King of Devil's Island was a movie that hit me hard. It's rough, tough, and very powerful. The movie is based on a true story of a home for trouble making boys on the Island of Bastoy, Norway. The story begins when a new boy Erling (played by Benjamin Helstad) arrives on the island. I don't remember what Erling's crime is but it's made obvious that he won't be broken easily. He exudes tenacity and fearlessness. The first to greet him is Bestyreren (played by Stellan Skarsgard) who runs the boys home. Bestyreren explains the rules and the consequences of breaking them. On the Island of Bastoy power is abused and justice is non-existent. After an accumulation of oppressive torment Erling and the other boys are pushed past their limits and form a rebellion that results in 150 soldiers sent to gain control. The acting of Stellan Skarsgard is stellar, but I was blown away by Helstad's performance as the young delinquent Erling. His unflinching portrayal of this boy is empowering. This is an exceptional movie! It's difficult to imagine what these boys endured... but their stories deserved to be told and those who abused their authority and put those boys through hell deserve to be exposed.
You've done more posts in one day than I've managed all year!
ReplyDeleteKing of Devil's Island sounds pretty grim and it obviously had a powerful effect on you.
yeah, i have a funny method to my madness. i usually wait until i've seen a few pretty remarkable movies to post and then spill them all out at once. too bad hardy anyone reads them ;) thanks paul for taking the time to read and respond!
DeleteIt's good that you've got a system that works for you and I wouldn't worry how many readers you're getting, as long as you're enjoying yourself that's all that matters.
DeleteI also like the fact you keep your reviews short and to the point; to me that's far better than the long and rambling reviews that some people post.