A blend of Scum and Papillon set on a snowy Norwegian island, this is based on a true story. Brutally run by Stellan Skarsgård's Bestyreren, Bastoy, a school for "maladjusted young boys", has all the familiar cruelties – abuse, lice inspections, solitary confinement and a diet of raw fishheads. But when the hulking Erling (Benjamin Helstad) arrives, the boys have a new hero and one senses rebellion might not be far off.

There's an impressive force to the performances and, amid the ice and snow, the film burns with a sense of injustice that deservedly made it a hit in Norway.