The Betrayal

As a teenager, Karen sought refuge at Blitz, a squatters' stronghold in Oslo. At the age of 15, she was taking part in demonstrations and hanging around in the building for days on end. In the mid-1990s, a fierce conflict broke out in Norway between various extremist youth groups, with anti-fascists and neo-Nazis battling it out. It was then that Karen made a decision that she has regretted ever since. In the style of a feature film, gradually wends its way towards Karen's secret and her emotional journey into her rebellious teenage years. As we watch archive footage of riots, Karen reads sections from her diary in voice-over. Trying to discover what possessed her back then, she interviews former friends with whom she is no longer on speaking terms. She has intense and painful conversations with her mother, whose concern about Karen in those days has left its mark. The roles are frequently reversed, with the interviewees posing more questions than the filmmaker. Slowly but surely, a picture emerges of Karen as a lonely adolescent looking for affirmation. Will redemption be possible?