‘Quisling -The Final Days’ Review: Superb Norwegian Historical Drama

Both a bold historical drama and a penetrating psychological study of a delusional authoritarian, “Quisling -The Final Days” is perhaps the strongest work yet from veteran Norwegian helmer Erik Poppe (“1,000 Times Good Night”). It serves as a bookend of sorts to “The King’s Choice,” his 2016 hit, which dealt with the first three days of Germany’s invasion of Norway in 1940. Set five years later, “Quisling” revisits the period of occupation and its aftermath through the story of Vidkun Quisling (Gard B. Eidsvold), the wartime puppet head of government who collaborated with the Nazis, whose surname is now synonymous with the word traitor.

In a fresh and provocative approach to the titular subject matter, Poppe and his screenwriters view it through the lens of Quisling’s prison meetings with pastor Peder Olsen (Anders Danielsen Lie, “The Worst Person in the World”), whose mission from Oslo’s bishop is to lead Quisling toward contrition and absolution. Their conversations, noted in Olsen’s previously unknown diary of the time, inspired the script. With its terrifyingly topical look into the complicated mind of an autocratic leader, tour de force performances by the two leads, striking cinematography and notable period production design, this is a gripping cinematic experience that should attract international art-house distributors. 

With Norway celebrating the end of five years of German occupation on May 8, 1945, former Minister-President Quisling is arrested and taken into custody, his hope for home confinement a mere pipe dream. The country is in the mood for retribution and wants Quisling held to account for his actions and the atrocities perpetrated in the name of Nazi ideology. Perhaps no one wants this more than young prison guard Arvid (Arthur Hakalathi), whose brother was one of the Norwegian patriots killed during Quisling’s regime and who makes the ex-politician’s incarceration as unpleasant as he can.

Recognizing that Norway needs to confront its past in order to mend, yet fearing that the process might make Quisling into a martyr, Bishop Berggrav (Lasse Kolsrud) taps hospital chaplain Olsen as the prisoner’s spiritual advisor because of his reputation as an astute judge of character. Obliged to keep his assignment a secret from his beloved wife Heidi (Lisa Loven Kongsli, “Force Majeure”), the initially optimistic Olsen comes near to losing his faith as a result of their conversations.

Accused of treason and other crimes, Quisling attempts in court to justify his actions as being for the country’s greater good, despite the suggestion of his attorney Henrik Bergh (Øyvind Brandtzæg) that it would be in his best interest to declare that he was not compos mentis. As Quisling’s grandiose claims are eviscerated by evidence in and out of the courtroom, Olsen finds himself full of doubt — about his calling, his beliefs and a tragic wartime decision he made on behalf of his family.

When Quisling declares that he “helped more Jews than anyone in Norway,” that statement bears a frightening rhetorical resemblance to some of the more extravagant assertions of a certain U.S. presidential candidate. However, the prosecution quickly puts paid to Quisling’s claim via the chilling testimony of Norwegian Jewish concentration camp survivor, Dr. Leo Eitinger (Benjamin L. Røsler). Eitinger cites Quisling’s antisemitic speeches and notes that of Norway’s approx. 1,000 deported Jews, only 12 survived. Meanwhile, Quisling’s obsession with the dangers of Bolshevism, something he grew to despise while serving as an aid worker in the Soviet Union, can’t help but evoke Putin’s fixation on the supposed “Nazis” in Ukraine. 

As the action moves between the prison, courtroom, Olsen’s home and that of Quisling’s Ukrainian wife Maria (Lisa Carlehed, “The Emigrants”), a portrait of two very different marriages emerges. Heidi Olsen’s views on Quisling stand in for those of most Norwegians. She believes he knew what he was doing and wants him on his knees begging for forgiveness before being shot. Although initially confounded by her husband’s task, she ultimately shows her support. In contrast, Maria Quisling encourages her husband’s worst instincts and twisted world view, counseling him never to capitulate or renounce his beliefs.

Given that Quisling came from a family with four generations of clergymen, his conversations with Olsen provide fascinating philosophical duels in New Testament understanding. In his first leading film role, the superb Eidsvold, whose father was a real-life victim of the Quisling regime’s torture, erupts in outrage and bluster whenever his motives and policies are questioned. At the same time, Lie, in the equally strong but less showy part, evinces great empathy. 

Despite a lot of dialogue, Poppe and his team make the viewing experience cinematically exciting. Eschewing the sepia or cold blue tones many directors adopt for period films, the film boasts a visually rich palette of greens and reds that seem wholly appropriate to the locations. The close-up lensing by Swedish DP Jonas Alarik frames Quisling in dark, cramped spaces as if the walls are literally closing in on him. Meanwhile, the tension-inducing score by Jonas Colstrup creates the destabilizing feel of a world coming to an end.