Original subtitles

Inspired by the priest Peder Olsen diary entries.

There is something unfathomable in every human being.

Prime Minister Quisling speaks.

Norwegian women and men.

A few days ago, the message went out went out over the world that Adolf Hitler

the Führer of the German Reich and Chancellor of the Reich,

had died a hero's death at his command post in Berlin

during their struggle to prevent the Bolsheviks' destruction

of his homeland, and of Europe.

With Adolf Hitler, one of the the historical figures passed away

who create eras in human history.

But if Europe does not go under, the future will surely come to realise

that the European cultural civilization was saved by Adolf Hitler.

Through National Socialism he made Germany into such a powerful bulwark

that it could break the power of the red deluge.

The great tragedy of his life was that, despite all his efforts

failed to make peace between England and Germany.

A cooperation that had secured world peace and neutralised Bolshevism.

I will not betray our cause

or surrender the country to lawlessness and Bolshevism.

Thank you.

Were you listening? To the speech?

- It sounded like we have surrendered. - Not at all.

And Berlin is not giving up on us easily.

I am trying to negotiate with Nygaardsvold in London for an interim government.

And if that's not possible?

I don't want to hear about defeat or surrender!

You can do anything you want.

You are Kapitan Quisling.

You will succeed.

Hooray!

We have 30,000 men under our command, they have 4,000. We can still fight.

Vidka!

The dentist barely finished before he drove me here.

Now he is going to the Eastern Railway. He flees the country without so much as a suitcase.

Oh my God! You said they would not surrender.

- Don't panic. - What are they doing here?

It might be a good idea to pack a bag. Just the essentials, in case...

Packing? What about London and the negotiations?

Maria, please. Please take it easy.

Ask the kitchen to prepare food. This will take a while.

And the fairytale night that lowers,

lowering the dream on our soil.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Now all hell has broken loose.

- We should have left while we could. - What do you mean?

They run around like headless chickens. Screaming.

It was a bunch of drunken German seamen. They were shooting wildly with automatic weapons.

I barely made it here in one piece.

- And Milorg has not been spoken to. - Have we been set up?

No, it seems to be an internal power struggle between Milorg and the police.

- The new national police chief is completely rabid. - The capitulation is valid from midnight.

We just heard it on the radio.

In that case, there is nothing more we can do.

Nonsense. I'll go there myself.

I don't advise this.

It's dangerous out there.

They are shooting. You can't go anywhere without guarantees of safe passage.

And I don't think the police will give you that.

Surely there must be some civilized people left in this country!

Yes, good day. Vidkun Quisling, Prime Minister.

Yes. Thank you for your time, Mr. Arntzen.

We will be in touch to clear up some misunderstandings related to this...

That's right.

Yes.

Absolutely.

But listen: We are in dialogue with military authorities.

This can develop into a...

No.

I see. I see. If you don't know Foss, that's your business.

He stood in my living room and offered detention at Holmenkollen.

He would guarantee...

I see.

Yes.

That you call me a criminal I consider it very...

I have worked so hard for this country, I have no...

No.

Yes.

Yes.

Hello?

He gave us a grace period until six o'clock tomorrow morning.

And if we refuse?

Then they come for us by force.

The...

pick us up by force.

I heard you, Vidka, on the phone with the police chief.

It is over.

No, I'm going down to the police station and make a statement.

- I have to go. They are waiting. - They're waiting. - Wait!

Can I have your name, please?

- Where is Commissioner Arntzen? - Your personal data.

- I demand to speak to Arntzen. - He had.

Occupation?

- What is your profession? - I'm just going to look in your pockets.

Wait a minute. I can, uh... I'm not getting arrested.

I have reached an agreement with the Chief of Police.

I am being taken to a house at Holmenkollen.

The wedding ring.

- What? - Give us your wedding ring.

- No. Is it really necessary? - Yes. You must hand it over.

I have been Norway's Head of State for five years.

I expect to be treated with respect, not as a criminal.

QUISLING: THE FINAL DAYS

This way.

Mr. Olsen, the Bishop will see you now.

Yes. I'm sorry.

Thank you very much.

- Peder Olsen. It was a long time ago. - It's been a long time. Hello, Mr. Olsen.

I must thank you. Without your efforts the war could have been much darker.

I am actually more interested in peace.

Won't you sit down?

They say that you are a good judge of character.

Really? I guess I don't know.

Vidkun Quisling.

Yes?

He is, as you may know, in custody at 19 Moller Street pending trial.

A very important process.

Can you imagine being his soul mourner?

- I? For Quisling? - Yes.

Isn't that Traaen, who is the prison chaplain over there?

He has done a good job so far, but they no longer seem to be pulling even.

Quisling is, perhaps not surprisingly, a somewhat complicated figure.

- In what way? - Well, what can I say?

The last time I saw him he threatened to execute me.

Now he wants me to be his spiritual advisor.

- But can he just demand that? - I politely declined.

But I think it is important that we as a church contribute.

In what way, do you mean?

We are a wounded nation.

People are calling for the death penalty. More bad blood, more hatred.

At worst, we make the man a martyr.

If we can get him to confess it could be a start to reconciliation.

Even for the rest of us, whatever the verdict is. A step in the right direction.

I really don't know if I am right person for such a task.

I am a hospital chaplain. I have no experience with criminals.

Reconciliation is neither easy or painless.

Anyone who takes the task lightly is not being sincere.

The fact that you have doubts only speaks in your favour.

Here are your passes and other documents.

You will understand that you should keep this to yourself, for security reasons.

Can I tell my wife?

As I said, Olsen, we keep this to ourselves.

This was stupid. Don't laugh your ass off...

It's probably the kind you pull.

- There you go. - You succeeded right away.

Here it's just radio noise. I think we're going over to the...

Shouldn't you...

Quisling denies having had improper contact with the Germans.

He had been in Copenhagen on the 5th and 6th of April.

- It's from the remand hearing. - He won't be released before the trial, will he?

On its withdrawal of the Norwegian government's mobilisation order.

He replied that he had acted for the good of the Norwegian people.

For our good. He must be stark raving mad.

"I am a martyr," cried Quisling.

"I was put in a terrible situation where I was forced"...

- What now? - I can't hear any more.

- What is a martyr? - Why don't you go out and play?

First he executes Norwegians to save his own skin, and now he's a martyr?

- He's just trying to defend himself. - He seems proud of what he has done.

He is crazy. A beast.

Heidi, we are all human beings. We are all children of God.

- Can't you put the sermon away? - The sermon?

- You have to be allowed to be angry, right? - Yes, but it probably won't help.

That man is worse than the Germans.

He knew what he was doing. He was one of us.

I and the children ran away from the bombs while he welcomed the enemy.

He sacrificed our freedom for his own power.

I want him on his knees.

On his knees with his arms above his head. He will ask for forgiveness.

Otherwise they might as well shoot him.

I'll get the coffee.

I can hardly believe it.

I have been walking for so long with a lump in my stomach.

For fear that something could happen at any moment.

I kind of think that if I let go of it...

the air-raid sirens or the Gestapo.

- A nurse who will tell you that... but you.

All that... All that's over now, right?

- Yes. - It's over.

I know that. I do know that.

It is allowed to be happy. You deserve it.

Father?

But from them we never get a moment's peace.

- Follow me. - Thank you.

Go out the door, across the courtyard and into the prison.

- You're going up there. - Thank you.

The cell door should be open.

If he hangs himself we can't shoot the bastard.

I'm sorry.

Good day, my name is Peder Olsen. I am a hospital... I am a priest.

I asked for Berggrav.

He was unfortunately unkempt.

"Unseemly"? Oh, you.

- I have the New Testament with me. - Thank you. I got one from the previous one.

- But thanks anyway. - Yes, you got it.

But there can never be too much of a good thing?

- It was a joke. I'm sorry, mister. - You come in here and make jokes?

I don't mean to be rude. Was your name Olsen?

But I don't need a spiritual advisor.

- But you wanted to talk to Berggrav? - Yes, and you are not him.

No, I am here as a representative of the Church.

There are many people in your situation who want to talk to someone.

Maybe I can help you sort out your thoughts a bit and find peace.

- Find peace? - If you wish.

No, thank you. Do you know why? I am an innocent man.

I have no quarrel with the Church, God or the nation.

Will you say hello to Berggrav for me and say

- That I wanted to talk to him about the trial, not about my soul?

I would really appreciate that.

Excuse me, but do you know the the story of the publican and the Pharisee?

The Gospel of Luke 18:9-14. Even the youngest children know that.

Isn't the message getting through?

It's about being humble and admitting your mistakes.

The Pharisee, the orthodox, looks down at the audience.

He is just a debt collector. An ordinary man with a dirty job.

"God, I thank you that I am not like other people"

"robbers, criminals, fornicators, or like that publican."

That's right. Farisen is bragging about how virtuous he is, while the audience...

Beats his chest and says: "God, have mercy on me, sinner."

And what did the audience member mean by that?

- Are you asking me about that? - Yes.

I thought you were the priest.

The point is not just that the audience asks God for forgiveness for their sins.

Nor does he take forgiveness for granted.

He does the hardest thing, he takes responsibility for what he has done. He repents.

He acknowledges it before God.

And therefore he is forgiven.

Therefore, it is the publican who is closest to God of the two.

And then the question is: Which one of us do you think

is the Pharisee, and who is the audience?

- What do you think? - I think you have been given a task.

A mission from the Honourable Berggrav, who does not condescend to come himself

to make me repent. Is that not so?

So that you and the Church can wash your conscience clean.

That, if anything, is pride worthy of a Pharisee!

But I have nothing to regret and will not confess.

Neither for you nor your Sunday school theology even if you drag me through Calvary!

Everyone has something to answer for, right?

All right, then!

What does the pastor have to confess?

Now we are not here to talk about me.

Now you'll have to excuse me. I have to work.

By the way, the Pharisees were very scrupulous.

It is the history books that have given them a bad and undeserved reputation.

They were idealists, just like you, Olsen.

Well, that went really well!

Peder!

- Sorry to bother you at work. - That's fine.

I was just going to have lunch. Let's go inside.

Let me see the access card.

- Take it easy. - They're going to be lifted!

Things are boiling a bit under the surface.

What is it like in here now that everything has been turned upside down?

Now that the guards have become prisoners, you mean?

There is less paperwork.

And it's nice not to have SS in my cell when I work.

- It's Quisling, right? - What?

Of course he did. He asked you first.

Yes, I could not.

Not after four years of pastoral care for the condemned in here.

I am in contact with the families of those who were executed by the Germans here.

For me it was... It didn't feel right.

- So I recommended you. - Should I thank you for that?

I knew you were the best.

I have no experience with criminals or people on death row.

I tried the publican and the Pharisee.

I think I offended him. He is a fourth generation priest's son.

So he was quite... became very...

You once told me that spiritual care is just a conversation.

- It should go both ways. - I don't think Quisling would agree with that.

Listen to what he has to say. Keep the conversation going.

If this is not possible threaten with a bone crusher or a baton.

Any man can leave this battle...

with a clear conscience.

What a great job. I can't believe she could do this in the dark closet.

It was nice of you that you gave them yarn and knitting needles.

- I'm sure that calmed your nerves. - I don't know.

We didn't ask. Didn't take the time to get to know them.

At least we gave them a place to hide. We did everything we could.

These labour camps in Germany that are written about.

There is talk of several thousand dead.

We don't know how they got there. It was two elderly people.

What would they do in a labour camp?

- They were probably detained, don't you think? - Do you think they took age into account?

The Red Cross gets people home all the time.

I just think it takes time to get an overview.

- Where do you get all that optimism? - You...

Heidi.

I have a good friend up there.

Do you ever have doubts?

I choose to believe.

Well, we have to.

Mr. Quisling?

I didn't mean to interrupt.

- Then it was you and me again. - I thought I was clear last time.

It seems we got off to a bad start, I regret that.

My wife has baked serina cakes. The diet here might be a bit one- sided.

There is nothing wrong with the food. Herring and potatoes, that's good home cooking.

And if not? Are you being treated well?

- Yes, of course. Just fine. - Yes. - Yes.

You look a little pale.

Help yourselves.

Are you trying to be my friend?

Judging by the mood out there there's not much of that going on.

- You're joking again. - Yes.

Have you seen your wife?

- Not since I was arrested. - It must be difficult.

I can take it. She is the one I worry about.

If I had not been able to talk to my wife, Heidi, I probably would have gone crazy.

- What? I am in my right mind. - Yes, I'm not claiming otherwise.

The psychiatrists say in all seriousness that everyone in the Nasjonal Samling, just everyone

are permanently insane, or at least weak.

The so-called investigators want me to to admit that I'm some kind of gold digger.

A spineless Peer Gynt figure who has worked solely for his own benefit.

But you have not.

I have been fighting for my country for five long years.

Day and night.

- Well, look at that. You don't believe me. - Yes, I believe you mean what you say.

But you also received some benefits from the occupation?

You think I was fighting for medals.

Titles, salutes and other nonsense!

The armour of the weak man. I could not not have cared less, ask my wife.

I have acted according to my convictions and I am not ashamed.

May I sit down?

You met Hitler, didn't you?

What do you mean?

What was he like? As a person?

He was passionate.

You can say what you like about the result, but he was a man who believed in something.

- You can't say that about everyone. - Is there anything you admire?

Faith? Of course you do.

- But I myself hold certainty higher. - Certainty?

You cannot base, as Hitler did, your policy on faith.

You have to know. Take the time to find sources.

Veta!

All my life I have been working on my philosophy.

Universalism. The real truth.

I have given myself the task to light a candle for humanity.

Finding the true vision of life.

In accordance with both science and experience.

I don't expect you to...

a simple prison chaplain, should be able to understand it.

It is certainly interesting with this universalism.

But what we should really strive for are the words and deeds of Christ.

Love.

Universalism is much bigger. It deals with...

Mr. Quisling. Greater than love?

What is greater than love?

Can the Reverend say hello to my wife, Maria?

Just make sure she's okay.

Of course.

Yes, thank you.

Could you bring more writing paper? We're running out.

Until the next time you come.

See you then.

- You're welcome. - Thank you very much.

Is everything alright?

- Have you gotten him to apologise yet? - What?

Have you made him apologise? Does he regret it?

That's all I had to take with me. It's my whole life now.

It must be a transition.

If it hadn't been for Mrs. Prytz apartment, I would have been standing in the street.

- How is he? - Under the circumstances, he is fine.

- I'm sorry. Would you like some? - No, thanks. I don't drink.

Is there anything you want to say to him? I can convey a greeting, if you like.

Tell me I'm fine. That I am strong.

Strong and optimistic.

I am not interested in politics.

So drink with me.

How did you meet?

- What have you heard? - No, I'm just asking.

We met in Ukraine. My home country.

He was very famous. "Kapitan Quisling."

He saved thousands of lives during the the Great Famine. Did you know that?

No.

See.

See here.

Ukraine.

Russia.

Thousands of them. Jews too.

- Was he working for Nansen? - Nansen

Nansen didn't get any dirt under his fingernails.

But Vidkun...

I saw him for the first time through the window of the office.

I realised it right away. He was capable of anything.

He would be my destiny.

I left everything for him. My mother...

SS-VICTIMS BURIED IN THE TRANDUM WOODS

Hi.

- I was almost getting worried. - Yes? - Yes.

- Are you hungry? - Yes.

- I saved some for you. - Thank you.

- Have you been drinking alcohol? - Just half a glass.

A small celebration at the hospital.

- With the deaconesses? - No, a peace bowl with one of the doctors.

- A peace bowl? - Yes. It's not the end of the world, is it?

I was in the hospital.

Am I not told where I am going?

I need to know where we are going, right?

- They can't be Norwegian. - As Norwegian as you and me.

This was murder. Of defenceless people, Mr. Quisling.

This is part of what the accusations against you are based on.

- How many have we found here? - Six, so far.

- And over there? - Eight, we think. It is difficult to say.

Riisnæs?

Guide?

Arvid?

Hello?

Can you turn off the lights, please?

Thank you.

- Can't you sleep? - No, it's...

the lamp that...

Shall I tell you why you can't sleep?

This place is haunted. The boys they murdered at Trandum.

Listen.

Do you hear?

It is my brother.

They are coming.

Vidkun...

Vidkun...

The trial will start soon. You will be taken to Akershus prison.

I see.

Just a moment.

Henrik Bergh, Mr. Quisling's lawyer. Why didn't anyone say he was being moved?

- Security. It is closer to the court. - I don't accept this.

My client is in poor health, and it is cold and damp in there.

- That's fine, Bergh. - Can I have a moment with my client?

- Can I have a moment with my client? - You're welcome.

- It's only for a few weeks. - Yes.

The psychiatrists have decided that you are sane.

Of course.

But there has been no a thorough evaluation.

The decision was a foregone conclusion. I think we should appeal.

- Why? - Everything must go right.

You do understand that you risk the death penalty?

It is in your interest to argue that sometimes you could not think clearly.

But that was not the case. I could think clearly.

I understand that.

But the gap between your perception of reality and that of the court is a problem.

So, madness is a better defence than the truth?

I based my decisions on my competence.

On my knowledge and my strategic assessments.

Surely you must be able to to understand it?

That's your job! Damn it!

And besides, I am in excellent shape! I have never felt stronger!

No touching.

No...

You look well.

You have to get Bergh to let me testify. Why won't he let me...

It was my decision. I don't want to put you through that.

No touching! That's what I said.

- She's not listening. - Yes, you said that.

Your comrade is here.

Is it you?

- You're going to shave me? - No, it's not.

I just wanted to wish you good luck today.

Because it is a big day.

- I look like a lazzarone. - No, you don't. It's a nice suit.

Tell me, do you also think I'm crazy?

You actually seem remarkably healthy, Mr. Quisling. Despite the situation.

Good day to you. Good. Pass.

The Court is in session.

Vidkun Abraham Quisling.

Proceedings have been opened by the public prosecutor Annæus Schjødt

by order of the Chancellor of Justice.

It reads: "Major Vidkun Abraham Quisling,"

"born on the 18th of July 1887, is hereby indicted before the Court of Appeal of the Swiss Confederation"

"for breach of the following provisions:"

"Having attempted to surrender Norwegian or Allied troops to the enemy."

"Having attempted to surrender fortifications or other defence posts to the enemy"

"or destroy or render them harmless."

"Having induced Norwegian or Allied men of war to go over to the enemy"

"or incited them to mutiny or other treachery."

Can the defendant stand up?

Do you plead guilty on one, several or all charges?

I plead not guilty.

On all counts.

The only thing I wanted

was to protect my people from Bolshevism.

Yes, you were in Russia.

My beloved Russia changed. Turned into hell on earth.

People were starving.

Mothers

for their own children.

It was a betrayal, a betrayal of their own people.

And here at home, so-called responsible politicians sat and applauded.

It spread like a cancerous tumour.

I saw it as my calling to stop it.

- You saw it as a calling? - Yes.

As a priest, you should understand what I mean.

It's not quite the same thing.

Why not?

It was a task from God.

You believe you are called by God?

The prosecutor can prove

that the accused was guilty of of treason before the 9th of April 1940.

He conspired with Hitler,

his foreign policy advisor Rosenberg

and Germany's Grand Admiral Raeder.

The plan was to overthrow the government with the promise that the King would accept it.

The 9th of April coup was part of a plan motivated by cynical opportunism.

As a legislator during the occupation years he was guilty of oppression,

censorship, dictatorship and the Führer principle.

He should also be held responsible for the murder of police secretary Eilifsen,

who was sentenced to death under the unjust law of the accused.

The same can be said of the fourteen Norwegian patriots who were executed in retaliation

for the liquidation of State Police Commissioner Marthinsen in 1944.

Quisling's responsibility for the fate of the Norwegian Jews

also appears to be larger than first assumed.

Finally, I would like to draw the Court's attention to the charges of theft

embezzlement, receiving stolen goods and breach of trust.

The defendant argues that this is a matter of the right of disposal of the Head of State.

To this we would reply that Vidkun Quisling has never been head of state in Norway

in accordance with Norwegian law and regulations.

Do you wish to make a statement?

For five years I fought for Norwegian interests,

for the Norwegian people, Norwegian values, Norwegian neutrality,

jammed between the Germans' abhorrent views, and Terboven's pigs.

And then Nygaardsvold, on the other side, who encouraged good Norwegians to terror.

Trandum was terrible.

- But no one would have had to die if people had just cooperated!

But you signed the death warrants.

You could have pardoned people.

Such are the conditions of war, the cruelty of war.

You have to give the Germans something. Save ten and just...

...offer one.

So it was a kind of horse-trading?

Call it what you will.

It is no secret that I considered that England threatened Norwegian neutrality.

It had resulted in a German invasion with subsequent carnage on Norwegian soil.

I wanted Norway to escape Poland's fate.

I am the saviour of Norway.

You don't understand it now, but maybe in the future you will.

But how could the Germans save us without occupation?

The idea was a peace operation with Hitler's blessing.

He wanted to save Norway's neutrality.

To save Norway, you wanted Germany to to pre-empt England and occupy us?

- No, I left that to fate. - Fate?

Yes, it was fate that made that I became the man who saved Norway?

This is not just my business.

It is the business of the entire Norwegian population, as the future will show.

No one can take away my belief in my cause!

I know that I have saved both Norway and the Nordic countries!

We will get nowhere if you keep repeating that you are a saviour.

Mr. Chairman, may we ask for a short break?

To be perfectly honest, I find it it's hard to understand him.

No one knows my husband.

No?

The pastor has a duty of confidentiality, right?

Yes.

- We are not married. - What?

Not on paper. Vidkun was married to someone else when he met me.

Don't look at me like that. I didn't know anything.

- What happened? - She refused to get a divorce.

So of course no one wanted to marry us.

We tried in many places. In Russia, at the legation in Paris.

In Norway, she was...

...already presented to the family.

- It was disgusting. - And yet you became a couple.

Vidkun thought we could live together all three of us.

We could raise her as our foster daughter.

The woman he was already married to?

She was just a child, seventeen years old. Far too young for him.

And you accepted that?

I was in love.

But it didn't work out. He sent her to Paris.

What did his family say about it?

He explained that it was a formality.

- He has to save her. - He betrayed her.

Russia was hell in those days. He got her out.

I see. So he betrayed his wife and called it a rescue mission?

That is exactly what he is doing now with Norway.

You knew Mr. Quisling during your school days?

Yes, we were close friends in high school.

- How was your impression of him? - Very good.

I have the best impression of him and his personality.

His loyal friendship.

He was good at school, had a great capacity for learning.

He had interests that boys of that age don't usually have.

He was particularly good at math.

And he was kind. Helped us with our homework.

We all looked up to him.

- A good friend, that is. - I think so.

I speak for all of us schoolmates from that time.

But there is one thing, one character trait

- Which I think I would like to emphasise

and which may be of interest to the psychologist.

Basically, Vidkun was very shy.

So much so that he probably suffered from it.

He was often alone and had a clear inferiority complex

despite the fact that he was a very knowledgeable person.

Together with us he was a natural.

But with strangers he was very buttoned up and withdrawn.

Alone, I would say.

- I turned it to my advantage. - Is advantage?

Yes, I decided to be the best.

I did not go to parties, didn't go out with girls.

I also graduated with the best grades in school history.

So you chose not to have friends in order to beat them?

Of course I had friends, but my other interests took more time.

To be the best?

- Are you scratching for me? - No.

I understand what you are looking for.

You try to put me in my place. Claiming that I have delusions of grandeur.

What I have sacrificed, I have sacrificed for others, not for myself.

As a priest, you probably understand what it means to have something to fight for.

To do good.

Well, maybe so. But now there are many who believe that you have not done good.

Of course.

It is the winner who writes history.

The suffering is no less. Norway was a peaceful country that was attacked.

A free people were forced into a dictatorship. Are you not responsible for that?

I took responsibility! I made sure that there was no a bloodbath on Norwegian soil.

Stalin stood at the border. When the Germans came, we had no choice.

- But a coup d'état? To overthrow the king... - They fled!

All of them! They betrayed their people! Like frightened chickens!

Someone had to take responsibility!

Later, I met him again, just before the outbreak of war.

We had dinner together and it was nice.

But then we started discussing Norway's situation, and then everything changed.

That's when I started to doubt about his sanity.

Now he had preposterous fantasies

- On armed communist forces around the country.

Bolsheviks who stood ready for revolution at a given signal.

He claimed that a number of government members received money from Russia

to finance the revolution in Norway.

To be honest.

- Then I thought he had gone completely insane.

In any case, he had changed very much.

Thank you.

I followed my inner compass.

Now they want to judge me for actions whose consequences I could not foresee.

Make me the scapegoat for this whole horrible war.

But my intentions were good.

Do you understand?

Yes.

Shouldn't that be taken into account on the day of reckoning?

That I thought I was doing what was right.

What else could I do?

What should you have done?

I have no way of knowing.

It's horrible...

to accuse me of persecuting the Jews.

I who have done such a great humanitarian effort!

I would say that I am the one who has helped the most Jews in this country.

Sorry, can you repeat that last part?

You heard me: I am the one who has helped most Jews in this country.

And yet you have emphasised in speech and text that Judaism is to blame for all evil.

That the "Jewish troll" must be fought.

What was your role in the deportation of the Norwegian Jews, Mr. Quisling?

- I knew nothing. - You knew nothing?

You were responsible for the police, but did not know what mission the police had been given?

There was talk of sending them to Poland. That was all I knew.

You must have known something.

When questioned, you said that you visited camps to which Jews were sent in Poland in 1942.

Yes, they appeared as ordinary labour camps. Workplaces.

There was nothing to complain about. There was nothing there that made an impression.

Is that so? Was there nothing there that made an impression?

Who knows what he saw?

Hello!

Where are the children?

Is something wrong?

I pressed your pants.

- Yes? - I found the pass.

To the prison.

Heidi, I wanted to tell you, but...

- Confidentiality... - Don't bring it.

You could have told me who it was. I mean, Quisling!

It was for the sake of your safety and that of your children.

- Peder, please. - Berggrav thought it was for the best.

Of course Berggrav thought so.

Of course, the Bishop doesn't think that the little lady needs to know anything.

We usually talk to each other.

- I have a duty as a priest. - And your duty to me?

- I went to their apartment today. - Heidi...

What could I do? The Red Cross knows nothing.

Nothing more than that they were sent away on the freighter.

- I found the pictures in a drawer. - Did you go through their stuff?

I am just trying to understand what has happened.

There is talk of organised murders.

That people were gassed to death and thrown into mass graves.

- We should not believe all the rumours going around. - Why not?

Everything we thought could never happen has happened.

- And it was Quisling who let it happen. - You don't know that.

- Do you defend him? - No, but he has not been convicted yet.

You must... the world is not as black and white as you try to make it out to be.

And if Mr. and Mrs. Abrahamsen don't come back?

I don't want to hear that kind of talk.

Do you think God is punishing us for what we did?

Stop it now!

- I need to talk about it. - You need to let it go. We have to move on.

If they don't come back...

- If we have sent them to their deaths. - They'll be back!

They are labour camps, ordinary workplaces. Nothing else.

Please provide your full name and profession, please.

Leo Eitinger, born on the 12th of December 1912.

Trained as a doctor and received licentia practicandi in 1940.

Then it is your witness, Mr. Schjødt.

You were working as a doctor when you were arrested on the 16th of May 1942?

- And you were arrested because you were Jewish? - I don't know, I wasn't questioned.

- Where were you taken? - First to Molde.

Then to Falstad and Bretvedt.

And in February 1943 to Germany on the freighter Gotenland.

From there we were taken to Auschwitz.

- People of both sexes and all ages? - Yes.

The oldest was a man of 80 years, the youngest a child of one and a half.

What happened when you arrived at Auschwitz?

Some young girls were selected.

All other women, young and old, were taken away by truck.

It was only later that we found out what had happened.

What had happened to the women and children?

All women and children had been taken to gas chambers

where they were killed with hydrogen cyanide and then cremated.

- When was this? - 1943.

How did it happen?

In the beginning, the gas chambers were primitive.

An ordinary barrack covered with sheet metal so that it would be gas-tight.

People had to undress outside.

Then they were pushed inside and the doors were locked.

Through a window in the roof the gas bombs were thrown in.

Later, the gas chambers were expanded into a large underground facility.

With a dressing room decorated like a bathhouse.

People got the impression that they would be bathing, because they had to undress.

They went in with no idea what was going to happen.

It often happened that while some were gassed

the others were forced to undress and wait outside, naked

while they heard what was going on.

How many of you were taken to the gas chambers in that way?

I'm not entirely sure, but everyone who were not fit for work were killed outright.

For men, the working age was between 20 and 45.

- Were people mistreated in the camps? - Yes.

- So bad that they were beaten to death? - Yes.

Did you see anything like this yourself?

Yes, I saw people being beaten to death.

Do you know if Jewish prisoners in other camps were treated in the same way?

Yes, it is. I know that for sure.

- Were there many suicides down there? - Yes.

The most common approach was walking outside the line on the way to work.

Then you were shot right away.

Do you know how many Norwegian Jews were sent to Germany?

I think it was around 950 or 1,000.

- The figures are not exact. - How many have returned home?

Twelve.

- Did you say twelve? - Yes.

And the rest we can assume are dead?

Yes.

Thank you very much.

In conclusion, may I mention one thing?

I recently read in the newspaper that...

...that Quisling had said that he did not know about the persecution of Jews.

That he wanted to help them.

But after the Danube had sailed Quisling gave a speech

where he defended what had happened. How can he then claim that he did not know?

Do you remember giving that speech?

Yes, I gave a speech in Trondheim.

Probably a lecture.

I gave many talks at that time.

You know when you walk in the forest and navigate by the sun?

Then suddenly it gets dark and you don't know where you are

- Where you are going, or what time it is.

Maybe I'm going crazy.

You have always had a more interesting spiritual life than me.

What has happened in those camps, that evil...

The worst part is that I almost had started to like him.

When he talks about something he cares about he seems to want to do good.

- Just like you. - No, he's nothing like me.

He turns right into wrong and true into untrue.

Like right and wrong are no longer objective concepts.

You are drawn into his logic, until you think that he is right and you are wrong.

- Is it that important? - There is a difference between right and wrong.

He calls himself a Christian, but completely lacks humility.

The strong man who never doubts.

There is nothing Christian about it.

No, you can only show him the way. You cannot force him to walk on it.

What if I can't find my way?

Are you afraid of losing faith?

It's human to have doubts, Peder. It's human to get lost.

We are fallible. We just have to accept that.

Are you asleep?

They are dead.

Isn't that right?

Rosa and Elias Abrahamsen.

Everyone is dead.

Good afternoon. Is it afternoon?

How can you...

How can you say you didn't know?

You rewrite the story to make it fit into your distorted world-view.

You don't care about who has to be sacrificed on the way.

- If it's the deportations you... - Yes, of course!

You knew! You spoke passionately about the so-called Jewish question

just after the Danube had left Oslo. You defended what had happened!

It is not that simple.

I did not have the information that you may have received afterwards.

- You were the Prime Minister! - I was in a tight political situation.

It was the murder of innocent people! No situation can defend that.

There are different rules in war! People die in war!

Bolshevism and the Bolsheviks were much worse.

I have proof, I have seen it with my own eyes!

For eight years I waded in corpses!

I saw mothers eating their own children!

Are you going to teach me what suffering means?

I have seen suffering in the flesh!

How far did you feel you could go for the sake of a good cause?

How many lives can your "life's work" cost? I think that went to your head.

You had made it to the top. Hitler listened to you, you were the king of Gimle.

It was so good to finally have a voice.

Vidkun Quisling, the aid worker who ended up in Dr. Nansen's shadow.

The politician no one voted for.

And when you and your little party finally got the chance, you got into bed with the enemy.

Because there was an even bigger enemy! If it had not been for my efforts...

Maybe you think so, but you don't know. You don't know!

How could you think you knew what Norway needed?

You know nothing about other people because you have rejected them!

- Just like you choose not to tell the truth. - History will show that I was right!

History will show that I did the right thing for Norway and the Norwegians.

I knew what Norway needed.

People can stand there and say whatever they want. I can stand it!

The strongest is the man who stands all, all alone.

So that's what you want? To stand alone?

You're welcome! We are done with each other.

How does it feel?

Do you think...

that you can be so wrong about your mission in life?

Yes, I think so.

What will happen then?

Do you fear that you have made a mistake?

If everything I have done has been wrong...

I cannot live with myself.

There is forgiveness for everything.

I don't know.

I...

Can you stay just a little longer?

I don't want to be alone right now.

It is not easy for the rest of us to understand Vidkun Quisling.

A sky-wide gap separates him and his perception of reality from that of others.

But it is the duty of the court to understand his personality

because even the subjective burden of guilt must be proven in order for him to be convicted.

Sometimes it's hard to accept that you can't even imagine

what another person thinks and feels.

In this court case, we are faced with such a conundrum.

Attempts have been made to solve the Quisling riddle with the somewhat simplified explanation

the need for self-assertion lust for power or greed.

If you believe that this is the key to Quisling's mind

the man has not been understood.

I therefore ask the question: How can one explain

that the Quisling who participated in Nansen's humanitarian work in Ukraine and Armenia

and who was regarded by all as an intellectual and moral exemplar

now sitting here accused of such extraordinarily serious crimes?

As a defence lawyer it is my duty to ensure that

the personality of the accused is elucidated as far as possible.

And the court should be clear

that this is indeed a riddle.

- How are you? - I've got a pencil.

But no pencil sharpener and no knife.

How can I defend myself when I can't write down the arguments?

- What would you like to tell us about? - My driving forces.

My childhood in Fyresdal, what has shaped me.

My love for my country.

My years at the War College. My political activities.

Maybe you should talk about what you could have done differently?

Should I not defend myself?

You will be convicted no matter how much you defend yourself.

- The court needs something conciliatory. - Something conciliatory?

- Yes. Humility. - Humility...!

I cannot stand in court and waver. I must be clear and precise.

No one wants to admit they're wrong, but what if it could save your life?

- Humility - You humbled yourself before me.

Humility.

You have the gift of words. You'll figure something out.

See you soon.

See you soon.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

You are quiet today.

Your defence attorney wants me to ask you to be humble.

He wants you to ask for forgiveness.

- What do you think? - I?

You should not bow down to them.

Don't let those barbarians break you. No one is stronger than you.

I knew it the first time I saw you.

"Now there's a man who would never let himself be broken!"

That's what I thought.

You are Kapitan Quisling. You are my Kapitan Quisling.

They will understand. Don't you think so?

You make them understand.

I who have faithfully served my country am accused of treason

while those who are actually responsible for the whole mess...

...the defence saboteurs, those who drove us into this war, go free.

They can rejoice and say: "Hal!"

"We finally got him there."

I wanted to do good.

My work has been exclusively for the Norwegian people

and to promote the Kingdom of God on earth,

which Jesus Christ came to create.

I have not knowingly done anything to harm the Norwegian people.

I have done my utmost to prevent

that the Norwegian people and the would become a theatre of war.

This is exactly what I am accused of!

I prevented a civil war. I tried to repel the invasion

and protect the Norwegian people from the forces of the occupying power!

Do you have children?

Neither do I.

The Court has reached a judgement.

Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Quisling is sentenced to death

- For violation of the Military Penal Code paragraph 80, numbers 1, 2 and 3.

Compare paragraph 9, number 1, and Article 12 of the Criminal Code.

The Military Criminal Code paragraph 80 reads...

Have you understood the judgement?

Yes.

With the judgement of the Court of Appeal the question of guilt is settled.

You can appeal if you think the sentence is too harsh

if the negotiations were illegal or the law has been wrongly applied.

You can appeal straight away or ask for a reflection period.

I wish to have my judgement reviewed in the Supreme Court.

The hearing is hereby closed.

The court is adjourned.

- Mrs Quisling. - I don't want to be disturbed.

I assume you have heard the judgement.

Yes, but of course I don't accept it.

I am a person who fights, Mr. Olsen.

You have to do that. Fight to the last drop of blood.

All our friends are in prison. So I write letters.

Look, I am writing to Gerhardsen. I am writing to General Ruge.

Stalin.

- To Stalin? - Yes.

He is my compatriot. I know that that he valued our work in Ukraine.

- What do you think he can do? - I ask for mercy.

Surely someone must be able to show mercy, even after a war?

They must not shoot him.

I must not lose him.

I was nothing before I met him.

A poor secretary from a country with no future.

Invisible.

But in his eyes I became someone. I became Maria Pasek, Viking descendant.

I became the wife of the Prime Minister.

What will I do without him?

Do you understand? A lie... Nothing!

There are many people who support you. I have received several letters.

And I have written to Prime Minister Gerhardsen.

Prayed for you.

- And General Ruge. And the King. - Have you written to the King?

We did meet him when you were Minister of Defence.

- It was a long time ago. 1932. - I've even danced with him.

He liked you.

Do you think so?

There must be something more I can do.

There must be something more!

What is it that you want me to let go of?

My guilty conscience?

God? Is it?

- Is that what you do? - I can't think like that.

If I do that I don't know where it will end.

Maybe here.

Here where I am.

But my job is to give hope to others.

If I lose hope, then...

I have a husband who is sentenced to death. He is completely lost.

If I can penetrate it, if I can find a little ray of light or hope...

Then you find your faith?

I just want to help him find peace.

That's great, Peder.

But how can you help someone else if you are not at peace yourself?

You write such beautiful letters.

"We two are one. Be and remain."

"You should never let that thought leave you."

"If I sleep or wake up on the other side"

"my immortal part is also always with you."

"My eternally and immortally beloved."

I...

I wish...

...that you could say that.

What you write. These words.

That you could look at me and say them.

So that I understood that you mean them.

Please do.

Only once.

Can't you just say it?

- Tell me you love me. - I do.

Please!

Maria...

I...

- Maria, it will just be silly. - Silly?

What is stopping you?

I mean what I have written. I have written it to you.

Do you want me to help him?

Because I don't know if I can do it alone, Heidi. And I need you.

Thank you very much.

Yes, of course.

The pardon application was rejected.

I have to go there and tell him.

The public and the Pharisee.

That's what it landed on.

Have you heard anything?

Unfortunately, it was rejected.

Neither the King, the Prime Minister or others have been willing to pardon you.

So the decision has been made.

How much time do I have?

It will happen tonight.

Tonight.

- I'll stay with you as long as you want. - Yes. - Yes.

There must be a point to this too.

Maria. You must...

You have to promise to take care of Maria for me.

Yes.

She really appreciated the conversations with you.

Shall we read something together?

I don't know...

Do you want to receive communion?

No, no...

Many people feel good to be forgiven for their sins.

You don't understand. I am innocent.

I have nothing to confess.

Everyone has something to confess.

Do you remember that we talked about the publican and the Pharisee?

You called it Sunday school theology and I felt a bit stupid.

But there is a reason why people learn as a child: it's a simple truth.

The one who is closest to God is the one who can own up to his mistakes.

Its weaknesses.

His humanity.

I have nothing to regret.

- Nothing. - But you told me that.

You wondered if you had misunderstood your mission in life.

Yes.

Yes...

I was blinded by my patriotic love for Norway.

I should have devoted my life to greater things.

Maybe you should not think about what you could have done.

If I had devoted myself more to the political work...

I could have averted the war. I saw it coming.

Please don't, you don't have to defend yourself to me.

It is written:

"Whoever hates me also hates my Father. Had I not done such deeds"

"among those whom no one else has done, they would be without sin."

"But now they have seen them, and they have hated both me and my Father."

"So the word would be fulfilled which is written in their law:"

"They have hated me for no reason."

- They have hated me for no reason. - Vidkun.

God does not hate. God is love.

The Jews rejected Jesus Christ

for Barabbas the robber. It's the same choice people have today.

Many would rather have a Barabbas than a true Messiah.

I can't sit and watch.

I have to fight it, until the last moment.

- I will be most dangerous after my death. - But you are no Messiah, Vidkun.

You are a human being. A sinner, like all of us.

- Now you have to go. - No, I'm not leaving.

- Not until you have found peace. - You must go, I want to be alone.

- No, I'm staying. - You're leaving! Do you hear that!

- You should leave now! - Please, listen to me.

You should go!

It is I who am the danger.

What did you say?

You asked me which of us is the the publican and who is the Pharisee.

You were right.

I have been a hypocrite, I have not examined myself.

There was an elderly Jewish couple hiding in a closet in our house.

Rosa and Elias Abrahamsen.

We had put a box of apples in there.

And one night, our daughter, Liv, had snuck in to take a...

- And then she saw them.

Of course, she was terrified. She thought they were trolls.

I managed to calm her down and told her that she had dreamt the whole thing.

But I couldn't help but think that she would tell me about the trolls

for a classmate at school.

So I didn't dare have them at home anymore, I had them hospitalised as carriers.

I thought that maybe we could fool the police that way.

Then they were arrested there.

They were taken away while begging for their lives.

Heidi saw it all from the kitchen window.

They died in Auschwitz.

You did what you had to do.

No, I made a choice. I could have saved them, but...

I let myself and my family go before two old people who needed help.

Any other person would do the same in your situation.

That's what I've been telling myself, but...

...yet my choice cost cost two people their lives.

Why are you telling me this?

Because I have done the same thing as you: I defended myself, lied to myself.

Because I was scared, I got lost.

I lost faith in that God would receive me.

I did not trust him, I was losing him.

Vidkun.

Do you dare to trust God?

Do you trust me?

In that case, you should ask God for forgiveness of sins.

Then you should say what the audience member said:

"God, have mercy on me, sinner."

Now tell that to God.

It is not dangerous.

God will not abandon you.

I will not abandon you.

God, have mercy on me, sinner.

God, have mercy on me, sinner.

Have mercy on me...

The body of Christ, given for you.

Blood of Christ, shed for you.

The body of Christ, given for me.

Blood of Christ, shed for me.

Jesus Christ has given us his holy body and blood,

which he gave in atonement for all our sins.

He strengthens us and preserves us to eternal life.

Peace be with you.

I'm sorry.

Your wife came by with this.

I see.

She asks me to say hello. My wife.

Yes...

Thank you.

- Real coffee. - Yes.

It's certainly got some kick to it.

Was it a joke?

What? No, I'm sorry.

That there is gunpowder in it?

There's gunpowder in it...

Yes, yes.

I'm going to sleep tonight anyway.

I will get you ready.

Can I do that?

It is time.

The hour has struck.

See.

The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.

The men of war brought him with them

entered the Praetorium and assembled the entire Roman guard.

They dressed him in a purple cloak

...and twisted a crown of thorns and put it on him.

Then they took me out to be crucified.

They brought me to the place called Calvary.

It was at the third hour that they crucified me.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice:

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

"Father."

"Forgive them."

"Because they don't know what they're doing."

Mr. Quisling.

Now it is time.

Goodbye.

I want to look death in the eye.

I want to look death in the eye!

It is in accordance with the regulations.

Peder...

I am innocent!

You shoot an innocent man!

Vidkun Quisling was arrested on the 9th of May and executed on the 24th of October 1945.

Maria Quisling lived in seclusion as "Mrs. Bang" for the rest of her life.

She died at Uranienborghemmet in January 1980.

Peder Olsen came to be regarded as one of the best in his field

both in psychiatry and as a spiritual caregiver.

Peder Olsen died in 1977.

The movie is based on his and Heidi Olsen's diary entries.