film

The middle of the night in a Congo forest, 2009: a taxi driver is shot dead. Two Norwegians present at the scene are arrested and sentenced to death. Beyond guilt or innocence, this is a tale of grief, survival, and myths, and those left behind.

Long Synopsis

It’s the middle of the night in the forests of Congo when two gun shots ring out in the dark. Two former soldiers of the Norwegian Army flee the scene. Two Congolese men, suspected to be arms dealers, also flee. A dead taxi driver is left lying in the jungle in a pool of blood.

A couple of days later, a woman working at the Okapi National Reserve looks out the window and sees one of the Norwegians walking like a zombie among the animals. She calls the police. The Army is in charge: they come and arrest him. The second Norwegian is found and arrested a week later. The local government and military forces seize this opportunity to accuse Norway of international espionage and the two Norwegians are sentenced to death.

This documentary thriller will look at some of the perspectives and protagonists around this very strange crime. What were two ex-members of the Norwegian army doing in Congo? Was the taxi driver a victim or did he get involved in a deal that went wrong? Why has this story captured the imagination of Norway and its government, who have done more to release these men than any other convicted Norwegian in the world? And what of the driver’s widow, left to fight for her family’s survival?

“A Norwegian Crime in Congo” is the story of a story, a tale of grief, forgiveness, survival, myths and prejudice, in which answers only ever lead to more questions.