YMMV / Utøya: July 22

• Accidental Aesop: Sometimes, wit and bravery don't help against physical violence. Then, Violence Really Is the Answer.
• Anvilicious: The movie has two very necessary anvils, showing that Tropes Are Tools:
  • First, victims of shootings are not just numbers: they are (mostly young) people, whose hopes and dreams are brutally squashed.
  • Second, no matter what the motives for the shooting are, if you do that, you are forever past Moral Event Horizon and deserve total condemnation.
• Ass Pull: Kaja's death which 1) comes out of nowhere, 2) strains credibility (whereas the shooter uses salvos before, and wounds were portrayed realistically, here a single Instant Death Bullet happens), 3) is a prelude to a sudden POV switch which may easily confuse audiences as to what just happened before it sinks in and 4) by the time it sinks in the plot has moved further, meaning that the audiences are given no opportunity to process what should be the culmination of the entire movie. While there are many Doylist reasons for Kaja not surviving, the execution clearly aims purely for shock value.
• Harsher in Hindsight: That the wounded girl dies without being able to say goodbye to her mother is sad enough. But then Kaja's death means no one will be able to tell the wounded girl's parents about their daughter's last moments.
• Moral Event Horizon: If nothing else, the killing of the little boy qualifies, but basically the entire shooting is presented as this.
• Narm: The use of an Amateur Cast means some of the performances can be of less good quality than others. Thankfully, this doesn't apply for the main actress (see below).
• Overshadowed by Controversy: Before the release of the film, there was (understandably) a backlash for making it too soon - only seven years after the shooting happened. Others agreed with the director, Erik Poppe, that releasing the film now helped people understand a little more what happened and to not forget it, which, seven years later, is what many Norwegians not personally affected by the shooting were doing. Actual survivors of the event (that managed to see it early on) praised the film for how faithful and realistic it was, and agreed that it had an acceptable release. Still, Poppe has made it clear that he completely understands and respects those who feel it's too soon and won't be able to see it yet, if ever.
• She Really Can Act: Amateur actress Andrea Berntzen does an outstanding job playing Kaja, particularly the part where she cries talking to her mother on the phone and when she freaks out seeing corpses on the beach.
• Special Effect Failure: Kaja's death. Unlike all other victims, we don't see any injuries on her body. Her behavior prior to dropping dead also doesn't correspond well to a wound. It looks like she simply died from fear.