Director Kristoffer Borgli Faces Backlash After Old Essay Reveals Relationship with High School Student
Kristoffer Borgli is getting attention online, but not just for his new movie. A piece he wrote many years ago has started circulating again, and people are reacting strongly.
The discussion began after users on Reddit shared an old essay he wrote back in 2012 for a Norwegian magazine called D2. At the time, Borgli was in his late 20s. The text talks about a past relationship he had with a girl who was still in high school. While the situation may have been legal in Norway, many people online are now questioning it because of the age gap.
In the essay, Borgli described feeling unsure at first. He said people close to him warned that the relationship was not right. Still, he chose to follow his own thinking. He even compared his situation to the film Manhattan by Woody Allen, which also shows a relationship with a large age difference. He wrote, “I chose to listen to Woody over my friends.”
He went on to describe that period as a memorable summer. He spoke about spending time together in quiet settings and feeling like they had a strong connection despite their difference in age. He wrote, “The summer ended, and our weeklong weekends became ordinary weekdays. She was May; I was December.”
The resurfaced essay is now gaining traction just as Borgli’s career is growing. He recently directed The Drama, which stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. Before that, he directed Dream Scenario with Nicolas Cage. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both his team and the studio A24 have been asked to respond, but no official statement has been shared yet.
The situation shows how past work can come back into the spotlight, especially when someone becomes more well known. What was once a personal essay is now being read and judged by a much wider audience.
This kind of situation is complicated. People grow and change over time, but old words can still shape how others see them today. It also raises questions about how much an artist’s past should affect their current work.
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