” is perhaps the strongest work from veteran Norwegian director Erik Poppe (“1,000 Times Good Night”). It serves as a follow-up to his 2016 hit “The King’s Choice,” which covered the first three days of the German invasion of Norway in 1940. Five years later, “Quisling” revisits the occupation and its aftermath through the story of Vidkun Quisling (Gard B. Eidsvold), the wartime puppet prime minister who collaborated with the Nazis and whose title is now synonymous with traitor.
In a fresh and provocative take on the film’s title theme, Pope and the screenwriters view the film through the lens of Quisling’s prison encounters with the priest Peder Olsen (Anders Danielsen Lie, “The Worst Person in the World”), whose mission from the Bishop of Oslo is to guide Quisling toward remorse and forgiveness. Their conversations, recorded in Olsen’s previously unknown memoirs at the time, inspired the screenplay. With its chilling look into the complex mind of a totalitarian leader, strong performances by both leads, stunning cinematography and remarkable production design for the period, this is a gripping cinematic experience that will appeal to international arthouse distributors.
As Norway celebrates the end of five years of German occupation on May 8, 1945, former Prime Minister Quisling is arrested and detained, his hopes of house arrest a distant dream. The country is in a mood for revenge and wants Quisling held accountable for his actions and the atrocities committed in the name of Nazi ideology. Perhaps no one wants this more than the young prison guard Arvid (Arthur Hakalati), whose brother was one of the Norwegian patriots killed during Quisling's regime and who makes the former politician's imprisonment as unpleasant as possible.
Realizing that Norway needs to confront its past in order to make amends, Bishop Berggraf (Lasse Kolsrud) fears that the process will turn Quisling into a martyr, so he enlists the hospital chaplain Olsen as the prisoner's spiritual advisor because of his reputation as a skilled judge of character. Forced to keep his mission a secret from his beloved wife Heidi (Lisa Loven Kongsli, “Force Majeure”), the initially optimistic Olsen is nearly driven to lose faith by their conversations.
Accused of treason and other crimes, Quisling tries in court to justify his actions as being for the greater good of the country, despite his lawyer Henrik Berg (Øyvind Brandtzig) suggesting that it would be in his best interest to declare that he was not of sound mindAs Quisling's grandiose claims are disproved by evidence inside and outside the courtroom, Olsen finds himself filled with doubts – about his calling, his beliefs, and the tragic war decision he made on behalf of his family.
When Quisling declares that he has “helped more Jews than anyone else in Norway,” the statement bears an eerie rhetorical resemblance to some of the more extravagant claims made by a certain American presidential candidate. Quisling’s claim, however, is quickly put to rest by the harrowing testimony of a Jewish survivor of the Norwegian concentration camps, Dr. Leo Ettinger (Benjamin L. Roesler). Ettinger cites Quisling’s anti-Semitic tirades and points out that of the nearly 1,000 Jews deported from Norway, only 12 survived. Meanwhile, Quisling’s obsession with the dangers of Bolshevism, something he came to despise while working as an aid worker in the Soviet Union, can’t help but evoke Putin’s obsession with alleged “Nazis” in Ukraine.
As the action shifts between prison, courtroom, Olsen’s home, and the home of Quisling’s Ukrainian wife, Maria (Lisa Carlehed, “The Emigrants”), a portrait of two very different marriages emerges. Heidi Olsen’s views of Quisling are representative of those of most Norwegians. She believes he knew what he was doing and wants him to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness before he is shot. Although initially confused by her husband’s mission, she eventually supports him. Maria Quisling, by contrast, encourages her husband’s worst instincts and twisted worldview, advising him never to give in or abandon his beliefs.
Coming from a family of four generations of clergy, Quisling’s conversations with Olsen offer fascinating philosophical duels in understanding the New Testament. In his first major film role, the brilliant Eidsvold, whose father was a real-life victim of Quisling’s torture regime, explodes in anger and menace whenever his motives and policies are questioned. Meanwhile, Lee, in an equally powerful but less prominent part, shows great compassion.
Despite the dialogue, Pope and his team make the viewing experience cinematically engaging. In addition to avoiding the cold brown or blue tones that many directors adopt in period films, the film features a visually rich palette of greens and reds that seem perfectly suited to the locations. Swedish photographer Jonas Alaric Quisling’s close-up photography in dark, cramped spaces makes it seem as if the walls are literally closing in on him. Meanwhile, Jonas Kolstrup’s haunting score creates an unsettling sense of a world coming to an end.
