An old man stands up before an audience of college-age people and as he describes his experiences as a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II, in flashbacks we see him as a young man and the friends and enemies he had during World War II. The man, Gunnar Sønsteby, was Agent No. 24, the most highly decorated citizen in Norway. In this intense biopic, the man we meet isn’t perfect and while we might judge all his actions to have been necessary, not all are heroically virtuous. “NR 24” is a film about the grey areas during a time when a country is occupied by brutal invading forces.

Gunnar Sønsteby (11 January 1918 to 10 May 2012) was the only person awarded the War Cross with three swords, which is Norway’s highest military honor. Born in Rjukan, he moved to Oslo where he studied at the University of Oslo, and from Oslo, he also served his obligatory military service. In 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Norway, quickly defeating the Norwegian forces in a few months  (8 April – 10 June 1940).

In the flashbacks, the film begins at this point. Gunnar Sønsteby (Sjur Vane Brean) had been working as an accountant. Sønsteby decides to resist Nazi-Germany on the day of the invasion. The efforts are futile, but Sønsteby doesn’t accept the Nazi rule. He later becomes the leader of the “Oslo-gang” carrying out countless daring acts of sabotage which will make him Norway’s greatest war hero.

Sønsteby’s attention to detail and precision, so necessary for his work as an accountant,  helped him survive although he eventually was high on the Gestapo’s most-wanted list. He was also able to replicate identification papers. In addition, his appearance was so ordinary, he blended in easily.  His self-sufficiency, his cool demeanor during dangerous situations and his calculations that limited his risks are illustrated. We learn what it takes to be an actual spy and resistance fighter.

Directed by John Andreas Andersen, and written by Erlend Loe with the original script by Espen Lauritzen von Ibenfeldt, the film shifts seamlessly from past to present. Brean’s young Gunnar Sønsteby is always watching, and seems emotionally detached, almost discomforting in his aloofness. While care is taken through casting and costume design to make Breen’s Sønsteby seem ordinary, even in the casting of the Nazis, Brean’s Sønsteby, by his expressions and body language sets himself apart from the others, but ever so slightly.

Despite the young Sønsteby’s aloofness, Erik Hive’s older Gunnar Sønsteby displays sensitivity at moments when an ethical dilemma arises. Von Ibenfeldt’s script raises the question of pacifism, but doesn’t provide any answers. The script doesn’t shy away from the brutality that is war and the tragedy of friendships that might have survived in times of peace broken and lost.

“Nr. 24” or “Number 24” premiered in October in Norway. “Number 24” is currently streaming on Netflix. In Norwegian with English subtitles or English dub.