– Linn Helene Løken’s documentary serves as a haunting reminder that behind every official report lies a history of pain that too often goes unheard
At first glance, In Defense of Self might resemble the kind of investigative documentary that reconstructs a controversial police killing. Yet Norwegian filmmaker Linn Helene Løken approaches the material from a far more intimate and unsettling angle. Built largely around several hours of personal audio recordings left behind by writer Morten Michelsen before his demise, the film unfolds like an anguishing psychological thriller – one where the tension arises not from dramatic twists, but from the slow realisation that a tragedy might have been foreseeable. The film had its world premiere in the NORDIC:DOX competition of this year’s CPH:DOX.
The premise is stark. Michelsen, a troubled man struggling with insomnia, alcoholism and severe mental-health issues, was shot dead by Norwegian police who claimed self-defence during an emergency intervention. From the outset, Løken makes it clear that the ending is already written; the real question is how events were allowed to reach such a fatal point. What follows is an attempt to reconstruct the path leading to that moment by juxtaposing Michelsen’s own recordings with official police reconstructions and glimpses into the institutional structures surrounding the case.
What makes the film so gripping is its ability to generate the suspense of a mystery while simultaneously dismantling the illusion that any neat resolution exists. Michelsen’s voice becomes our guide through the labyrinth. On tape, he is reflective, articulate and painfully self-aware, documenting his attempts to channel his inner turmoil into literature while also exposing the fragility of his mental state. Listening to him speak, one gradually senses the tragedy tightening its grip long before the fatal confrontation occurs.
Løken structures the film around three distinct narrative strands: Michelsen’s recordings, reconstructions produced by law enforcement and observational footage from a police academy training programme. Rather than privileging one perspective over another, she lets these layers interact in uneasy ways. The contrast between Michelsen’s subjective universe and the procedural logic of institutional responses becomes the documentary’s central tension.
This approach reveals not only the complexity of the individual case, but also broader structural shortcomings. Without ever lapsing into polemic, In Defense of Self exposes the fragile intersection between mental healthcare systems and law enforcement – a fault line that has become increasingly visible across Western societies. Løken’s investigation suggests that Michelsen’s death cannot be reduced to a single misstep; instead, it emerges from a chain of institutional failures, bureaucratic blind spots and systemic neglect.
The helmer’s aesthetic choices reinforce this unsettling perspective. Rejecting polished documentary conventions, she embraces a rough, sometimes uncanny texture that mirrors the instability of the story itself. Visual compositions feel deliberately imperfect, while the editing – handled by Truls Krane Meby – allows the material to breathe without smoothing out its contradictions. The effect is disquieting but purposeful: we are constantly reminded that the film deals with fragments of reality, rather than recounting a tidy narrative.
The sound design plays an especially crucial role. Michelsen’s voice is treated not simply as archival material, but as the emotional backbone of the film. Through headphones or cinema speakers, his recordings feel almost uncomfortably close, pulling the audience into an intimate listening experience that images alone might struggle to achieve. The strategy proves remarkably effective. At times, the film feels less like a traditional documentary than like an auditory descent into the mind of someone fighting a losing battle with himself.
What ultimately lingers is the movie’s refusal to offer any easy answers. Løken does not frame Michelsen as either victim or culprit, nor does she present the police as simple antagonists. Instead, In Defense of Self unfolds as a troubling reflection on how institutions attempt to manage human vulnerability – and how easily those systems can fail. Eye-opening and quietly devastating, the film stands out as one of the most socially urgent titles in this year’s CPH:DOX programme.
In Defense of Self was produced by Norway’s Morild Film.
