The King’s Choice | Kongens nei
2016 | 133 minutes | Biography, Drama, History, War
Director: Erik Poppe
Written by: Harald Rosenløw-Eeg, Jan Trygve Røyneland
Stars: Jesper Christensen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Karl Markovics
9 April, 1940. As the German war machine arrives in Oslo under the guise of offering the sovereign nation ‘protection’ from the British, the royal family flees the capital, not knowing if they’ll ever see each other again. The ageing King Haakon VII (Jesper Christensen) and his fiery son the Crown Prince Olav (Anders Baasmo Christensen) make a dramatic escape from the city into hiding, while Crown Princess Märtha (Tuva Novotny) seeks refuge in Sweden with the children.
With the time for mediation between Norway’s passive government and the Nazi’s envoy (Karl Markovics) fast running out, and an attempted coup by collaborator Vikund Quisling underway, King Haakon is faced with a momentous choice: should he recognise Quisling as Prime Minister to prevent bloodshed, or abdicate in the hope of inspiring civilian and military resistance, even with the loss of life that may entail?
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