Documentary film
Name of the Game
(Trond Giske - Makta rår)
The politician Trond Giske was for many years the “crown prince” of the Norwegian Labour Party. But when his party loses popularity and the #MeToo movement raises awareness about sexual harassment, the tide turns for the once-so-popular Giske. Long-standing rumours of inappropriate behavior towards young party members is thrown into sharp relief when a number of women accuse him in public of sexual assault. The flood of media attention, leaked videos and testimonials, and the ensuing political power struggle, bring about his downfall.
But Giske, now in his fifties, is not prepared to give up: he travels the country in a self-refurbished caravan painted red to convince his voters that he deserves a second chance. Filmmaker Håvard Bustnes follows him in this tour, while at the same time interviewing politicians and journalists who look back on the political drama – making quite a contrast with Giske calmly discussing his political objectives with his supporters in his caravan. Meanwhile, Bustnes wrestles to understand how he himself has become an object of Giske’s game of power and seduced into this political world of grooming, gaslighting and manipulation