The Bombardment 2022

The Danish Resistance Movement continuously urged the British Forces to target the Gestapo headquarters located at the Shell House in Copenhagen. The Gestapo kept resistance members on the top floor, utilizing them as human shields in case of an air raid.

In February 1945, Henry (Bertram Bisgaard Enevoldsen) was cycling through the verdant meadows of Jutland when he heard a violent explosion. Driven by curiosity, he discovered a vehicle engulfed in flames, and to his horror, the occupants inside were still alive. This traumatic event marked a turning point for Henry, instilling in him a phobia of open spaces and rendering him mute. Seeking help, his mother (Maria Rossing) took him to a doctor who had an unconventional approach, often referring to him as a “sissy” in a misguided effort to break through Henry’s silence.

Subsequently, Henry’s mother brought him to Copenhagen to stay with her sister, Rigmor’s Mother (Danica Curcic). During this time, he met his cousin, Rigmor (Ester Birch), whose vibrant chatter and resilient spirit contrasted sharply with Henry’s newfound silence. Accompanying them was another girl named Eva (Ella Josephine Lund Nilsson), both curious about the reason behind Henry’s quietness and his gaze toward the sky. Rigmor, ever the optimist, pointedly remarked that even Eva had witnessed death yet could still speak, insisting that Henry would eventually find his voice again.

Meanwhile, inside the Shell House, resistance members like Svend Nielsen (Casper Kjær Jensen) faced dire circumstances. For Henry, the act of walking beneath open skies became a daunting challenge until Rigmor devised a clever solution, using a rope from her home to guide him, thereby restoring some of his confidence.

As the story unfolds, Sister Teresa (Fanny Bornedal), a staunch believer grappling with her faith, encounters Frederik (Alex Høgh Andersen), a conflicted Gestapo officer. Their interactions spark a forbidden romance, filled with tension and complexity. One fateful day, Eva’s father reprimands her for skipping breakfast, pushing her into a day that would soon take a dark turn.

On the same day of the British air raid aimed at the Gestapo headquarters, the planes mistakenly bombed the school where Henry, Eva, and Rigmor attended. While Eva felt faint from hunger, she and Henry sought relief in the restroom. In a moment of bravery, Frederik, having left the forces, returned to assist when he witnessed the devastation.

As chaos ensued, Rigmor and Sister Teresa became trapped under the rubble, with water rapidly rising around them. In a heroic attempt, Frederik endeavored to rescue Teresa, but as the weight above her was lifted, she leapt into the water to save Rigmor, tragically leading to their demise. Henry and Eva, however, managed to survive the ordeal.

In the aftermath, Henry was tasked with writing down the names and details of survivors, which he hurried to deliver at the designated theatre where anxious parents gathered for news. As he helped the rescuers, he assured Eva’s worried mother that her daughter had returned home, blissfully unaware that Eva was back inside, eating the very cold porridge that had caused her father’s earlier scolding.

Through a tapestry of bravery, innocence, and the heavy burden of trauma, the story beautifully captures the resilience of childhood and the powerful bonds that help heal even the deepest scars.