After the epic success of Vikings on Netflix, there has been an increased interest in historical thrillers of Norwegian origin. The recent Norwegian historical suspense thriller on Netflix, The Girl From Oslo, also known as Bortført, has generated quite the buzz for its ominous premise and meandering narratives that demand the viewer’s rapt attention.
Taking place in both Israel and Norway, the story follows the brutal abduction of a young girl and her friends by ISIS extremists and the subsequent fight put up by their families, friends and detectives to save them from inevitable doom.
Traversing dangerous terrains, the series offers a closer look into the operation of intelligence agencies and is an unputdownable thriller that is worthy of binge-watching at one go.
However, since it revolves around events in contemporary times, many have often wondered how true the events in the series are, if Pia and her friends actually existed in reality. Thus, we decided to do some digging and deconstruct the truth behind the series development.
Here is our deconstruction of the truth behind Netflix’s The Girl From Oslo:
Deconstructing the truth behind Netflix’s ‘The Girl From Oslo’
What is the plot behind The Girl From Oslo?
Based loosely on the events after the Oslo Accords, the series revolves around the abduction of three young people in the Sinai Peninsula. A Norwegian diplomat is compelled to travel to Israel to look for her missing daughter. She reunites with her daughter’s father who is now the Prime Minister.
The gripping narrative sees the daunting negotiation process between ISIS and the Israeli politicians where the terrorists threaten damning consequences if their demands are not met with.
How many episodes are there in The Girl From Oslo?
The Girl From Oslo has ten riveting episodes that are all slightly more than a half-hour in length.
Is The Girl From Oslo based on a true story?
The Girl From Oslo has gained inspiration from certain real-life events and has chunks of reality nestled within its heavily fictionalised premise. For example, the series has included Bill Clinton’s voiceover while discussing the 1993 Oslo Accord at the very beginning. However, the characters are all fictional and the events are heavily dramatised.
The series, however, does include certain real occurrences in contemporary times, namely the various rulings by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister. The series also includes certain events from 2013, including the notorious case of Israeli and Norwegian tourists fearing abduction by ISIS in Egypt. Although the series is officially not based on this particular nugget of information, it mirrors these events.
Is The Girl From Oslo based on a book?
The Girl From Oslo is not adapted from any book. It is an original creation by Kyrre Holm Johannessen and Ronit Weiss-Berkowitz. They were assisted by Tal Miller and Stephen Uhlander while writing the script for the series.
Who are the cast members in The Girl From Oslo?
The main cast members on The Girl From Oslo include the following actors:
- Anneke von der Lippe as Alex
- Amos Tamam as Arik
- Raida Adon as Layla
- Andrea Berntzen as Pia
- Shadi Mar’i as Yusuf
- Daniel Litman as Nadav
- Anders T. Andersen as Karl
- Rotem Abuhab as Dana
- Jameel Khoury as Bashir
- Abhin Galeya as Abu Salim
Will there be a season 2 for The Girl From Oslo?
Netflix has not yet officially confirmed the renewal of the series for a second season. However, given the rave reviews and massive popularity, it cannot be long until the streaming giant orders another season.
