Character Relationship Map: Number 24

Characters

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) (played by Sjur Vatne Brean) — protagonist

  The central protagonist, who joins the resistance, leads an information-gathering organization, undertakes dangerous sabotage missions, and remains committed to the struggle despite severe losses and...

• Gunnar Sønsteby (old) (played by Erik Hivju) — protagonist

  The older Gunnar appears in the framing story, being interviewed about his wartime memories and describing how he stores them in five mental drawers.

• Edvard Tallaksen (played by Philip Helgar) — supporting

  A resistance member who helps plan the operation to destroy the conscription archive and is later shot in the face during another dangerous operation.

• Erling Solheim (played by Jakob Maanum Trulsen) — supporting

  A man identified in a letter to the State Police as offering information about the resistance. The resistance is asked to make him disappear before he can contact the Gestapo again.

• Max Manus (played by Benjamin Myhre) — minor
• Jens Christian Hauge (played by Jacob Jensen) — supporting

  A resistance figure who recruits Gunnar Sønsteby for an urgent operation opposing the forced conscription of Norwegian men.

• Gregers Gram (played by Ulrik William Græsli) — minor
• Karl Marthinsen (played by Per Kjerstad) — minor
• Gudrun Collett (played by Lisa Loven Kongsli) — supporting

  She helps Gunnar Sønsteby gain access to a network of apartments, enabling him to change locations and evade the danger caused by Gestapo arrests.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) → Jens Christian Hauge (Professional Recruiter And Operative) — Hauge brings Gunnar into a dangerous resistance operation.

  Jens Christian Hauge recruits Gunnar Sønsteby (young) for an urgent operation against the forced conscription of Norwegian men.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (old) → Gunnar Sønsteby (young) (Temporal Older Self) — The older and younger versions represent the same protagonist across different points in his life.

  The film opens with Gunnar Sønsteby (old) recalling wartime memories, after which the story follows Gunnar Sønsteby (young) during the occupation.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) → Karl Marthinsen (Conflict Resistance Adversary) — Karl's death is part of the escalating conflict surrounding the resistance and occupation authorities.

  After Karl Marthinsen is shot, the Germans retaliate by executing 28 Norwegian men, including resistance members and civilians.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) → Erling Solheim (Conflict Assigned Adversary) — Gunnar is tasked with stopping Erling from contacting the Gestapo again.

  A letter to the State Police identifies Erling Solheim as offering information about the resistance, and Gunnar is asked to make him disappear.

• Max Manus → Edvard Tallaksen (Alliance Operation Teammate) — They cooperate within the same sabotage operation.

  Max Manus and Edvard Tallaksen are part of the four-person group planning the attack on the Akersgata 55 archive.

• Gregers Gram → Max Manus (Alliance Operation Teammate) — Their relationship is established through coordinated resistance work.

  Gregers Gram and Max Manus are named among the resistance members planning the archive operation with Gunnar and Edvard.

• Gregers Gram → Edvard Tallaksen (Alliance Operation Teammate) — They belong to the same sabotage group during the archive mission.

  Gregers and Edvard participate with Gunnar and Max in planning the destruction of the archive at Akersgata 55.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) → Edvard Tallaksen (Alliance Sabotage Teammate) — Edvard is one of Gunnar's operational partners in the sabotage team.

  Edvard Tallaksen joins Gunnar, Gregers Gram, and Max Manus in planning the attack on the archive at Akersgata 55.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) → Max Manus (Alliance Sabotage Teammate) — Max works alongside Gunnar in a coordinated resistance action.

  Gunnar, Gregers Gram, Max Manus, and Edvard Tallaksen plan the destruction of the conscription archive at Akersgata 55.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) → Gregers Gram (Alliance Teammate) — Gunnar and Gregers cooperate as members of the same sabotage team.

  Gunnar Sønsteby (young), Gregers Gram, Max Manus, and Edvard Tallaksen plan to destroy the archive at Akersgata 55.

• Gunnar Sønsteby (young) → Gudrun Collett (Alliance Resistance Supporter) — Gudrun provides practical support that helps Gunnar evade capture.

  With help from Gudrun Collett, Gunnar gains access to a network of apartments and changes locations constantly.

Story Analysis

A resistance fighter confronts occupation, sacrifice, and the moral price of pursuing freedom.

Plot Progression

1. The Drawers Of Memory — Old Gunnar frames the story through an interview about five mental drawers containing his wartime memories. The narrative then enters the younger Gunnar's experience of the German invasion and occupat...
2. Underground Under Siege — Gunnar joins the resistance and leads an information network moving material from Oslo through Sweden to London. Arrests, torture, and death make trust increasingly difficult.
3. The Archive Mission — With support from Gudrun and recruitment by Hauge, Gunnar prepares a sabotage operation with Gregers, Max, and Edvard. The attack on the Akersgata 55 archive carries heavy losses.
4. Losses And Retaliation — A later operation kills Gregers and badly wounds Edvard. Gunnar meets the King in London, returns to Oslo, and faces the consequences of Karl Marthinsen's shooting and the executions of 28 men.
5. The Final Moral Cost — A letter identifies Erling Solheim as an informant, and Gunnar is asked to make him disappear. The ending emphasizes that freedom may demand nearly everything, including life itself.