Character Relationship Map: 22 July

Characters

• Viljar Hanssen (played by Jonas Strand Gravli) — protagonist

  Viljar Hanssen is a teenager attending the AUF summer camp on Utøya. After learning of the Oslo bombing, he calls his parents, then phones his mother during the island shooting. He is repeatedly shot...

• Anders Behring Breivik (played by Anders Danielsen Lie) — protagonist

  Anders Behring Breivik is the attacker at the center of the film. He plants a homemade bomb outside the Prime Minister's office, impersonates a police officer to reach Utøya, murders camp staff and te...

• Geir Lippestad (played by Jon Øigarden) — supporting

  Geir Lippestad is Anders Behring Breivik's defense lawyer. Although morally troubled by his client's actions, he accepts the professional duty of representation and considers an insanity defense with...

• Breivik's Mother (played by Hilde Olausson) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Breivik's Mother → Anders Behring Breivik (mother)
• Anders Behring Breivik → Geir Lippestad (Professional Criminal Client) — Lippestad is professionally bound to defend Breivik despite his moral objections.

  After his arrest, Breivik requests the aid of lawyer Geir Lippestad, who represents him in the legal proceedings.

Story Dynamics

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

• Anders Behring Breivik → Viljar Hanssen (Conflict Attacker And Victim) — Breivik's attack directly causes Viljar's severe injuries and lifelong trauma.

  Breivik opens fire on the teenagers at Utøya and shoots Viljar multiple times while Viljar hides on a rocky embankment.

Story Analysis

The film follows the 2011 attacks through the perpetrator's prosecution and Viljar Hanssen's painful recovery and testimony.

Plot Progression

1. The Bombing Begins — Breivik prepares an explosive attack in Oslo and detonates a van outside the executive government quarter. The bombing establishes the scale and political context of the violence.
2. A False Promise Of Safety — At the AUF summer camp, Viljar checks on his parents after hearing about the bombing. Breivik reaches the ferry landing disguised as a police officer and is transported to Utøya.
3. The Island Under Fire — Breivik manipulates camp staff before killing the security head and director. The teenagers flee as he begins a mass shooting, and Viljar is wounded while hiding near the beach.
4. The Attacker On Trial — After surrendering, Breivik presents ideological claims and requests Lippestad as his lawyer. The defense debates insanity, competence, and the meaning Breivik wants attached to his crimes.
5. A Survivor Speaks — Viljar wakes from his coma, endures rehabilitation, and remains haunted by the massacre. Supported by his family and another survivor, he testifies before Breivik receives his sentence.