King of Devil's Island
Directed by Marius Holst
Actor Stellan Skarsgård will participate in a Skype Q&A following the 9:30 screening on Friday, January 6.
Rousing and dramatic, King of Devil’s Island depicts the fact-based story of reform-school boys battling subjugation on a small island off Norway’s coast. Arriving at Bastøy prison, young harpooner Erling is told by the governor (Stellan Skarsgård), “Here I’m your captain, and this is my ship.” Though told that the reformatory is strict but fair, the uneducated but honorable teen soon discovers a variety of inhumane treatments being foisted on the inmates. After Erling engages in an escalating battle with school officials to redress the wrongs, he teams up with a Bastøy long-timer named Olav, and together they inspire the others to take action against their oppressors in a nail-biting, marvelously shot climax.
TRAILER
Kongen av Bastøy, Norway/Sweden/Poland/France 2010, 114 min. Written by Dennis Magnusson, Eric Schmid. Photographed by John Andreas Andersen. With Stellan Skarsgård, Benjamin Helstad, Kristoffer Joner, Trond Nilsson. Film Movement.
Tickets $9 for SFFS members, $11 general, $10 senior/student/disabled. Box office opens December 14 online at sffs.org and January 3 in person at SF Film Society Cinema.
Rousing and dramatic, King of Devil’s Island depicts the fact-based story of reform-school boys battling subjugation on a small island off Norway’s coast. Arriving at Bastøy prison, young harpooner Erling is told by the governor (Stellan Skarsgård), “Here I’m your captain, and this is my ship.” Though told that the reformatory is strict but fair, the uneducated but honorable teen soon discovers a variety of inhumane treatments being foisted on the inmates. After Erling engages in an escalating battle with school officials to redress the wrongs, he teams up with a Bastøy long-timer named Olav, and together they inspire the others to take action against their oppressors in a nail-biting, marvelously shot climax.
 | Read the San Francisco Chronicle review Read the Chronicle's interview with Stellan Skarsgård |
“Effective and affecting . . . Director Marius Holst employs old-school means - thick atmospherics, ripe acting and a straightforward narrative arc.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Conceptually ambitious . . . evokes a blood-chilling climate of eternal winter."
– New York Times
"Haunting! Skarsgård is excellent as always and moody atmospherics enchance the conventional structure." – New York Daily News
"Excellent! Marius Holst gives the proceedings a fresh look, thanks to his sturdy acting, direction and cinematography." – New York Post
“This classically lensed tale about the misuse of power offers sweeping panoramas (and) stunning snowy landscapes” – Variety
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Conceptually ambitious . . . evokes a blood-chilling climate of eternal winter."
– New York Times
"Haunting! Skarsgård is excellent as always and moody atmospherics enchance the conventional structure." – New York Daily News
"Excellent! Marius Holst gives the proceedings a fresh look, thanks to his sturdy acting, direction and cinematography." – New York Post
“This classically lensed tale about the misuse of power offers sweeping panoramas (and) stunning snowy landscapes” – Variety
TRAILER
Kongen av Bastøy, Norway/Sweden/Poland/France 2010, 114 min. Written by Dennis Magnusson, Eric Schmid. Photographed by John Andreas Andersen. With Stellan Skarsgård, Benjamin Helstad, Kristoffer Joner, Trond Nilsson. Film Movement.
Tickets $9 for SFFS members, $11 general, $10 senior/student/disabled. Box office opens December 14 online at sffs.org and January 3 in person at SF Film Society Cinema.
January 6–12
Showtimes: 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30
SF Film Society Cinema, 1746 Post Street (Webster/Buchanan)
Showtimes: 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30
SF Film Society Cinema, 1746 Post Street (Webster/Buchanan)