The School of Bastøy existed between 1900-1953
It was a school for young misfit boys
This film is based on true events.
I once saw a whale with three harpoons in it, still swimming.
It took it an entire day to die.
We found the whale again, and got closer than we had ever come before.
He was weak from the harpoon I shot him with..
and covered with battle scars.
It is not as strict as they say it is.
They have free on Sundays.
Shut up.
The King of Devil's Island
Get them into barracks C. That is your responsibility. Until you leave.
What is it now, three weeks? ..Yes, Sir.
Make sure that they learn.
No tobacco, no alcohol, no civilian clothes.
No games, cards, or dice.
No discussion during work or meals.
No obscene behavior, no personal belongings.
What is this? Personal belonging?
Address me as Mr Braathen. C5, C19. Those are your numbers.
Take off your clothes, fold them, and put them here.
You will get new clothes at the barracks.
One thing.
I observe everything. I see everything, I hear everything.
And I write everything down in my book. Is that understood?
Sit on your hands.
Stand straight.
Take your hands down.
What happened to your face?
Police.
Yes. In jail it would have been worse.
Hence why I ensured you got here.
You're a sailor, so you know how important discipline is.
As crew member you have one common goal.
Yes.
Yes, Sir!
Yes, Sir.
Yes, Sir!
Yes, Sir.
Here I am your Captain, and this island is my vessel.
The house chiefs are my mates, the head boy C1, Olav Fossen..
he is your boats.. man. He's one of you.
However, he is your leader.
And our goal, your goal, is to find..
the honorable, humble, useful and little Christian boy inside yourself.
And we're going to shape and groom him. If we do not find him..
You'll remain here.
Do you understand?
Yes, Sir.
Here we don't speak about what someone has done, or participated in.
Here is no past nor future. Here is only the present.
If the whole world crumbles under the waves..
it has nothing to do with us. Isn't that true, C19?
Yes, Sir.
Learn the rules and follow them. Then you'll get what you need.
Braathen.
Braathen!
Head boy C1 will perhaps leave us soon. His position will be available.
For an ambitious and dedicated young man.
You can go now.
Is that him?
I don't like the idea of having someone like him here.
This place is about to disintegrate.
I can't stay here any longer. ..Stop.
C1 to 6 will clear the northern field. C8 to 12 will shovel fertilizer with Bjarne.
Hey! Anyone who complains, will get the same job tomorrow.
New boy, C19, you have outhouse duties.
Is there anyone here who will volunteer to show C19 how is should be done?
I'll show him.
We call it America. The house chiefs don't come down here.
So we stay in peace here.
You'll get used to it.
I'm not going to stay here very long.
C5 come with me. We need a man in laundry.
Somebody tried once.
But not since I've been here.
It's too far across.
When did you arrive here? ..Six years ago.
You must love it here then.
Is it true that you killed someone?
I thought we didn't talk about what we've done before.
The boathouse is closed. You can't get in there.
The only way out from the island is the manager's signature.
And you're getting it? ..Yes, when the committee comes.
You're like the Captain's cabin boy.
Arni, come. Arni!
Hold out your hand.
Hold it still!
He hasn't learned the rules yet. But he will, right?
Yes, Sir.
He wants to get away from here, and he will.
When he's earned it.
Yes, Sir.
Is that your mom?
Lights out.
I can't find it. I put it here. My watch!
My watch. House chief!
Be quiet. Go to bed now.
I can't find it.
Help me.
Get up!
Down, down, down!
Let go. Let me go.
Down with your hand.
C5.
Thanks, house chief.
Be quiet!
I see everything.
I hear everything.
Up!
"Thus my life began to be right comfortable."
"So that I occasionally, said to myself.."
that I could be safe from further visits by the savages..
"..and it would not bother me to move away from the place I lived."
C19.
"I went out in with the intention to butcher a kid of my flock."
"Carry it home and prepare it."
"But on the way, I saw a goat in the shadow with to kids with him."
Want me to read them for you?
C5?
Congratulations.
The Manager has decided that you will sing for the committee.
That means we must practice.
Who is Elsa?
Just read.
"Dear Erling. I'm scared when I look out the ocean..
thinking that you're out there."
"I miss you terribly."
Keep reading.
"I'm trying to remember you. How you laughed the last time you were here."
"When you didn't even know what a harpoon was."
Harpooner. The man standing in front of the boat and shoots it.
Was that you?
Just continue.
"I thought I saw you the other day. I see you everywhere."
"I hope you will be back before Christmas. Like you promised."
Long before Christmas.
Haven't you told her where you are?
I think there is more. ..Read it then.
Since you are here, you must learn to behave yourself.
Are you going to teach me that?
What have they done to you?
Stand still.
Everything okay C5?
The ear.
It doesn't seem like we're going to get rid of your stink.
That's how it is since you were born from your mothers ass.
Spirits? Do I smell brown spirits?
Section C.
We'll continue inspecting every day..
until there is peace in barracks C.
Is this funny? Then we will find something funny for you.
C19.
Stand straight!
Yes.
This is quite meaningless, right?
Like your behavior this morning.
I'm sorry, Sir.
No, you're not.
It's just that I don't belong here, manager.
Yes, you do, you see. You belong here.
You can put down the rock.
Take these rocks and place them back in that pile. Where they belong.
So, you're strong?
We will see.
"Dear Erling, I'm scared when I look out to the ocean..
thinking that you're out there."
"I miss you.."
Erling, let him go!
Section C.
Forestry. Half rations.
Your mother lives in Horten, right?
Maybe she could invite me over.
For dinner perhaps. In about 6..7 days?
Stop twisting the saw, you moron. You'll break the blade.
There's the isolation cell.
Ow, shit!
The last boy that was put in isolation..
hit his head against the wall so hard that he couldn't speak any more.
Have you ever tried to run away? ..Yes, once.
I jumped onto the mail boat, but I was only eleven.
What did you do when you were eleven, in order to get here?
I stole from the church.
Help me to write a letter. A story.
To whom?
Somebody.
About what?
A story about the sea. Sailors on a ship. With me on board.
Did you see a whale?
I saw a whale with three harpoons in it, still swimming.
It took it an entire day to die.
What would I be?
Sailor..
And I'm the harpooner.
Don't eat that.
You'll get sick.
Sir. We've learned now.
And what have we learned?
That we're all on the same ship, Sir.
Give me your rabbit, Aksel. I'm hungry, I need more food.
Stay away!
I just want to pet him. ..Stay away.
I'm just going to pet him.
It's a she, not a he!
C9 and C19 requesting permission to use the outhouse.
C19 is a problem. He ought to be handled tougher.
They should be punished harder and kept separate.
Discipline without compassion is heartless. We've talked about this.
We are role models for these boys. We must not be heartless.
Sir.
I speak not only for myself, I have nothing to complain about.
I have been here for 9 years.
I haven't asked for a penny more in pay, but..
The church and school committee set the salary.
You have to talk to them.
I know that, but..
To be a house chief is important, but it is no lifetime position.
An ambitious man would have gone further a long time ago.
Good night.
Braathen?
Braathen, you're doing a good job. Good night.
We need help to bring in the wheat.
You're doing the laundry.
Please, let me help you in the field. Please.
Can you handle a pitchfork? ..Yes.
Come on!
Where did you hide the saw blade?
They won't find it.
Promise me that you wont escape before I leave?
Yes.
It's not long left.
Hey, what are you looking at?
Bastøy.. boy.
Here you are.
C5?
Let me see your hand. Come here.
They'll patch you back together.
What is it?
Turn on the lights!
Get help!
Come on! We have to leave now!
We're leaving now! Do you want to stay here?
Go back to the infirmary, Ivar.
Take me with you, Erling. Please, I'm begging you.
Go!
I want to come. I can help you row when you get tired.
Please!
I don't want to be here anymore. I can't do it!
Please, Erling.
Please!
Go back, lvar.
I can't bring a simpleton with me.
What? Why are you not in the infirmary?
Where have you been?
I have been talking to someone.
Have you been down at the beach?
Have you been with C19?
Snitching bastard!
Braathen?
Yes, Sir?
How long have you been on Bastøy?
9 years ..9 years..
Has anyone managed to escape during that time?
No. ..Not?
So this boy C19..
has to be some kind of a hero.
The first to successfully escape from Bastøy.
But he is no hero. He is selfish, egotistical & a coward.
He can not look at himself, and stand for what he has done..
so he runs away.
And leave you all to handle the consequences.
He risked your privileges, which you have worked so hard for.
And where does he run to?
What will he find when he eventually stops running?
He won't find a thing.
Nothing!
He will be captured and sent right back here. I can promise you that.
Am I disappointed?
Yes, I'm.
I disappointed in you.
I am disappointed in C1, Olav Fossen..
who is responsible for barracks C.
But who really should be disappointed, are you?
Half rations.
He did it. He got away.
Erling escaped, damn it!
I heard that the chef had talked with the captain of the mail boat
He said he had found the manager's rowing boat on the other side of the fjord..
by Rørestrand.
With an Our Father in covenant.
If you never shudder.
Fight for everything you hold dear
Die if required!
C5.
The hero is back.
Come on, let's get to work.
C1 will read this, and then carry out the punishment.
Read.
"The penalty for serious offenses such as escape attempt, theft.."
or repeated use of tobacco..
"..is 12 smacks to the backside, or until there's blood."
Hands on the table!
Yes, between the lines.
Do it!
C1 do it properly!
Where are you going now? Manager's galley boy.
Don't blame me for breaking the rules.
Was it easier for you to read me the rules, than to tell the manager..
what Braathen does with Ivar in the laundry room?
Or are the rules for that too?
You promised me, you bastard!
Or don't you dare to say anything, now that you are about to get your signature?
What is going on? What are you doing here?
House chief.. ..Be quiet!
You are so close to get released..
then you come running in here without permission.
Have you lost your mind?
I saw C5 and..
and..
house chief Braathen in..
Braathen? What is he doing?
He's hurting C5.
Hurting?
Well, speak up!
Prefect Braathen..
and C5..
I saw them in the laundry basement.
What are you trying to say? What are these hideous fantasies?!
It is illegal! What he's doing with Ivar in the laundry basement.
Get out! Go!
Ivar! You and I are going to to the Manager right now.
Can't you see that I'm working?
If we go together, he will believe us.
Then I'll never go home.
C5.
Sir.
Stand straight.
I am just wondering..
if your hand is better?
Yes, it's a little better.
Thanks Manager.
Good. Then all is well.
Excellent.
Nothing to complain about.
Are there no other problems?
No.
No, because I was thinking you might..
I believe it will be better for you if you worked in the forest..
with your friends.
Thanks Sir.
Yes, I believe the forest do you good.
Yes Sir.
Alright then! Good.
You owe me money.
What money?
Braathen and I are having a bet.
That you will be back in laundry in the morning.
Go and help Bjarne with the fire.
What are you doing with Ivar's watch?
He gave it to me.
Get back!
Get the nurse now. Right away!
Run!
Get them to the sleeping hall.
To the sleeping hall.
Go to the sleeping hall!
What happened is awful.
We are all suffering from what happened to the poor boy.
I understand if you feel guilty.
But I'd also like to say that he didn't have it easy before he came here.
And it didn't get less turbulent here.
He wasn't very strong.
It didn't suit him living amongst other people.
And maybe it was Gods will to finally let him go.
We tried to help him, and to find suitable work for him.
But..
that he tried to swim away from here..
was a desperate act that could only end in disaster.
And we all know where he got the idea to flee.
Escape is just..
a childish fantasy.
But he is in peace now.
He is with God.
Sit down.
C19, sit down!
Send C19 to my room.
Do you want to go to jail?
If you can't decide, then you don't know what jail means.
He didn't try to escape. He drowned himself.
What's the difference? He's gone. Forget him!
And help the others to forget him too.
You've seen a little of the world and you think that you understand. But you don't.
No, Sir. There is a lot that I don't understand.
Bastøy or jail. The choice is yours. Get him out.
Why have you been here for so long, Braathen?
They talk.
There are rumors that I don't want to speak about. Accusations.
You can't listen to them. They'll say whatever they want.
A child has died.
And you have been accused of horrible things.
The only thing I have done..
is trying to help a boy who could not help himself.
C5 was not scared of me.
He was scared of the animals he lived with in barracks C.
I can't have a house chief suspected of these things.
It is disgusting.
Sir.
Please..
You are accused of molesting a child. Do you understand what that means?
If there is a slightest truth in it..
I'll see that you rot in jail for the rest of your life.
I understand how difficult it must be for a man of your position.
With a young wife.
And all the responsibility.
And all these choices.
And the funds that would have contributed to the boys & the island.
The funds you've spent to make your own life a little easier.
I understand.
But others might not.
The bastard is leaving!
Get lost, you bastard!
It's too late now.
What will you say when the committee gets here?
When they begin asking questions?
You have to tell them the truth.
We won't give up, Astrid.
Are you Erling Kaspersen? ..I am C19, mam.
Have you learned anything here?
Yes, mam, I have learned many things. ..Can you tell me what kind of things?
I have learned that I would rather be here than in prison.
And why is that?
Can't you see the great food we get, mam?
Are the boys always this quiet around the table?
No.
You see them now as they want to be seen. Clean and neat.
Especially the boys who may be re-entering society.
For them this is of great importance.
The boy that died recently. It must have made an impression on them?
I'm the first to recognize that it isn't easy being a Bastøy.. boy.
It's a brutal environment.
We do what we can. We help and support them.
But one can not be omnipresent.
And kids can me mean.
The boy who tried to escape turned out to be a weakling.
Not strong enough to take care of himself.
Yes it's tragic.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just."
"So He forgives us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"What hurts, is when .."
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just."
Nervous?
"So He forgives us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Good. Congratulations.
Do you have something you want to say to us?
Don't be afraid.
Yes I want..
to say something to Sir.
I will never forget all he has done.
I want to say something.
A boy died here on this island.
I understand from the Manager..
that you were not directly involved in harassing this kid.
But as the head boy of barracks C, you have a responsibility.
Do you understand that?
Those were wise words, Fossen.
You could have taken better care of the boy.
Yes Sir.
When do you leave?
In a week.
What is with you?
You're getting out in the world.
You can do what ever you want. Get yourself a wife.
You know what the committee said? You know what the Manager said about us?
Doesn't matter what they said.
Bastøy is just a small rock in the ocean.
You can be what ever you want.
You can be a priest, you're so good at understanding rules.
Bye. ..Bye.
"We sailed for several weeks before we saw him again."
"The food ran out."
"The chef was awful to start with."
"Should have seen how thin I had become. I couldn't eat more fish."
"But we found the whale again, and we got right close to it."
"Closer than we had ever done before."
"He was weak from the harpoon I shot him with."
"At close range he was huge, 25 meters at least."
"And covered with battle scars."
"He had already killed the new sailor."
"The Captain had high opinions of himself."
"But deep inside he is a coward."
"The rest of the crew were afraid of him."
"I had become friends with a boy who was soon signing off."
"For six years he had tolled on the ship, He had done everything right."
"Now he is going ashore."
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen
Sit down.
Sit down!
We are today saying farewell to two friends. Two good friends.
Tomorrow they will be back out in the world meeting..
new sorrows, new joys, new experiences.
Aksel Johnsen.
God bless you. And may you take care of the opportunities He gives you.
Olav Fossen.
Go!
Olav Fossen.
Go.
Go while you can.
C1?
Any more wise words for me to take with me?
Behave yourself now.
See you.
We never finished that story.
Maybe we'll see each other again. On a ship somewhere.
I hear you guys are leaving.
Good luck.
C1 towel.
Does the Manager know that Braathen is back?
Of course. He has been ashore shopping for the manager.
It's simple.
If only you had done what you were asked..
there would not have been a problem. Everything would been fine.
You damned liar!
Do you remember when you first arrived here?
A little brat..
so afraid that he crapped and peed in his pants. Every day.
Worthless.
Just like the drunk whore of a mother you had.
And your thieving father.
You were nothing.
For six years I have struggled with you.
And everything that is of value within you..
I have created.
Bjarne!
You must help us.
You are one of us.
Bjarne?
Bjarne, you are one of us!
Øystein, eat your food.
Come on Øystein, you must eat.
Are you sleeping?
Do it. Or freeze to death.
There were blood everywhere.
He swallowed them before he died.
Harpooner, chef and sailor.
Everything, swallowed by the whale.
And everything went back the way it used to be.
The captain became an Admiral.
Got command of an old ship. And sailed to America.
And the crew on deck received a number each.
And fed mackerel and herring.
Olav!
Take his key!
Help!
Runaway!
Olav!
Runaway!
Stop! Enough!
Get up. ..Enough.
Get up!
Back to your places.
Back to your places!
Back!
Come on!
Don't do anything foolish now boys.
What are you looking at? Fucking Bastøy.. boy.
Get up on the chair.
The Manager is coming!
Let him through.
You don't belong here either.
Goodbye Manager!
Let him go!
He says we should let him burn.
Get out!
C19.
Are you going to kill me now?
So?
Can I get your signature?
Lieutenant?
I have to talk to someone higher up.
I want..
to speak to the King of Norway.
Tell him it is..
That is it the King of Bastøy.
They'll be returning!
And there will be many of them.
Do you understand what I am saying, Olav?
Take the oars.
Come on!
They're coming.
It came over from the mainland.
I can't do any more ..The sea is frozen over.
I can't stand on it.
We can cross over!
I can't walk on it.
Stop!
Come on!
The letters were for my sister.
Let me go. Let me go..
Olav.
Olav? We are approaching Christiania.
Bastøy, port.
I once saw a whale with three harpoons in it, still swimming.
It took it an entire day to die.
He was weak from the harpoon I shot him with.
Covered with battle scars.
I have become friends with a boy who is shortly signing off.
For six years he has toiled on the ship, He has done everything right
And now he is going ashore.
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