King Of Devil’s Island Review

23rd Jun 2012

The story is set on the isolated Bastoy Island, a juvenile detention centre set in a bleak wilderness. The conditions the boys live in are minimal, the work is hard and discipline is drilled into the boys at all times. In this environment, it’s those in power who become criminals, particularly in their wilful ignorance of what’s happening around them. When the housemaster is implicated in a suicide, the boys can’t take it any longer and the powder keg of their pent up rage and frustration explodes spectacularly.

Benjamin Helstad plays C19, a new prisoner determined to escape from the Island. His selfish actions mean that C1, played by Trond Nilssen, is forced to stay on the Island longer than he is sentenced. This is really C1’s story and his extraordinary bravery and selflessness deserves to be recorded in film. The rebellion begins with him, when on the verge of being released, he has to make a decision about whether to leave the boys to face their fears alone. Trond Nilssen plays the role with a visceral, taut desperation, his emotions simmering under a veneer of obedience. In the face of everything that has happened to him, to show such humanity is quite moving.

As usual, the fact that this is a true story elevates the film further. Any story that needs to be told is going to be a film worth seeing, but this is also a beautifully crafted film. The soundtrack is convincingly oppressive and aided by the deafening nose of the waves and wind that forever batter the Island. The cinematography constantly reminds us of how isolated the boys are and reinforces the idea that they’ve got no one looking out for them.

All of the performances are stand out and there isn’t a single weak character. This is especially surprising considering a lot of the young boys were novices; they certainly created a strong sense of despair. Stellan Skarsgard is reliably good in his role as the headmaster who wants to believe he’s a good man, but when tested shows his cowardly nature.

The film ends with haunting imagery from the real Island and as it settles on certain individuals you wonder if these were the boys in question. Not as harrowing as Sleepers, but better in almost every regard – and that’s quite a claim. A perfectly crafted film with an important story to tell, it’s not every day that one of those comes along.