Battle of Oslo

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Fahre directs. Torfinn Rønning Sanderud behind the camera. Johannes Ringen scores. Vetle Strøm cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Norway. Dialogue in Norwegian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released last year.
• 2Directed by Daniel Fahre, shot by Torfinn Rønning Sanderud. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Johannes Ringen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Vetle Strøm shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Bjørn Sundquist and Andrea Berntzen and Fridtjov Såheim carry the top of the cast.
• 6IMDB entry: tt32080656 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 7Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Torfinn Rønning Sanderud

Original score

Johannes Ringen

Editing

Vetle Strøm

Runtime

94 min · 1h 34m

Status

Released

Budget

$8,300,000

Original language

NO

IMDB

Battle of Oslo (2025) ↗

Also by

Daniel Fahre

• 
  Born2Drive

  2019 · ★ 8.0
• 
  Marcus & Martinus: Together

  2017 · ★ 6.9

Community reviews

What people are saying

• MovieGuys2026-01-06
  ★ 8/10

  "Battle of Oslo"or "Blücher" is the second Norwegian film, I've seen in recent years, that covers the early days of the invasion of Norway. Colonial Birger Eriksen was in charge of the Oscarsborg Fortress when the Germans lauched their invasion, sinking the Nazi battleship Blucher, instrumental in buying time for the Norwegian goverment and King, to escape the country. This film, like its predecessor, imparts in stark terms, the emotional individual impact felt by a nation's people, that had not been at war, to that point, for 120 years. The awful decision Eriksen has to make to take action. The obvious anguish he experiences, when he see's German sailors, struggling to flee their sinking vessel, the stress of keeping up what is a doomed fight, whilst preserving the lives of his men and the civilian population, of the region. This is set against the back drop of what could generously be described as a "kangeroo commission", set up in 1946, to shift blame from the government of 1940, who failed to ensure the nation was militarily secure, in the face of the threat of potential invasion onto men like Erikson, who fought, against the odds. This is an exceptional film on many levels, from its cinematography, that alternately uses colour with often remarkable visuals and more austere, black and white to underline a shift in the emotional focus and the mood of the film. Acting is equally superb from the cast, with Bjørn Sundquist, handing in a remarkable performance, as Eriksen. In summary, this is a film that, at its core, demonstrates the traumatic impact of war, upon a fundamentally peaceful people. A must watch.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Fenomen TV film & scene AS

  NO

Key crew

• ProducerKnut Inge Solbu
• Executive ProducerTom Marius Kittilsen
• Executive ProducerJørgen Storm Rosenberg
• EditorVetle Strøm

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• world war ii
• based on true story
• oslo, norway
• 1940s
• luftwaffe
• based on real person

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2026-07-10· Nordic Film Festival

Also known as

International titles

• Battle of OsloUS
• Battle of OsloSE
• La Bataille d'OsloFR