King of Devil’s Island

Overview

To rock the boat is a popular idiom, but to Bastoy Island's newcomer Erling (Benjamin Helstad), it is a way of life. Battered and bruised, Erling proves to be the whale in the figurative introduction, whose struggle for survival challenges the ship's crew.

Marius Holst's stunningly fierce film King of Devil's Island plunges audiences into a remote, ice-bound living hell. Based on an extraordinary true story, it is a powerful tale of friendship, determination, injustice and revolt.

Set in 1915 in Bastoy Prison in Norway, King of Devil's Island depicts the light and shade of the 'maladjusted' boys' story. After committing crimes, these young boys were sent to Bastoy instead of prison, in order to discipline them and "find the honourable, humble and useful Christian boy inside". If they don't find that boy, then they stay on the island.

With no past or future, the only time on the island is the present. The film's narrative commences on the island with the arrival of the enigmatic and headstrong 17-year-old newcomer, Erling. Erling's arrival and rebellious behaviour at Bastoy inspires the other boys while rattling the authority of the stern governor (Stellan Skarsgard).

Consumed by an unrelenting thirst for freedom which he seems unable to ignore, Erling (C19) quickly determines that the only means of survival is escape. After a failed solo escape attempt, Erling finds himself transformed from a fugitive into a leader of a rebellion, provoking an astonishing series of events unparalleled in Norwegian history.

Testament to the strength of the human spirit, King of Devil's Island has your heart in your throat and your backside at the edge of your chair. Cinematographer John Andreas Andersen brilliantly captures the harshness of the landscape, painting the film's portrait with a palette of greys, browns and stark whites, culminating in stunning visuals. With stellar performances by Stellan Skarsgard, Kristoffer Joner, Angel's Benjamin Helstad and feature film debut Trond Nilssen, King of Devil's Island powerfully tells this slice of Norwegian history with strength, heart and potency.