Palm Springs ’26: Battle of Oslo

Oberst (the Norwegian equivalent of Colonel) Birger Eriksen famously predicted “Either I will be decorated, or I will be court-martialed.” Both sort of came to pass, expressly because of his command to open fire on the Blucher, a German heavy cruiser that was part of the first wave of the National Socialist invasion of Norway. Of course, nobody in the Oscarsborg Fortress knew of the extent of the German operation. It was Eriksen’s call to make and he made it, as director Daniel Fahre shows in the historical drama Battle of Oslo (a.k.a. Blucher), which screens again during the 2026 Palm Springs International Film Festival.

In 1946, Eriksen is called before a formal military Investigative Commission to account for the decision he made—mostly his surrender of the fortress. Ironically, the commission’s star witnesses were the two junior officers who questioned Eriksen’s decision to open fire on the Blucher.

Admittedly, it was a tough decision. Nobody could confirm the nationality of the heavy cruiser sailing down the fjord towards Oslo. Magnus Sodem and August Bonsak argued against torpedoing the Blucher, fretting it could be construed as an act of war. However, Eriksen insisted they had a duty to protect Norway’s neutrality.

Obviously, Battle of Oslo is all about war, but Fahre and screenwriters Axel Hellstenius and Melike Leblebicioglu Kava emphasize the burdens of command rather than the shock-and-awe of warfighting. This is an unusually moody, but thoughtful war film. Frankly, it unambiguously suggests there are two sorts of officers: those who make decisions and accept responsibility, like Eriksen, who is contrasted with those who keep their heads down and CYA, as represented by Sodem and Bonsak. Consequently, Battle of Oslo will likely resonate with many vets, even if they are not experts in Norwegian military history.

Bjorn Sundquist portrays Eriksen with appropriate quiet dignity. The audience can feel the weight of every command he must deliver. He also conveys the officers’ deep sense of responsibility to his country, men, and family. In fact, the most notable supporting character is that of his daughter Borghild, a polio survivor, who worked as a civilian staffer at the Fortress. Andrea Berntzen delivers a smart, grounded performance that conveys the complexity of Eriksen’s relationship with her military father. We clearly get the sense that there are things only she can say to the Oberst that nobody else could—and vice versa.

Historians believe Eriksen’s actions gave the King and the rest of the Norwegian government time to escape into exile. (Fittingly, he appears as a prominent secondary character in The King’s Choice.) Frankly, Eriksen is 100% correct when he argues in the film that the greatest mistakes were committed before Hitler’s invasion, when the politicians refused to fund proper maintenance and upgrades for the fortress. Unfortunately, free democracies constantly find themselves re-learning the lesson complacency is a poor substitute for vigilance. The cost of such enlightenment was quite high for Norway (and also for America).

Indeed, Battle of Oslo should resonate with contemporary audiences, despite the intervening decades since the events it depicts originally transpired. Arguably, the themes of duty, honor, and preparedness are timeless—and strategic shortsightedness, for political reasons, isn’t going away anytime soon either. Highly recommended, Battle of Oslo screens again today (1/4) and tomorrow (1/5), as part of this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival.