King of Devil's Island

2010 1h 57m NO

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 290

DramaThrillerCrimeAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Norwegian winter, 1915. On the island Bastøy, outside Oslo, a group of young boys aged 11 to 18, are held in an institution for delinquent youth, notorious for its sadistic regime. One day a new boy, Erling, arrives, determined to escape from the island. After a tragic incident, he ends up leading the boys in a violent uprising. When the boys manage to take over the island, 150 soldiers are sent in to restore order.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Stellan Skarsgård
Bestyrer Håkon
Benjamin Helstad
Erling / C-19
Kristoffer Joner
Husfar Bråthen
Trond Nilssen
Olav / C-1
Morten Løvstad
Øystein
Daniel Berg
Johan
Odin Gineson Brøderud
Axel
Magnar Botten
Lillegutt

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marius Holst
Writers: Mette M. Bølstad, Lars Saabye Christensen, Dennis Magnusson
Languages: Norwegian, Swedish
Countries: Norway, France, Sweden, Poland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Norwegian, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Norway, France, Sweden, Poland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marius Holst, shot by John Andreas Andersen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Johan Söderqvist. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michał Leszczyłowski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stellan Skarsgård and Benjamin Helstad and Kristoffer Joner carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1332134 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marius Holst directs. John Andreas Andersen behind the camera. Johan Söderqvist scores. Michał Leszczyłowski cuts. Produced in Norway, France, Sweden, Poland. Dialogue in Norwegian, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 16 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Norwegian, Swedish.
3International production across 4 countries: Norway, France, Sweden, Poland.
4Directed by Marius Holst, shot by John Andreas Andersen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Johan Söderqvist. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Michał Leszczyłowski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Stellan Skarsgård and Benjamin Helstad and Kristoffer Joner carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt1332134 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "suicide", "island", "sexual abuse", "escape".
10Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Andreas Andersen
Original score: Johan Söderqvist
Editing: Michał Leszczyłowski
Production design: Janusz Sosnowski
Costume design: Katja Watkins
Makeup / hair: Tiina Leesik
VFX supervisor: Otto Thorbjørnsen
Sound: Petter Fladeby
Runtime: 117 min · 1h 57m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Original language: NO
IMDB: King of Devil's Island (2010)

Awards

Silver nugget for the best Norwegian film
Amanda Award for Best Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Marius Holst

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

deepkino2025-09-16
★ 8/10
A chilling Norwegian thriller set on an sinister, isolated island, focusing on the brutal mistreatment of juvenile detainees and their inevitable revolt. With a superb script, sharp dialogue, and flawless editing and cinematography, the film makes you feel the freezing cold in your bones from start to finish.

Production companies