Director Kristoffer Borgli Under Fire as 2012 Essay Resurfaces Online
Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli, known for directing The Drama and Dream Scenario, is facing significant public backlash after a controversial essay he wrote in 2012 has resurfaced and gone viral across social media platforms.
Essay Details Relationship with Teenager
The essay, originally published in Norwegian magazine D2, details Borgli's romantic relationship with a teenager when he was 27 years old. According to the translated version recently published by The Hollywood Reporter, the director described dating a high school student who was approximately ten years younger than him.
In the essay, Borgli wrote about how he and his teenage girlfriend would frequent bars and pubs that didn't check identification, and how he often had to sneak out of her parents' apartment after visits. The director was living in Norway at the time he wrote the piece in 2012.
Woody Allen Reference Sparks Additional Controversy
Perhaps most controversially, Borgli referenced filmmaker Woody Allen in his essay, writing: "If a film made in 1979, in which Woody Allen's 42-year-old character has a public relationship with a 17-year-old girl, is portrayed exclusively in a positive way and causes no controversy in its own time, then why shouldn't my relationship — with a considerably smaller age difference — in 2012 be 'within bounds'? I chose to listen to Woody over my friends."
The director further explained that while he initially viewed such relationships with skepticism, films like Lost in Translation had "completely" changed his perspective on age-gap relationships.
Public Outrage and Online Criticism
Since the essay's translation and republication, social media users have expressed outrage over what many perceive as Borgli glorifying inappropriate age differences. Numerous online commentators have called out the director for his apparent justification of the relationship dynamic described in the essay.
As of the latest reports, neither Borgli nor his management and legal teams have issued any official statements addressing the resurfaced essay or the subsequent public backlash. The controversy continues to gain traction across entertainment news platforms and social media networks.
The timing of the essay's resurgence comes as Borgli's career has been gaining momentum in Hollywood, with his recent film Dream Scenario receiving critical attention. The controversy raises questions about how past writings and personal revelations affect contemporary public perception of entertainment industry figures.
