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Hello, you have reached...
the Ardor residence.
Please leave a message after the tone.
Hey, Mom, hey, Dad, it's Dani.
I'm sorry to be calling so late.
I'm just checking in.
Making sure everything's okay.
Listen, I got kind of a scary email from Terri
and she hasn't been responding.
Surprise, surprise.
But, yeah, it sounds like you guys
have been fighting or something happened.
Anyway, uh, I just got a little worried.
So, if you can call when you can,
and of course, you know I'm... I'm always here
if you need anything,
of course.
Okay, um, I love you. All right, bye.
- Hey. - Hey, sweetie.
What are you up to?
Just smoked some resin with Mark
and now we're getting pizza.
Nice.
Hi, Dani. Hi, Dani.
He's saying "hi" right now, over and over.
- Hi, Mark. - Hi, Mark.
So, I was calling just to see if you...
You still wanted to hang out later?
Did we talk about doing something tonight?
I mean, not... Not concretely,
but, I just wanted to see...
Well... Okay.
Yeah, I should be able to swing by.
- Cool. - Yeah, okay.
How's the sister situation?
Well...
I emailed her three times and
still no response
so I'm getting a little bit nervous, so...
I'm sure it's fine.
Yeah, probably...
She does this every other day, Dani.
And only because you let her.
Well, I don't let her, she's bipolar, so...
Yeah, I know. But, you do though, babes.
You go straight to crisis mode.
Well, she's my sister
and even you said that this email seemed different.
Yeah, right, but...
Is it though, really?
It's still just another obvious ploy for attention
just like every other panic attack she's given you.
Yeah, you're right.
You are right, yeah, I know.
I mean, the more you respond
the more she's encouraged to keep...
No, I know, I know, I know. You're right, you're right.
I just... I just needed to be reminded, thank you.
I'm very lucky to have you.
Yeah, well.
I love you.
Okay, I'll see you later?
- Yeah. - Okay.
- Bye, Mark. - Bye, Mark.
Okay, I love you.
- All right. - Bye.
It's in his tone, like, you can hear it in his voice,
he's just working up the nerve to say something.
So be direct! Confront him.
What if I've scared him, though?
I'm always roping him into my family crap.
How do you rope him in?
I'm always leaning on him!
Like, I even called him today in tears
because my sister wrote another stupid scary email.
That's what he's there for.
What if I'm scaring him off?
What did your sister write?
Just some ominous bullshit
like she always does and it's torture.
And I lean on him constantly for support.
Like, what if I have overwhelmed him
and he thinks that I just have too much baggage?
Well, if that's the case, then good riddance, right?
No, not if I... I went too far,
if I leaned too much.
You didn't! He should be there when you need him.
Yeah, but what if I need him too often
and it becomes a chore?
Then he's not the right guy.
Because it shouldn't ever be a chore.
Would it be a chore if he leaned on you?
Yeah, but he doesn't ask me for anything.
I've never even seen him cry,
so I'm the only one that's leaning.
Or the only one opening up.
The only one making yourself vulnerable.
That's intimacy.
Dude.
You have gotta get off the fence with this.
What if I regret it later
and I can't get her back?
- You don't want her back! - But I might.
Okay, well, then you can
bitch to us about how much you regret it for that day
and then we'll remind you again
that you've been wanting out of this stupid relationship
for, like, a year now
and then you can find a chick who actually likes sex
and doesn't drag you through a million hoops every day.
Do you think there is a masochistic part of you
that is playing out this particular drama
to avoid the work you actually need to be doing?
What work do I need to be doing, Josh, exactly?
Well, I dunno, your prospectus, maybe?
Your PhD...
Okay, thanks for the psychoanalysis.
It's not about academics, Josh.
I'm just trying to get you focused.
- Change? - That's for you.
See? You could be getting that girl pregnant right now.
And don't forget about all the Swedish women
you can impregnate in June.
- Okay, guys. - Don't forget about
all the Swedish milkmaids.
That's not her again.
Seriously?
Oh, my God.
- She needs a therapist, dude. - She has a therapist.
So then she should call her therapist and not you.
It's literally abuse.
- She's abusing you. - 'Scuse me.
- Nope. - My God.
Okay, excuse me, guys.
Great.
- Hey. - No.
- Dani, babe? - No, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no!
Hey, babe.
How you feeling?
I'm up.
Where you going?
I was just gonna go to that party for 45 minutes.
But, you just keep sleeping.
No.
No, I'll come with you.
You sure you got enough sleep?
I wasn't sleeping anyway.
Yeah, I'm fucking dreading the summer.
Stuck in a shit-ass hole
listening to my step-mom fuck my dad all day.
I'll listen to your step-mom fuck your dad.
Hey, Josh, you, going to Europe?
Yeah, yeah, for my thesis,
you know, we all are.
You're all going?
Yeah, they're all coming to visit my home in Halsingland.
Sweden.
Any occasion, or is it just for fun?
Well, I'm... I'm doing my research
on European midsummer traditions,
these guys are just tagging along.
Mr. Pelle's invited us to
an authentic hippie midsummer at his yodeling farm.
Yeah?
I mean, we were talking about it.
We were thinking about it.
For when?
Mid-June to mid-July.
Yeah, two weeks from now?
Yeah.
I mean, that's if we even go.
I'm probably not gonna go, but...
Yeah, we were talking about it.
You okay?
Fine.
That was just really weird.
What was?
The...
Sweden.
I had no idea.
Well, what do you mean?
'Cause I told you I wanted to go.
Okay, fine, but I didn't know you were going.
I just decided today.
I wasn't keeping it from you.
You already have a ticket.
I'm sorry?
Okay, well, just,
imagine if you were at a party and someone said,
"Hey, what're you doing for summer?"
And then my friend said,
"We're going to China for three months
and we're leaving in two weeks..."
It's Sweden, for a month and a half.
And it was the first you'd ever heard of it.
Okay.
I told you I wanted to go to Sweden.
No, you said it would be cool to go.
Yeah, and then I got the opportunity
- and I decided to do it. - Look, I don't mind you going.
I just wish you would've told me, that's all.
Well, I just apologized, Dani.
You didn't apologize, you said sorry,
which sounds more like, "Too bad."
Maybe I should just go home.
What? No, no.
I'm just trying to understand.
And I'm trying to apologize.
And I don't need an apology.
I don't, I just wanted to talk about it, that's all.
I really think I should just leave.
No, no, no, no.
Please, please, please. I'm not... I'm not trying to attack you.
- It really feels like you are. - I'm not.
Well, then... Well, then I'm sorry.
I'm... I just got confused. I'm sorry, I...
Please, c'mon, can you come?
- Just can you come and sit with me, please? - Stop.
Please, and we can talk about it.
Look, it just... It just felt really weird, okay?
But I'm fine, I think it's great that you're going to Sweden,
I do.
I think it's amazing.
Are you going for your thesis?
I don't know what my thesis is.
I know and it... It can... It will...
It can be inspiring, right?
Right?
In Stockholm, are there any, like, meatball sex clubs
we should hit up before we head north?
No, we're going straight north.
Not straight, straight, though, right?
We gotta go through Stockholm to get there.
No, it's the opposite direction.
Stockholm is south of Arlanda.
Guys, it's Dani.
She's coming up.
Okay.
- Should we clear all this? - No, it's fine.
I invited Dani to come to Sweden.
So you guys know.
She's not actually gonna come,
but I invited her just to not make it weird.
You invited her to...
But she's not coming.
She doesn't want to?
I invited her and she accepted,
but she's not actually coming to Sweden.
Okay.
Guys, you know what she's been going through.
Yeah, no, dude, I just, uh, thought it was...
Yeah, dude, nobody minds.
Thought you were saying something else, that's all.
Okay, that's great.
And just so we're clear, you guys told me to invite her
and you all know that she's coming...
Agreed?
Yep.
Babe!
Guys.
How's it going?
We're chilling.
Nice.
So, Sweden.
- Yeah. - You're coming, right?
I mean, I...
I guess so,
if that's not completely ruining you guys' plans.
- Oh, no, no. - No, not at all.
Christian, can I get you to take a look
at this paragraph real quick?
Yeah, sure.
I'll be back.
Pelle.
What were you drawing?
Just the table.
How have you been?
- Pretty good. - Yeah?
Survived finals, you know.
And you?
I didn't quite finish,
but they're giving me a break this year.
God, yes, yes, of course. Sorry.
It's, uh...
How did you like the Anthropology department?
I like it, yeah.
Not as much as this one maybe, but...
You're doing psychiatry, right?
Psychology, yeah.
- Okay. - That's how you know I'm nuts.
Yeah, also that funny look in your eye.
So you're coming to Halsingland?
I guess so, yeah.
And, um, we'll actually be arriving on my birthday.
- Well, happy birthday. - Thank you!
Yeah, Christian says you've got this special week planned.
Yeah, it's sort of a crazy nine-day festival my family's doing.
Lots of pageantry...
special ceremonies, and dressing up.
That sounds fun.
It'll probably seem very silly.
But, it's like theater.
Yeah, Christian says you're...
You're from like a commune, right?
Yeah, we're... We're a small community.
Here. I'll show you.
I see what you mean about the pageantry.
Yeah, we make those clothes special for every
winter and summer solstice.
I mean, everybody sort of does everything together.
That's an interesting symbol.
Yeah, we're taught the Runic alphabet, so...
Who's that one?
That's last year's May Queen.
Beautiful.
You know, I'm very, very glad you're coming.
I... I think it's very good you're coming.
Thank you.
Also, I...
I never had the chance to tell you...
but I was...
I was so very sorry to hear about your loss.
What happened, I mean,
I can't even imagine.
I mean...
- I lost my parents, too, so... - Okay.
I kind of have some idea.
- I'm sorry. - No!
- No, I'm sorry. - No, you're...
I'm gonna just go to the bathroom, thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are beginning our initial descent into Stockholm...
Oh, my God, the women here.
What is it that makes them hotter?
The Vikings grabbed all the best babes from other countries and
dragged them over.
Christian, you can do your thesis on that.
How long is the drive?
About four hours.
Oh, my God.
Okay, this is the first stop.
This is it?
Not quite, almost.
Pelle!
- Just beautiful. - Oh, my God.
Hey, guys, so these are younger people from my village.
They're also returning from their trips outside.
Come on over.
These are my friends from America.
Dude.
Just fucking walk.
Yeah, dude, there's so many bugs.
It's beautiful, huh?
Okay, so this is, uh...
Mark, Dani...
Christian and Josh.
What?
Give me just one second.
You think he knows that guy?
He sounded mad.
That must be good.
Here! Come on over, come on over.
This is, uh, these are my great friends from America.
Christian, Dani,
Josh, and Mark.
Meet my brother, Ingemar.
Best friends since we were babies, actually.
So, Christian, Josh, Mark...
- Dani? Yeah! - Yeah!
Awesome! And say hello to my friends.
This is Simon and Connie
- from London. - How's it going?
- Hi. - Simon, this is Pelle...
And these are all the names
I just learned two seconds ago.
Perfect timing, by the way,
We... we just took these five minutes ago.
Haven't even started coming up yet.
Oh, shit!
Do you guys wanna take it now or should we settle in first?
Fuck it, let's just take it now, right?
- Yeah. Yeah. - Great.
You know what,
I might have to find my footing first if that's okay.
- Yeah, of course. - Yeah? Okay.
And listen, if you're feeling uneasy,
you don't have to take them at all.
No. No, no, no. I just... I wanna feel settled first.
- Okay. - Okay.
- I'll wait. - No, no, you go ahead.
- No, I'll wait. - Please.
I want us to come up together.
- Ready? - Okay?
Guys, I'm gonna wait for Dani, so you just go ahead.
Dude, we can't take them at different times,
they'll be totally separate trips.
You wanna wait for us then?
You know what, it's fine, it's fine.
- Babe... Babe, no. - I'm ready.
- No, it's okay, - Don't feel rushed.
I don't, I don't. It's fine, I'm ready.
Are you sure?
Yes, Mark, thank you.
They've made mushroom tea.
If you prefer against the taste.
Yeah, okay, I'll try that, thank you.
- Ingemar? Ingemar? - Ingemar.
- Ingemar, okay. Thank you. - Perfect.
- Don't let Mark be the one to pressure you. - He's not.
- Of all people. - He's not, he's not.
It will... It will get complicated otherwise, it's fine.
- Are you ready? - Yes, thank you.
There you go.
Thanks, dude.
Okay, here we go then.
- Think happy thoughts! - Are you sure about this?
- Yeah. Yeah, I'm excited. - Cheers!
- All right. - Yeah?
Are you sure about this?
I think it's gonna be fun.
- We're in? - Yep, go.
What time is it?
It's 9:00 p.m.
What do you mean?
That can't be right! The sky is blue!
It's fine, it's Sweden.
That's not fine! Why is it like that?
It's okay, Mark. It's the midnight sun.
That feels wrong, I don't like that!
I promise you, it's okay.
I'm not okay.
Oh, fuck, it's a new person.
What?
I don't want new people right now.
No, new people are good, Mark.
Hi, hi!
I'm just gonna lay down, okay?
Yeah, do that.
Everybody else lay down.
Guys, do it, it feels so nice.
Josh, can you lie down, please?
Can you feel that?
The energy.
Coming up from the earth.
Look!
The trees too, they're breathing.
Nature just knows instinctively
how to stay in harmony.
Everything just mechanically doing its part.
You guys are like my family.
You're like my real, actual family.
Dani?
Sorry.
I'm gonna go for a walk.
I can walk, too.
No, I'm good.
No, no, no, no.
Don't think that. You're fine.
It's almost your birthday.
You're okay, you're fine. You're fine.
Stop it! I'm fine.
Hey, Dani!
How are you?
They were laughing at me.
What? No, no, no, I'm sure they weren't.
They've been laughing.
Want to come meet my friends?
Thank you. I'm sorry, thank you.
Stop it! Stop it, fuck!
You're okay, you're okay, you're okay.
How long was I asleep?
I mean, we found you here, like, six hours ago.
Did it get dark at all?
For a couple of hours, not completely.
Is it tomorrow?
I mean, from yesterday's perspective.
Come on.
Where are we going?
What we came for.
Jesus, Pelle, where are you taking us?
Yeah, this is way the hell out there.
Do they have ticks in Sweden?
Sweden has a tick problem.
What?
No they don't, do they really?
Actually, it is a big problem.
Last summer, a record number of people
got tick-borne encephalitis.
What the fuck? Are you serious?
Both my grandparents died from ticks.
Had to give them a closed casket funeral.
Okay, Josh, I actually have an uncle with Lyme.
And believe me, if you ask him,
it was not worth the pleasant picnic in the park.
He's fucked.
So, this is the place.
The tranquil and majestic Harga.
Pelle, you know all these people?
These are my family!
So we're stopping in Waco
before going to Pelle's village?
Thank you!
- Thank you. - What is it? Strawberry?
- Thank you. - Thanks.
This bag?
Thank you... uh, sorry.
Hey, guys?
Meet my sister, Dagny.
Born the exact same day as me.
Dani, Josh, Mark, Christian.
- Tack! - Thank you.
Tack.
Father Odd!
Sorry, these are my friends.
Christian, Dani, Josh, Mark.
Hello.
Hello, hello.
Welcome, welcome.
Welcome home.
We are so very happy to have you.
Thank you.
Pelle has an immaculate sense for people.
I... I love what you're wearing.
My frock?
Yeah, quite girly, no?
We do these as a tribute in respect of Ymir
and because of the nature's
hermaphrodite, I think, qualities. Yeah.
I think the Sakhis saints do the same thing
in Brajbhoomi?
So, we are your hosts.
So whatever you need, just say so
and we will accommodate, okay?
Thank you very much.
Today is all festivities.
Just tomorrow, the official ceremony begin
and you are welcome!
- Welcome, welcome, welcome. - Thank you.
Yeah. Enjoy.
Just... thank you.
That guy has a very red face.
Yeah?
- Do we eat these? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Can I take photos? - Discreetly.
Thanks.
Forgive me.
I'm excluding the ones who aren't of Swedish tongue.
Welcome to Harga,
and happy midsummer!
It has been 90 years since our last great feast
and it will be 90 years before our next.
And what poetry that it's now the hottest
and brightest summer on record.
We already have so much to give back
and so, without any further blathering,
let's raise our glasses.
Let our Nine-Day feast commence.
Skal!
You guys should join.
Oh, no, I'm too scared.
- All right. - Thanks, babe.
What are the kids playing?
Skin the fool.
- Skin the fool? - Yeah.
Precious.
Hey, Pelle, can anybody just join in?
You're an American, just jam yourself in there.
All right.
Happy birthday.
Oh, my gosh, Pelle.
Just something I do for birthdays.
Maybe it's not appropriate?
No, no, no, no, not at all. Thank you so much.
It's beautiful.
Anyway, just between us.
Yeah, well...
Christian forgot anyway, so this is amazing. Thank you.
No. No, no, no, I forgot to remind him
and it's not his fault, it's...
Never mind, it's okay.
This is beautiful.
Thank you so much, I'm really touched.
So, how do you support this place?
Lumbering, linen, homeopathics...
Water power plant.
School time over here.
Carving runes?
Really?
They put it under their pillow and dream about its powers.
Oh, yeah. I do that, too.
Oh, fuck. There's a big one.
Oh, shit.
What alphabet is that from?
The Younger Futhark.
I... I think? Or is that medieval?
Actually, that is the Elder Futhark.
So, how long have you two been together?
Oh, geez, um...
Just over three and a half years.
Four years.
- No? Really? - Yeah.
Four years in two weeks.
You're right, I'm sorry.
You're right. Four years.
Yeah, um, how did you guys all meet?
We were all working on the same farm
and funny enough, I was dating Connie
when Simon and me first became pals.
Well, we'd been on a date.
And I didn't even actually know it was a date, so...
You're right. No, no.
I meant that Connie and me had just become friends.
We... We decided to be friends.
And that was just before Connie and Simon started dating.
And now they're engaged.
What? Congratulations!
Which is amazing, yes, congratulations.
Yeah, thanks. Yeah, we actually asked Ingemar
to officiate the wedding.
- Really? - Nah.
What's that building over there?
It's like a sacred temple,
but no one's allowed in there.
Let me show you where we sleep.
Let me show you the Rotvalta!
So we're just gonna ignore the bear then?
It's a bear.
What's that?
- We can check it out. - Yeah.
Love story.
What?
Oh, man.
It's like in the Scripture.
What do you think?
It's like another world.
Amazing.
People just sleep here?
Yeah, all the younger ones until we turn 36
and then we move to the laborers house.
Why 36?
Well, we think of life like the seasons.
So you're a child until you're 18 and that's Spring.
And then at some point, we all do our Pilgrimage
which is between 18 and 36.
That's Summer, and then from 36 to 54,
we're working age, which is Fall.
And then finally from 54 to 72 you become a mentor.
What happens at 72?
Not a lot of privacy.
Yeah, what do you do when you need to jerk off?
Especially with all these dicks on the wall.
There's a lot of dicks.
Did she say something?
No, no, no, absolutely not.
I just wanted to let you know before, so...
Are these the May Queens?
Yeah.
Right. You'll actually be here for that.
And who are your May Queens?
Every mid-summer, we have this dance competition
and the winner gets crowned and this is...
Was that...
You saw that too, right?
Pelle, who was that?
Inge.
Oh, my God, I want to give her a bath.
Hey, can I pull you outside for a sec?
Yeah, sure.
Pelle, tell her to come back.
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
What?
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
♪ Happy birthday, dear Dani ♪
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
Fuck.
- Stop, it's fine. - What?
You didn't think I forgot, did you?
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I got fucked up by the daylight
and I thought it was yesterday.
- It's okay. It's fine. - Happy birthday.
- Happy birthday. - Thank you. I'm not upset. It's okay.
- You should be. - I... I should be.
I'm sorry.
All right, beauty rest.
Tomorrow's a big day.
What's tomorrow?
First of the big ceremonies.
Attestupa.
What's that?
It's too hard to explain,
you'll get a better sense tomorrow.
- Wait, seriously? - You can't just tell me now?
Wait, you're not talking about an actual one?
I mean, it's pretty actual.
Fuck.
Do you know what it is?
Dude!
Is it scary?
That is so fucking annoying.
Check my scalp for ticks,
then I'll check yours.
Somebody should tell those girls
they're walking stupid.
How long do they typically stand?
We're going to stand until it's right to sit.
Are these for me?
- You pick 'em backwards? - Yeah.
Are those the ones?
Yeah.
Dude, I'm so hungry.
It's like they're trying to make it gross.
Her... Her mother is on Pilgrimage.
Helps her to detach.
Okay.
The babies are raised here by everyone.
You want this?
Dude, are you following them out?
I'm beat. I'm gonna go take a nap.
- Okay, okay. Yeah. - Yeah.
Wait, what're we doing now?
What is that book?
Rubi Radr. Our scripture.
Can I read that?
You would not be able.
Oh, my God!
It's fine.
Did she jump?
What the...
It's part of the ceremony.
What? No, she fell, she fell.
Fuck!
- She fell, right? - Did she jump?
It's okay.
Oh, my... Did she fall or did she jump?
It's okay, it's fine. Don't worry.
What do you mean it's fine?
She's fucking dead. Look at her head!
Look at her head, she's dead!
It's a part of the ceremony.
Why the fuck are you standing there like that?
She just fucking jumped off the cliff.
Are you freaking blind? What the... Fuck!
Oh, my God.
What the fuck?
No, he's doing... He's doing the same thing.
He's doing the same fucking thing!
Someone stop! Sir, don't do it.
Tell him to stop.
Why's everyone just standing there, what the fuck?
Sir, don't... Don't jump, don't jump!
Please, someone tell him not to jump.
- What the fuck? - Someone tell him...
- He's still alive. - What's going on?
He's fucking alive!
At least try somehing!
Oh my God!
Fuck, we're going.
- Fuck! This is fucked! - Where?
Fuck this! You're fucked!
Fuck! You're all just fucking standing there watching,
what the fuck is wrong with you?
- Please! Please! - No, fucking leave her alone!
Please, listen to me. Let me explain!
What? Explain what?
- Please, my poor thing. - Fucked!
Please! What you just saw
is a long, long, long observed custom.
- "Custom!" It's fucked! - Yes.
Those two who jumped
have just reached the end of their Harga life-cycle.
And you need to understand it as a great joy for them.
- "Joy?" - Yes, and when it is my turn,
it will be a great joy for me.
- Fuck. - We view life as a circle,
a recycle.
The lady who jumped, her name was Ylva, yes?
And that baby over there who is not yet born
will inherit that name.
Instead of getting old
and dying in pain and fear and shame,
we give our life.
As a gesture.
- A gesture? - Before it can spoil.
It does no good dying,
lashing back at the inevitable.
It corrupts the spirit.
I'm so sorry I didn't warn you better.
You feeling okay?
I just really need to not be here right now.
Yeah.
I'm gonna go.
Just take some time to yourself, okay.
Hey, dude...
Holy shit, right?
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Good.
Hey, listen.
I've been thinking about something
that I wanted to ask you.
Or tell you, actually.
I've been thinking a lot about my thesis.
And,
I've decided I'm gonna do it here. On Harga.
And I wanted to tell you first.
Just so it didn't seem like I wasn't telling you.
I feel like... I feel like I can't tell if you're joking.
I mean... I mean,
you know I'm doing my thesis on midsummer.
- That's the reason why I'm here. - Yeah.
Yeah, but not on this community.
I mean, you're going to Germany and England next.
Well, you knew I was gonna wanna do this.
- No, I didn't. - Oh, my God.
I mean, did you even know until just now?
Christian, of course you did!
Okay, do you think I don't know
what you're doing?
It's actually kind of outrageously unsubtle.
The fact that you're being this bald about it.
I'm... I'm honestly kind of impressed.
What the fuck, man? What does that mean?
Yeah, what the fuck!
This is what I've been working toward and you know it.
That's why you look so guilty right now, because you know.
You know that what you're doing
is unethical and leechy and lazy.
And, frankly, it's kind of sad.
- Fuck you! - No, dude, not fuck me!
Find your own subject.
Or... Or your own passion.
And, because... All right, look.
I am... I'm actually invested in this.
This is not some glorified hobby
that I'm casually dipping my feet into.
I'm gonna do my thesis here.
If you're gonna do it here too,
I'm open to collaborating.
And if not,
I guess we can both do separate theses on the Hargas.
Dude, of all the things to let me sleep through.
What?
We're leaving tomorrow morning.
I know we are.
I told Christian this already,
and now I think he's trying to pretend like it's his idea,
- so if he comes up to you... - Well, no,
wait a minute. I... I seriously doubt that
the elders will approve of anything being written down.
They're extremely protective.
Okay, so then, I'll just use aliases for everything.
- Problem solved. - Then what would be the point?
You couldn't even get it peer reviewed.
And Christian did already ask me this, by the way,
and I told him the same thing I'm telling you now.
I thought you said you hadn't talked to him.
Fuck. No.
Okay, look, uh, I'll ask the elders.
- Okay? Good. - Yep.
Dani?
I'm really sorry, Pelle.
Thank you for inviting me, but I... I really have to go.
Can someone maybe drive me somewhere?
I know I shouldn't have let you stay for that.
I mean, I know it looks extreme. But we only...
I don't know why I'm here, Pelle!
I don't know why you invited us.
I don't know. I don't know why...
- I don't know why I'm here. - Okay, okay, okay.
- It's fine. It's okay. - I don't know and I can't...
- Come on. Come on, sit down. - No.
Dani, please.
Please sit down.
Dani.
I invited my friends
because this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,
and I wanted to share it.
Especially with my friends who I knew would appreciate it.
Because I...
- I am proud of this place. - Okay.
Okay, but I'm not an anthropologist
and I don't understand any of this.
- Yes, yes, yes. I know. - I don't get it.
I know. And, and yet,
I was the most excited for you to come.
Here. Here, smell this.
What is it?
- It calms you down. - No, I'm fine.
I don't want it.
- Are you sure? - No...
I really want to go, Pelle. I don't... I don't want it.
Okay.
I know what you're going through, Dani.
What am I going through?
Because I lost my parents, too.
- What? No, no, Pelle. - Yes, yes, yes...
That is not what I'm talking about.
- I know that's not what you're talking about. - I'm not talking about my family.
- I lost my parents when I was a little boy. - I'm not talking about my family...
They burned up in a fire.
No, I wasn't talking about that.
My parents, they burned up in a fire
and I became, technically, an orphan.
So believe me when I tell you that I know what it's like.
Because I do, I really, really do.
Yet my difference is, I never got the chance to feel lost,
because I had a family here.
Where everyone embraced me. And swept me up.
And I was raised by a community
that doesn't bicker over what's theirs and what's not theirs.
That's what you were given.
But I have always felt held.
By a family. A real family.
Which everyone deserves.
And you deserve.
Pelle, Christian could walk in.
He's what I'm talking about.
He's my good friend and I like him, but...
Dani, do you feel held by him?
Does he feel like home to you?
How you doing?
Today was tough.
You gonna be okay?
Are you not disturbed by what we just saw?
Yeah, of course I am.
That was really, really shocking.
I'm trying to keep an open mind though.
That's cultural, you know?
We stick our elders in nursing homes.
I'm sure they find that disturbing.
I think we really need to just at least try to acclimate.
Do you... Sorry.
Do you have a sleeping pill I can take?
Yeah, sure.
Thanks.
You're gonna wake her.
Yo, Pelle.
What'cha doin'?
Just working in the garden.
Hey, man.
Any word?
Yeah, they said you can do it.
As long as you absolutely don't use any names.
- Okay. - Or the location is never even hinted at.
- Okay. - And you'll have to sign an agreement to that.
And you're splitting it with Christian
because he came to me first.
Well, that's... We'll... We'll figure that out.
I gotta go take a leak.
Here, can I ask you something?
Yeah.
Do you know what this is?
I found it under Christian's bed.
That's a love rune. Casts a love spell.
- A love rune. - Yeah.
- Under Christian's bed? - Yeah, yeah.
What's going on?
The elders said you can do your thesis
as long as you don't use the actual names or location.
Are you serious?
Yeah.
Oh, my God, thank you, man.
That is incredible news. Thank you.
You're splitting it with Josh as well.
Yeah, I already told him I'm totally fine with that.
Okay. Well, I think my sister
Maja has taken a liking to you.
Yeah?
The red head?
Actually, she just got the byxmyndig last year.
It basically means that, uh, you are...
You are allowed to have sex. Pants license.
Okay. Good for her.
What? Okay, relax. Relax!
What did I do?
- Pelle, what is going on? - What happened? What happened?
What did I do? What did I do?
Dude! Okay!
You pissed on the ancestral tree.
- The tree... So what? - Yes, yes.
"So what?"
- I didn't know. - No, it's...
That tree is tied to all of our dead.
It's a dead tree, though.
- It's dead. - Yeah, yeah, I know.
But it's important to us.
I just had to pee. I didn't know it was special.
It was really nice to meet you.
I'm so sorry. We're actually leaving.
What?
- Yeah. - Connie.
Simon is getting the truck with one of them now.
- Connie. - Is everything okay?
Connie.
Oh, there.
Simon, he told me to tell you
that, uh, Jan drove him to the train station.
And after, uh, Simon gets dropped off,
he's sending the truck back for you.
What?
You will meet him, uh, there.
No.
Why would he just go without me?
He... He wouldn't do that.
Well, the truck only had room for two.
So...
What does that mean?
That doesn't even make any sense.
He would have told me.
Today's only train leaves in 90 minutes.
It takes about 35 minutes to go there and back.
So they didn't want to waste time.
So I could have sat on his lap.
Yes, I imagined that, too,
but, you know, we... We don't break traffic laws.
Okay?
So they've just gone. They've left me just now.
Now, Connie. There was no room in the truck.
Yet, it is coming right back for you. Yeah.
This is bullshit.
Okay, lunch in a bit.
And how are jobs or roles assigned?
That's based on traits we show as kids.
Sorry.
Simon left without Connie.
- Jesus, really? - Yeah.
What a dick move.
- Is she okay? - Uh, no.
- She just got told. - Did she say why?
No, no.
That sucks.
On the... On the subject of couples actually, um...
Is there ever an issue here with incest?
Sorry, I mean, you know, small communities.
Well, the bloodlines are very well-preserved.
So, uh, the elders must approve mates.
Cousins can sometimes mate.
But we do respect their incest taboo.
So we often need to invite outside people.
Excuse me.
Would you like to help join us?
- Sure, yeah. - Come.
Do you... Do you know, um...
Have you seen Simon anywhere?
Yes. He was driven to the station.
Did you not say goodbye?
No. No, I didn't.
But, uh, that's okay, that's okay.
What are we making here?
Meat tarts!
Thank you.
She said you're so beautiful.
Thank you.
She's so beautiful.
We describe it like emotional sheet music.
What does it say?
Well, each runic letter
stands for one of the 16 affects,
which are graded from most holy to most unholy.
This one, for example, is about grief.
You can see at the end, however,
we have blank pages.
This is because the Rubi Radr is a work forever in progress.
Forever evolving.
We have many, many hundreds of these.
And who decides what gets added?
Well, uh, this iteration is being written by Rubin.
The disabled?
Since birth.
He draws and we, the elders, interpret.
You see, Josh,
Rubin is unclouded by normal cognition.
It makes him open for the source.
What happens when Rubin dies?
Do you just wait for a baby that is...
not clouded?
No, no, no.
Rubin was a product of inbreeding.
All of our Oracles
are deliberate products of inbreeding.
Can I take a photograph?
What?
A photograph?
- No. Absolutely not. - Okay, sorry.
Absolutely not.
Fuck, yep, that's her.
Great. She's walking away.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Has anyone seen Connie?
I think Mark saw her earlier.
I'm sure I saw her trying out
for the sprinting Olympics earlier.
What? Where?
Sorry, but I can say what happened.
Her boyfriend called the landline
from the train station and calmed Connie down.
Then she begged our pardon and I drove her to meet him.
Okay, well, that's a relief.
Why would Simon leave without her?
I'm sure it was just a miscommunication.
I could see you possibly doing that.
What the hell does that mean?
Never mind.
Someone's still sore about their ancestral tree.
Dude, is he going to kill me?
Did you learn anything about the Rubi Radr?
So now you wanna collaborate?
Okay, thank you.
- I know that one elder... - Thank you.
gave you a glimpse of it.
Thank you. Sorry I brought it up.
Oh, my God, dude. What the fuck?
- Is that... - What is that?
Is that a fucking pube?
It's just a hair.
Yeah, a pubic hair.
Dude, calm down.
Why are you embarrassed?
You're not the one giving out hair pies.
Jesus Christ. He's still fucking lookin' at me.
You'll come with me?
- What? - You'll come?
I'll show you.
Okay, sure.
- Yeah? - Yeah, great.
I'll be back. I guess she's gonna show me.
Can I borrow another sleeping pill?
- Yeah, sure, yeah. - Thanks.
Thank you.
What the fuck, Mark?
What the fuck are you doing? Close the door,
we're not supposed to be in here.
Do you think Mark's still up with that girl?
I wouldn't be surprised.
What about Josh though?
I'm honestly not too concerned.
We...
have something regretful to announce.
This morning the 19th Book of Rubi Radr
was found missing from the Temple.
We don't want to point fingers,
yet, we kindly ask that whoever took it
to return it to its original place.
You can leave it in the Temple,
which will be left unguarded, unwatched.
Nobody needs to know it was you.
Where is your friend, Josh?
I know. We have no idea.
He and your other friend,
they both disappears the same day.
- You see how it looks? - Yes, obviously.
But I swear to you we're in the dark on this.
We're just as confused as you are.
We did see Mark go off with that girl last night.
- What girl? - Inge.
Yeah, but Mark wouldn't have done this.
Josh on the other hand,
he came to bed with us
and when we woke up, he was gone.
And if he did take that book, I just pray you understand
we don't associate as friends of his
or collaborators or anything.
We would just be so embarrassed to be connected to this
in any way, shape or form.
Let's hope it gets returned.
I hope so too.
I feel responsible.
Well, you and Odd, you can go looking for them.
- Yes. - Maybe you can redeem this.
You are going with the women for the day's activity.
And Siv wants to see you in her house.
You okay?
Okay. Okay.
This is the big one.
Okay. Thank you.
Look into her eyes.
Can I ask what this is exactly?
It's... tea for the competition.
And then you, glass here.
And then we drink it.
- Okay? - Okay.
Okay.
- Oh, God. - Here we go!
Please. Come in.
First thing I just have to say,
I have no idea where Josh is.
And I can swear to that on my mother's life.
How do you feel about Maja?
About Maja?
How do I feel about her how?
You have been approved to mate with her.
You're an ideal astrological match.
And she has fixed her hopes on you.
I think I ate one of her pubic hairs.
Sounds probably right.
Stop!
Stay here.
Are you ready?
- What are we doing? - You'll see.
Stop!
- You're so good! - What does that mean?
Eight! Eight!
- There are eight left. - What?
For you.
Thanks.
What is it?
It's... Sorry.
Spring water with special properties.
Okay.
- Okay. - What does it do?
It... it breaks down your defenses
and opens you for the influence.
Okay.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
You know what?
I'm worried I'll have a bad trip.
No, no. You won't. You won't. Trust me.
- I don't speak Swedish. - What?
What? What?
What's happening?
You are our May Queen.
- Me? - Yes!
- Why? - You won!
What does that mean?
What? Oh, my god.
Mom? Mom?
Oh, my God, Dani! May Queen!
Herring?
What for?
It's tradition. For good luck.
Yeah.
- What? - And you must eat it whole.
- But the tails go in first. - No, no, no!
You must try!
Very good try.
Excuse me...
What's going on?
Why did you do that?
To our May Queen!
Skal! Skal!
You are the family now! Yes?
Yes, you are the family.
Like sisters.
Your dance was amazing.
I've never seen someone dance like that.
Now, it's traditional for the May Queen
to bless our crops and livestock.
And after the luck you just inherited from that salt herring,
we should all be doubly encouraged.
Can Christian come with me?
Nay.
The Queen must ride alone.
Repeat after me.
Breathe in.
For your vitality.
We shall go now to Siv's house.
What's this?
It is a special meeting, only for the Queens.
And she will bless you.
What's that?
That's not for us.
I think you should not.
No, no, no.
Christian?
Christian.
Hello, there you are.
Listen.
You can't speak. You can't move.
All right?
Good.
On this, the day of our deity of reciprocity,
we gather to give special thanks
to our treasured sun.
As an offering to our father,
we will today surrender nine human lives.
As Harga takes, so Harga also gives.
Thus, for every new blood sacrificed,
we will dedicate one of our own.
That is four new bloods.
Four from Harga.
And one to be chosen by the Queen.
Nine in all to die
and be reborn in the great cycle.
The four new bloods have already been supplied.
As for our end, we have two already dedicated
and two who have volunteered.
Ingemar and Ulf.
You have brought outside offerings.
Plus volunteering your own bodies.
You will today be joined in harmony with everything.
And to Pelle, who has brought new blood
and our new May Queen,
you will today be honored for your unclouded intuition.
And so, for our ninth offering,
it is traditional that our fair Queen shall choose
between a preselected new blood
and a specially-ordained Hargan.
Turbeyon.
Honorable Turbeyon! Please step forward.
And...
Christian Hughes.
These are the candidates for the ninth and final offering.
We patiently await your verdict.