Original subtitles

Is there any body part you don't have pain in?

Yes, my forehead.

If you get a message, “No, there's absolutely nothing", then you are healthy.

Then you should be able to just embrace life.

Now we have the MRI result and everything is fine.

He's healthy.

But it seems that he lost the spark of life somehow.

That should be our golden age.

We should have a good time when we're pensioners.

And now he just sits there.

He doesn't think life is much fun anymore.

Dad, how do you feel now, on the last day?

Yes, we've been here before, eh?

Even on Saturdays and Sundays.

It's been...

...fantastic, but it feels...

...a little strange now.

Then I open a classroom door for the last time here.

Quite a feeling.

You're retiring, Lars.

And a piece of Ullvi College's soul disappears with you.

I'm convinced that Lars wants it.

We'll have wine, food, travel.

I felt like a new moon.

Lars! Lars! Lars!

Have a good time.

You see, I haven't lost the knack.

Good luck! See you!

Lars Hammar usually says...

"Life is not a grill with bread from the local supermarket."

"Life can be so much more."

Lars... What are you going to do now?

It'll probably mean a lot of travel. France of course.

I hope it's waiting for me...

What the French call "a third age".

So I hope it might start when I walk out that door there.

Think who you were.

Are you going to sit and rot away...

...in a fucking leather armchair in Koping, for ever more?

An old leather armchair from Belgium.

Mum says you're not doing anything.

She means that I don't have any one specific activity. I don't have that.

I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm trying to read a bit, but it's not like it used to be.

So you only think negative thoughts?

I don't know what I'm thinking, but it's not always that easy.

Everyone wants you out of this Belgian leather armchair.

It feels a bit like you're just sitting, waiting to die.

Yes, it's clear one has lost the spark a bit. I know that.

It's hard to watch, Dad.

I can understand that.

It's a bugger that things have gone the way they have.

But you can improve, Lars. We've said that. You can improve.

For my sake and yours. We have 10 years left of our life.

At least 10 years.

Do you think you have ten years left?

10 years?

It could happen if I get a revelation.

Of course I still love life and want to stay alive.

Not least for my children and my wife, but...

You simply don't recognise yourself.

We left Koping on June 28. Day of the week... Friday.

We drove off at Baden-Baden. Fantastic run on the autobahn.

Monday 15 July. Happy birthday. Dad turns 49 this summer.

In the evening we went to Catalan and ate.

Myself, Philip, ate ratatouille and ham.

We ate cheese fondue and lived it up. It cost 771 francs.

So it was pretty good.

We have gone for walks in Beaulieu and ate pizza on the pedestrian street.

We've been swimming in La Baie de Fourmis.

Dad doesn't use sunscreen, but he gets over it in a few weeks.

- What are you doing now, Linda? - Eating chips.

- And what do you drink? - Coca-Cola.

When was the last time you tap-danced, do you think?

It must have been when I said goodbye to my last class in college.

Listen! Shall I shake you up?

No, it has to be this way.

You have to tap-dance again.

Are you Anders?

Yes. Hello.

Do you have an orange Renault 4?

Yes, that's right.

It's over here.

I'll start to cry, then you find fault with it.

I'm like that. Look! This car... It's like my entire childhood.

No air conditioning?

No, but here's a pretty good thing.

It goes well with Swish.

Damn, how happy I am now!

- Hello to you! - I just picked up the car.

It's like going around in a moving-box or something.

Right now I'm pushing to get it up to like 60 kph

Is it even legal?

We're not going to have a head-on collision with a truck on the autobahn.

- You don't sound very enthusiastic. - Yes!

I have no idea of my function... or how I'm to help your dad.

You're not helping my father. You'll be helping me.

Some ideas I have, only you understand.

Among the worst you know is... "This is an organic process."

- Yes, you can say that. - I can't do this without you.

It's incredible!

Be a little careful with the boot lid...

Did you hear? Shut gently.

What did you say? Shut what?

- Now we drive. - We'll see if we can get away.

It's not the easiest.

- There are actually seatbelts. - There's everything!

When we reached the coast at Nice he said "Children, wake up now."

“Now we're down south. Now real life begins."

"When?" "Soon, kid. Last curve." I'm almost laughing now.

I'm getting goosebumps. "We had a last curve in Grebbestad."

They went around and saw the sea for the first time.

"Last curve, kid." Then... there was the bay.

"Only the Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio can compete with this beauty."

I get a little moved when I think about it.

Throughout our lives, Dad in France symbolised joy.

Then I'll take him on a trip like we did when I was younger.

To shake him up.

Because if he gets to experience places and situations he was involved with...

...I feel there might be a big comeback for him as a person.

People say you shouldn't recreate what has been. But why not?

Maybe because you may be disappointed.

Imagine if you succeed. You'll get back a lot more...

...than the pain of being a little disappointed.

I think you're in it too because you love me.

How can you react like that? I'll be happy if you come along.

If he doesn't make the trip or if I don't try to activate him...

...then I don't think he's with us for much longer.

Hello!

Goodness! Hello, Philip!

Where's Dad?

Hello there. We're leaving today. For France.

How come?

What?

We're going to France.

You'll get to relive your life's bright moments.

I have to get dressed.

Are you nervous? No?

Well... hugely.

What are you nervous about?

I'm here with my petty ailments, feeling physically weak.

Your back won't get better, and you won't look any better...

but your soul will feel better.

Go with Mum, and you'll get... I'm not packing for you.

Be a bit happy now.

I can't be happy, by being told to.

I was a little shocked too.

Stop now. Just go and pack.

I have to drink water... Otherwise I'll pass out.

Which shorts do you want, Lars?

I don't remember what they are like.

Then we'll take these.

Then there's his toiletry bag...

I don't know if there is room for this thick book.

It's about de Gaulle and the war...

Time to get dressed, Lars.

I can't do everything at once.

So, pull it after you.

Can you lift it onto the carpet?

Lars has a little backpack... with hankies and a small dictionary.

- A small dictionary? - He always wants it with him.

Fredrik can be useful to have with you.

You need help carrying me in and out of the institutions.

"institutions"?!

Fredrik can get you to find joy in life.

- You're depressed. - No, I'm not depressed.

- What do you call it then? - A little down, as they say.

Yes, it's depression, Lars. Now it's like this.

We'll soon see each other again.

We don't know that.

Of course we do! It will just be fun.

- Careful I don't fall. - No, I'm holding you, Lars.

You know that don't you?

You'll be fine.

Isn't it lovely?

Yes, it's superb.

Here you sit, Dad. Are you getting in? Great.

It's like a copy of the one we had. Renault Quattro.

It was a bit crowded back here.

Fredrik will sit in the back.

- He hasn't got in? - Well, I'm sitting here, Lars.

That is worrying.

Let's get going.

Now, Lars, what an adventure!

Yes, the last trip.

It doesn't have to be.

THE LAST TRIP

On our way to Paradise. Is there one?

Paradise?

- Does it exist? - I hope so.

You most of all of us deserve Paradise.

No, that's doubtful.

One sin has been terrible.

What sin have you committed?

- I abused a taxi driver. - What year was that?

It must've been when I studied in Lund. I finished in '68.

Your biggest sin was 60 years ago?

It can haunt me.

He didn't want to take all of us, so I suddenly blew up.

Nothing else you want? Next stop will be Malmo.

He'll have to pee a few times.

- Can you pee in a bottle? - No, thanks.

Let's get going.

- We're out here. - Oh, there you are.

Lunch in Albace. Albace.

46 francs. Voilà!

Slow down at... as you approach the toll booths.

I have seen lots of speed-checks there.

Now I remember a lot. I got this idea from the doctor.

- Was that how it was? - I think that's how I got the idea.

In the square in Beaulieu you saw all sorts affected.

There was, for example, an Arab stretched out.

An Arab stretched out?

Hello, Dad.

What happened last night?

I was going to go to the toilet and I fell and lay on the floor...

from three to eight.

My leg's stuffed.

But is it broken? No, it isn't.

No, I don't know that.

You got hit here. I see that.

How do you feel then?

Right now I feel a bit insecure actually, because...

What's the alternative? To go home?

Yes, that's right.

We'll see what a doctor says. I know you... You're my dad.

You'll be lying at home, worried sick about it.

- Yes, it's not much with one. - It certainly is. Enough, now.

Have you had brain surgery? or the heart? Do you have a pacemaker?

No.

No other implants in the body?

No, I don't have any, do I?

If nothing is broken, let's talk about what we do.

You don't want to go home, do you?

I feel sorry for him, but at the same time so frustrated.

He's so insecure somehow. He's so... Yeah, I don't know.

And he hasn't… He's got no fighting spirit.

I've never met anyone with such low fighting spirit.

If he's not injured, he must go. He has to experience something.

We saw a crack, in the images.

It's a bit further out, at this bony nodule.

- I felt it crack. - Exactly.

When it's only visible on an MRI then you usually don't have to operate.

The idea has been anyway that we were going this afternoon.

But if it's not recommended, without... What do you think?

No, we recommend that you stay here over the weekend...

We'll see if you can walk, with the help of physio, and are not in too much pain.

If it's rehabilitation, you need to take it positively, with commitment.

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.

1, 2, 1, 2. Testing, testing. Travel diary.

The journey to France.

Now I'm sitting here in a hospital bed in Malmo...

...where we get very good service and help.

I'm a little sore and feeling not sure how this is going to go.

Tiina is on her way here to support me...

...and the guys are driving the car down to the French border.

They want me to connect up there when I feel better.

Filip wants so badly that this trip will come off.

Now your Mum is coming down, so there is no need for him.

Can you drink beer?

In Germany? Really!

But you can drink beer when you left your father behind?

Yes, I think you can.

He's coming to France.

Are there visiting hours? I can't be there all night?

Everything we're doing now is reasonable.

Shouldn't I have slept next to him?

Well, maybe.

It feels like a little bit like we're in a getaway car.

Yes, it does. We're escaping.

Damn, how disgusting.

GERMANY

Europe's most overtaken car.

We'll find a nice place by the French border, where he'll meet us.

You know you might also need give him a shower.

No way.

Well, if he needs help with that.

Do you know who will shower him?

No, no, no. We can't even discuss that.

I don't think I'm mentally ready to shower him yet.

To you it means nothing to shower him.

He's just an old man who stands naked while you lather him.

I've never done that with anyone. Life goes on regardless.

Like when you're little, you're showered by your parents.

When you get older, you shower your parents.

Life is also about a friendship that helps a friend to…

Lather your friend's father? No.

Shall we shower him together then?

What would I do?

Give me the support I need.

I tried to call Dad earlier. Then the nurse texted...

“I was with him when you called and said... Your son wants to talk to you."

"Lars was very tired and answered... Tell him I'm sleeping."

He may be completely overwhelmed. It's too much and you won't accept it.

There's no way in the world it's like that. None at all.

- If I'm being honest... - Now you must tell the truth.

I think what you are good at is...

...to suppress what's inconvenient or uncomfortable for you...

...and push it away, so it's no longer true.

It's clear that one doesn't say... "Tell him I'm sleeping."

- Yes, hello? - This is Tiina Hammar.

I'm going to see my husband, Lars Hammar.

Hello!

- This was hard, you know. - I know that.

- Can't you walk at all? - I haven't been allowed to.

They say you have to walk.

Has Filip heard from you?

Yes, yes, endlessly.

Surely he should walk? He says he's not allowed to.

- Well, he's allowed to walk. - You may walk, Lars.

It's pitch black. When I call, he goes through...

"Kurt Wuolikainen, Parkinsons. Gun Adelroth, MS."

He goes through them that way. You sit at home and write down.

- The Ailments Hall of Fame. - Fredrik Vikingsson, AIDS.

- No... Okay. - There's anti-inflammatory drugs.

Filip Hammar, gout.

- You mean a port-wine toe? - Yes, a port-wine big toe.

-Fredrik Wikingsson, brain dead. -No... What the hell?

- Filip Hammar, hunchback. - But you can't catch that!

Filip Hammar, fluid in the lungs.

Shall I tell you about the hotel room? He'd wet himself.

I take off his underpants and find new ones in the suitcase...

put them on him and it feels like it's almost a secret.

It's almost like I'm doing something illegal.

Thousands of pages on de Gaulle's life.

So it will take a few years.

Maybe I'm dead...

I've met him over the years and his decrepitude has accelerated.

- You see that too, don't you? Or? - But like this... "Snap out of it."

You want it to be that way. But that may not be the case anymore.

Yes, it is.

- Do you want to get up and walk a bit? - I can't do it.

You can a little bit.

You know why he does this thing for you? Because he loves you.

He wants you to feel good.

So stressful.

You know who comes from Brussels and means a lot to Dad and me?

- No. - Drive now! What are you up to?

Well, the rear view mirror...

Who comes from Brussels?

Jacques Brel. Dad idolises him.

Dad sometimes went into the living room, closed the door and came out in tears.

Like he'd gone to a service station and filled up with passion and love.

Dad always said, “It was here Brel filed the divorce papers."

- Did he divorce many times? - Maybe he didn't get divorced.

Your father thinks so. Then you turn you this way. We send to your father.

Is that Brel?

It's not successful around the mouth.

It's third-rate.

It's not really good.

- It rather grotesque. - It's not good at all.

This will be nice. What do I write?

"See you soon."

You have been here with your father many times.

What did he used to say?

You never allow me to be sensual.

What did your father say when you were standing here?

"Sorrow and joy. Brel was always the same person."

I see now that the statue is from 2017.

But you have a lot of childhood memories!

Hello there.

Hello. Thanks for all the nice pictures.

-You know it's Father's Day today. - That's sweet of you. Really.

As a Father's Day present, I sent...

Underberg liqueur.

You really liked it.

Yes, yes. For my stomach.

For his stomach.

- How are you? - Unexpected to be sitting like this...

In my 80s.

Has age anxiety got stronger?

No. We can talk about this when we are home.

No, Lars, when we're in France.

It feels so far away.

Stop now! Now I'm fucking sad. Hello! can you hear me

I sit in a wheelchair all the time.

But it's a bit in your head, isn't it?

No, but it... It feels impossible, Filip.

He was much more alert, but it was bad news.

It's great that he's alert, but now you actually get to realise…

Have some more beer. You've drunk four.

You realise, when he says... Oh, I don't know...

Hey, Mum. You're in the hospital?

That's me all the time these days.

Take Dad down to the courtyard. I've prepared a little surprise.

Hello to you.

Hello, hello.

Lars, it has been almost 35 years since we met in Koping once.

Filip told me that it made a big impression on you and him.

So now we are invited to sing some Brel songs in all their simplicity.

We've had enough of our storms

lifelong love is madness

At least a thousand times have I escaped you

and you have packed your bags

In this room only for two are all the old lightning strikes

Even the furniture can be remembered

We have a little longer for our crying you are tired of defeat

And I am tired of always winning

my beloved

my tender, wonderful beloved

Happy birthday. Dad turns 49 this summer.

- What are you doing now, Linda? - Eating chips.

- And what do you drink? - Coca-Cola.

Filip does this thing for you because he loves you.

Tuesday. The pain is there all the time, but I do what I can.

Today I managed ten metres.

Look, Lars. Now I will be really happy, you know.

- Thursday... 20 metres. - Fighting, fighting!

BRUSSELS

FRANCE

This is probably the furthest you've gone. Isn't it, Lars?

Now damn it... Now we're on a damn roll.

Good morning and welcome aboard this flight to Luxembourg.

Now you have to shake your head. But just pass by!

- You bastards... This is how he did it. - No.

- Now they're coming, I think. - Is that them?

- Hello, monsieur. - Hello, mes amis.

You see how close we are to France? There are only a few metres left.

I don't want to hug til we're in France. You feel good, seem alert.

There's Fredrik. Wave.

Hi, Lars.

Do you see what is written there?

This close I haven't been in a long time.

My heart begins to beat.

Hi, Lars. Nice to see you.

- What kind of greeting is this? - He's been in and I...

It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. The coldest thing I've ever been through.

Does it feel good, Lars?

Yes, this feels great. It is almost a religious experience.

- Are you there, Lars? - You have to hold the steering wheel.

- But I don't see anything. - Turn right, Dad!

Keep right!

- More right! - Vive la France.

- Left, Dad! - He's almost blind.

Voilà. We're in France, Dad. Now we drive.

- It can be slippery here. - It's not slippery.

Now we're going to uncork. Now we have some calvados.

Say "Damn life is great!"

- Damn, how wonderful life is. - Yes!

How does it feel?

Damn, it's strong!

Now that we're inside France, can we not drive directly to a church?

Absolutely. But I feel sometimes that God doesn't really deserve you.

What great thing has he done for you, that he's not done for others?

He made you, for example.

Maybe that's what I wanted to hear.

I'm trying to get started again.

Yes.

Everything has changed. I have become defensive.

I used to be aggressive.

- And I've lost a little... - You want to regain your strength.

Your inner, spiritual strength.

You want your inner self to wake up.

True.

It is important. You've started something quite beautiful.

Lighten your heart. Confess your sins.

It is a very old thing.

- And maybe a little ridiculous, but... - It doesn't matter.

I behaved very badly against a taxi driver.

And it haunts me to this day.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit...

...may you be forgiven for all your sins. Amen.

We sign the cross. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

- Amen. - Amen.

It felt good. I might very well come here again before I die.

Do you feel that time is near?

Yes, indeed.

When I was rude to the taxi driver, I used profanity.

I get it, profanity.

I don't understand how I could do so to the driver.

- He is a very good man. - Yes, indeed. Bye then.

- Thank you very much. - Don't mention it.

Amortisseur - silencer.

Le turbot - turbot.

Linda ate for dinner spaghetti à la ratatouille.

That's what I'll never forget. What should I do?

- How useless they are. - Damn, what bloody pigs.

-Time to reassess France. - He was Polish.

Damn, how relieved he was that he was a Pole.

Why was it even France?

I have no explanation for that-

More than my mother making me wear a beret when I was a little boy.

That beret ruled my thoughts.

Shall I help you? I can do that.

You don't even have to…

Now you have nothing on that one, Dad. It's empty.

- It looks like... - Do this. Wait. We do it like this.

So just put it directly here.

There you have foie gras, right off.

Yes...

Huh?

It's extraordinary.

I thought a lot about this with France. Was it mostly its mentality?

It was so much fun meeting people who don't stop at a stop sign.

And every Frenchman is a little president.

But... you're missing it. There, hold it like that.

But now you get... What's that? It's like going back to childhood.

Cheers, Dad.

Exquisite.

What is it?

Delicious.

It's almost childish, but what is the best you know, the very best?

My own ratatouille.

I'm the best there is in Europe.

Yes.

Yes, it's undeniably good.

I'll get increasingly cocky when we sit like this.

What's the secret?

You fry everything... I've been told that.

You don't leave the kitchen too early, but you go on endlessly.

Is this glass crooked...? or is it me who's crooked?

You sit and think about everything. Just take the glass and just drink.

Up. Up, up, up, up.

Now it comes... now it's coming...

- Did you get any? - No.

- We'll try again. - No, wait a minute, it's...

- I have a problem with... - That's alright.

Would you have chosen the teaching profession today?

- Yes. - How quickly you answered.

- So you were 20 years old, you'd... - I'd chosen to become a teacher.

It is a great life to be a teacher, if you don't discuss salaries.

It's a great life to be able to good for young people.

Do you feel you succeeded in that?

One can only hope so.

You were often more into hanging out with your students than with colleagues.

If I got to promote French, because I said "bonjour" to everyone.

To this day, I meet old students who never studied French...-

...say "Bonjour, monsieur".

I saw an old student in town...

...who was completely smashed. He said... "Aren't you living in France?"

The myth was that I was always in France.

I said... "No, Torbjorn, it wasn't quite like that."

He lay back on the bench and I continued into the grog shop.

He came running after me and said... "Damn it, Hammer, you knew my name!"

It is perhaps the greatest experience as a teacher.

When a completely screwed up man...

What he thought was good in life was that I remembered his name.

Then I almost felt that it was the best I did in my teaching work.

Then it became big, I must say.

- Cheers, Dad. - Cheers, Philip.

Are you moving a bit there? Good, Dad.

And then you lie down.

What the hell? As I say…

Once upon a time you put me to bed, didn't you?

- Do you remember that? - Yes, of course I remember.

I'm completely exhausted. Thank you for a fantastic day and evening.

- Good night. - Good night. Sleep tight.

There's always a cost to love, whether to children or a woman.

When death comes, for example.

Or there's a price from being hard to love. Right?

Yeah.

First morning on French soil.

The breakfast was the very best here. Fantastic and with fine ingredients.

Where do you like best? There, right?

The way here has been full of hardship.

But I'm so happy to be back in my second homeland.

Now it's not far to our final destination.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer down by the Mediterranean Sea.

Every day when we were at the beach would you go out to the orange line.

You would then pee there. "Filip, swim away now," you said.

And then you swam on your back... I loved it!

Because I remember that you were so fit then.

It was “the most beautiful place in the world to pee on" because you saw the Alps.

You lay there, so it was backstroke.

What's the best thing about peeing in the sea?

The freedom.

One, two, three...

- So. - Easy now!

A son trying to help his father out of bed. So.

I hear so badly, so it's describable. Age really is…

Forget your age and enjoy what it's like to see France again.

Look. Life isn't that damn shitty.

No, but I'm a pessimist.

I remember that we ordered a large beer...

And then a parrot appeared which flew up onto the counter.

Suddenly the parrot stuck its whole head into the beer.

It got caught...

When you drive past cities, you think...

"Beziers! It was right there...

...where the parrot stuck its head into the beer."

- Then you're fine. - I agree. It's amazing.

Did you see the parrot again?

We spent the night there.

It later sat on the counter and looked pissed off.

He laughs all the time.

Here you sat in the car every summer.

“Kids, kids, we'll soon be there. Two curves to go."

We looked forward to that every year. So damn nice. Here it was, Dad.

"One curve to go, kids."

I don't know what time we arrived, then.

Half past six, says Tiina here.

And later in the evening we took a walk to Saint-Jean...

...and sat us down at a bar there. Mum and Widens had four calvados.

It was quite expensive. 38 kronor each.

Tina Turner lived up here.

- You met her, right? - No, that was Krister.

Exactly that. My cousin met her in a phone booth, Dad says.

So. I'll get you out on the other side.

It's been a few years since you were here.

Yes, it was a long time ago.

- It's exactly the same colours, the same... - Nothing has changed.

Possibly the same grumpy neighbours.

Do you feel it smells the same? Like when the French cook lunch.

That's exactly right, yes.

And then finally just... There.

It's easy with us. So yes.

Now you, Lars. This is holy ground right?

Yes, this was the room we had. It feels fantastic.

You know what? We'll stay here this time too.

Now, Dad, you cross the threshold once again, 20 years later.

It's even more... God, what a feeling.

Think about it... Everything's the same.

What did you used to do with the stove?

Ratatouille.

Dad, we'll do that again.

Here we sat and watched French football matches.

Now that you mention it, I remember it right away.

There was just a hell of a lot of noise here.

Yes, when the trains go past.

God, how nice it was here.

Damn, what a noise!

You get used to it.

Can you stretch up a little?

Up with you head.

Then you'll see the Mediterranean.

Yes, it's sensational.

In my life, this is a museum. Here he talked... People laughed...

Then the damn train came right by. And just as the train came…

- Then he took a break in the anecdote. - A pregnant pause.

He had so much confidence and knew it was worth the wait.

"You guys just wait."

It was an anecdote about Harry Belafonte who was very popular on the Riviera.

In a small circle.

I remember the story about Harry Belafonte.

The whole family was sitting, eating, and Harry Belafonte sang on television.

Must you drag it up again?

He was singing in some gala to help children in Africa or whatever.

Tiina's admiration for this man... The words just flowed out.

"He's handsome too. And sends money for the children in Africa.

Which prompted me to finally say...

"Who knows if the money will arrive there?"

I've fixed for old friends to come, so he'll get to tell the story again.

Lars as a storyteller in Beaulieu.

But then a train will come here?

Yes. So I want to time this with surgical precision.

So he is in the middle of the anecdote when the train comes...

...and can enjoy the pregnant pause.

How long is the anecdote?

25 seconds should do it.

I walk in the opposite direction,

....start the watch here and find a benchmark.

When the train comes I'll ring you and say "Begin the anecdote."

- Then I have to get him started. - When will the guests arrive?

They're coming pretty soon. Go down, check the times and go.

Perfect. Thank you very much.

Who do you see?

I saw Luc and Ella. How are you? I come to life.

- How nice to see you. - Nice to see you.

- We had great times. - Hello, Lars.

-Nice to see you again. -You've changed a bit.

-You've changed a bit as well. - Very much.

We're there. When we pass the grocers I call and say "now".

How the hell is this going to work?

Pierrette, amazing!

Oh, Dad…

He takes care of you like a baby. Do you remember our picnic?

- Yes, yes, yes. Up on... - We ate well and drank like fish.

That's when we danced.

I have a benchmark.

So now shall I take the train past the apartment?

Damn, so many people. It's completely full.

Have to try.

- Sorry. Sorry. - Watch out!

Okay. Now we're moving.

- How long will it take? - It only takes a few minutes.

Do you know who you are sitting next to? A 79-year-old pin-up?

I'm no pin-up.

It's a strange atmosphere. The focus is on him.

It would be better in an hour.

You have to go out on the balcony now, because now we're up and running.

Okay, wait. Now it's recap from the past years.

Now they are having a good time.

- Gordon passed away. - Jean too.

I heard that Yves is dead.

And the wife gets oxygen around the clock.

Are you up there now? Right away...

- Now! - Philip? Yves is dead.

We'll take it later.

Now you must tell the story about Harry Belafonte.

The anecdote about Harry Belafonte.

He must start now!

- I have a problem with... - Yes, yes, yes...

Okay, tell the story. The Harry Belafonte Story.

- Okay... - Now!

How did it go? Did he do it?

He...didn't even get started.

We sat and watched a television program with Harry Belafonte.

- A charity gala. - Wait.

Tiina said... “What a man, what a handsome man he is."

“He is rich and gives money to the poor."

It was too much for me, so i said...

“Who knows if the money ever gets there?"

- So it went. - Fantastic! Good!

Bravo! A toast to Lars.

- That's good! You still have it. - I could have done better.

No, it was amazing.

- Take care of your heart. - I know, I know.

- You were at the beach all day. - You were as red as a crab.

My husband and I laughed all the time...

...when Lars went home...

...had a glass of wine and then went back to the beach.

The poor people wondered what it was. They hadn't seen Dad in 15 years.

- The son urges him to tell it. -"Tell the Harry Belafonte!"

Now it turned out as it did. And he learns a lesson...

"He's learning a lesson." Damn!

- Terrible. Ice cold. -"He's learning a lesson."

We want him to blossom as a storyteller who...

And then we put time pressure on him, a damn train that's on its way.

- Whose idea was it? - It was yours.

- Your stress rubbed off on everyone. - I wasn't even there!

You believe in a magic wand. We put Dad on the balcony...

Then everything will be as before.

You might have to accept that it won't be like that.

What then? It was... Yes, I still have hope.

Another beautiful day in this amazing country.

Today I asked the guys to make an excursion to Sete...

The birthplace of the great troubadour Georges Brassens.

Now you can return to Sete, you must really be feeling joy.

There's just so much here.

Not least all the climate zones you pass through in France.

- Are there so many climate zones? - Can't we let him believe that?

Do you have to be picky about it?

Huh? Let him damn well believe it.

What is the best thing about him?

That he committed himself to the weak.

And of course the music.

- Look! - You're straightening your back!

Hang on to this. Look at my hand.

- Looks like you're healing now. - Yes, that's wrong.

- We've talked a lot about death. - I'm not afraid of that either.

Is it macabre to think about it?

No, you prepare yourself.

One at a time. Not so big steps. Now!

- I missed the last bit. - But it was really nice.

You played his songs on guitar. When did you start doing that?

I'm so overwhelmed now, it's hard to express myself.

Do you want to sit here by yourself for a bit?

I guess so.

- Good day, sir. - Good day, sir.

Why are you here?

To honour Georges Brassens.

I'm here with my son.

We're making a last journey together.

I see.

I brought some flowers.

- I'll leave you alone. - Thanks.

Take another step, Lars, so you get a bit closer.

Okay.

- Will you move without a walker? - No, I can't.

- Can you play the guitar? - No, I can't do that either.

- I've tried and tried. - It was a big part of your life.

No, it simply doesn't work.

I still think that sometimes the old dad is visible.

It's unbelievable. It's an experiment.

What you see is... he's capable of being well.

He's capable of forgetting his problems.

Go on red now. It's France. "In France, everyone runs red lights."

In line with that, I had wanted to try something to help a little.

Your Dad has said 1,000 times...

...that one of the best things with the French...

...is how they argue in traffic.

They jump out of the car, scream abuse, then drive off on their way.

Crazy that he romanticises it.

I have booked at a casting agency, actors who can stage a fight.

- A completely foolish idea in many ways. - I know.

- Now I take command. - Yes, this has nothing to do with me.

- Hello. - Hello, my name is Filip.

- He will believe it is real. - Really, yes.

It's where the key is to his rediscovered joie de vivre.

And you just smoke! Idiot!

Can you move the car? Just move the car!

Let me know when the slap will happen.

That's enough, Fredrik.

You have to say "And now a slap" You said "And then a little slap."

I never thought I'd say that.

Yes, we are done. An important thing...

So we'll know when you think we to start, then you say something like...

"Time to get cracking."

It'll be the signal to get us started.

I'll see if I can make it.

You can handle that.

Yes, almost.

If it went into your mouth, you drank it.

But it doesn't sound ridiculous with this voice?

Shall we clear our throats? One, two, three...

- Well, we can't sit here and... - No one thinks about it.

- "Time to get cracking". - Well, it's happening.

Hello!

- Everything good? - Yes, then. By yourself then?

Hello! Is that your car? Move it, please.

Wait, wait.

Can you move the car?

What do you think with? It's one-way here.

I still get to stay. You have to wait a bit.

- What are you talking about? - What?

Move the car, so I can make it in time and you can go to your friends.

Take it easy.

Are you just going to smoke? Move it right now!

He lights a cigarette... There you see the freedom.

- Move the car! - Stop. Go home and do some housework.

Seriously? Do you think I'm a cleaning lady?

- Okay, okay. - Move your damn car!

And as usual you say nothing! Damn it!

Scram!

This is like watching a play. French freedom!

We sincerely apologize.

- It has a certain charm. - If you say so, then...

Those moments were so amazing. From the Champs-Elysees and...

Sitting and watching... traffic and people.

This was a real highlight.

Well, actually, this scene is now attached to my skull.

It feels like you're enjoying yourself.

The first time on the Riviera was in 1963.

Then I instantly fell in love with this part of France.

Everything is exactly the same.

It is only me who has changed.

I'm glad that Filip remembers so much of our time here.

Dad, here we bought the newspaper 'Onze'. Do you remember that?

He probably remembers more than I do.

It was VM '82. I was seven years old.

We always had these every year.

We can't pretend it's 1982, but we can see bits of the match.

Here's the pharmacy.

That's where you went in when you had haemorrhoids.

But you didn't want to say it was you. You said, "My son has anal problems."

You used to lie down there. Every single day all summer.

I have it. So. I'm holding it. Take another step. Lovely. So.

It is touching to see how much of an effort he makes for me.

Maybe you should get a parrot.

Yes, I've thought about it.

I have heard of parrots who learned to swear and say "damn".

That would be fun to hear.

This is where Linda learned to walk and here you learn to walk again.

Incredible, Dad!

On the verge of a miracle.

Rocheteau there, with long hair.

What was the goalkeeper's name? Schumacher?

Oh, Marius Tresor, the chain smoker.

- What the hell? - Look! He walked into him on purpose.

Bloody hell!

Alain Giresse. You'd always say that he was shorter than you are.

Father and son become close.

I've missed these moments.

What's the status of the parrot?

I'm sending a photo of my favourite.

Wait! It's not even a parrot, is it?

- It says "le perruche" here. - I think it's a parakeet.

Is it that important?

A big fucking parrot in lovely colours...

And it must talk and sing and imitate sounds.

It must be a charismatic parrot.

It would be fun for Dad, to meet a parrot before we go home.

Last day, Dad. Remember...?

That was when you always made your ratatouille.

Europe's best.

We'll have paprika.

Onion. There we have eggplant.

- It can be fun to have. - You're getting a little carried away here.

Do you have garlic? I'm cooking "The Last Supper".

- He's a pessimist. - Probably just in his head.

It was fun that I got to say that.

- What do you think? - Fantastic.

- The kitchen, Dad. - Fantastic memories.

The noise from the children in the school yard.

Encouraging. They're having fun.

Now we make ratatouille. Do you remember?

Sure do.

You'll feel a tingle in your stomach, right? You'll be a master chef again.

- Do you cook these days? - No, it's been a long time.

Things you've stopped doing because you don't feel capable...

...are what you should start with again.

Maybe start playing the guitar.

Yes, then I have to learn.

You can play the guitar.

So, now it's locked.

The world must be allowed to enjoy the world's best ratatouille.

The glory days are about to begin again. We're going to slowly reach them, right?

This is a big step.

Yes...

Is the knife blunt?

We'll test another... a big one. But the right way round. So.

- So that you don't come across as... - ...completely gone.

Maybe a little further along here. Try there. So. Just press down.

I'm holding on. Press down!

If we make it smaller then?

It's the wrong vegetable, to start with.

They're tough. Eggplant is easy, right?

Slice it however you want.

So yes. Try cutting it then maybe.

Now. So.

Dad...

Wait, I'll be right back.

Then you sit here with your guitar.

The day I can't sing this song...

...as fast as I've always sung it, then I'll stop.

That verse went well, eh? Next.

And then it comes.

Well. Now we're in place.

Well. I...

I think we'll skip the parrot, actually.

Yes. And... What do you mean?

I pushed Dad too hard.

Now he's sad...

...and I feel like a fool.

The steam has completely gone out of him.

It's amazing to sit with you here.

I hope you're not disappointed with me, Philip.

Why would I be?

Because I'm not the same as before.

Time has passed.

That's right, Dad.

I have one last thing for you.

- A movie screen? - Yes.

Fantastic.

After all, this is your favourite place on earth, almost.

What kind of movie is there? Will I recognize it?

I think so.

You said once that your ashes will be spread here later.

That's right.

We'll do that next time.

Now we'll look... You'll understand what it is.

- Hello, Lars. - Hello, Lars.

When I chose French in the autumn of 1973, I had no idea...

...that I'd also get to meet a then 31-year-old teacher...

...which would affect how I thought in the future.

Hans-Erik.

An epithet that fits like a glove for you, Lars, is "one of a kind".

You brought France into the classroom...

...and offered a fantastic trip through art and music.

We learned about Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf and the taste of omelette.

You gave so much of yourself and lifted all students.

What I have mostly brought with me is that life should just be lived.

Better to take the wrong train than to stand on the platform and wait.

You were the kind of person I believe that you need in your life as a young person.

You need someone to look you in the eye and believe in you.

Hi, Lars. In 1986 I started at Ullvi School in Koping.

I was quite a young boy, who sewed his own clothes.

And I was hugely afraid every day I went to school.

I saw all the individuals who could form a kind of protection for me.

And you were one of them.

I am so grateful that you made life a little easier for me.

Hi, Lars. It didn't matter if we met at school or...

...20-25 years later in town at the entrance to the Company.

You with your French wines and me with my case of beer.

You always took your time to chat.

And it was a nice...

...nice feeling.

When I went to school I had a terrible time.

I was bullied from elementary school until I took my matric.

If you didn't have your values and your calling...

...I might not have been like who I am today.

Because you were the one who really saw me.

Hi, Lars. When I came to Sweden and to Koping, we were alone.

You were the first person who helped me and my little son.

I remember the several Christmas Eves you invited us. We got to stay with you.

You have a heart made of gold.

Few people have influenced me as much in my life as you have.

I felt seen.

I felt heard.

I felt loved in another way...

...compared to how other teachers treat their students.

I'm certainly not alone in feeling this way.

But you are quite alone...

...in how you are.

And I am so grateful…

...because you exist.

Lovely.

-Thanks. - So I just say: Thank you, Lars.

- Thank you, Lars. - Thank you, Lars.

- Thank you, Lars. - Thank you, Lars.

Incredible.

It feels powerful as well... how...how...how...

Yes, it's so huge... that I can hardly speak.

If I can't seize life after this, then no one can do it.

- I love you, Dad. - Yes...

Same to you, Philip.

Here.

- Cheers, Dad. - Cheers, cheers.

Now it's like this that if I can speak, just before i die...

...and God the Father asks me... "Well, Lars, did you have a good life?"

Then I answer "yes". I do. I answer "yes!" clear and distinct.

Dad! I'm peeing!

Freedom!

Final report from France. Only hours to go home.

Beaulieu, my paradise on earth.

Maybe it was the last time we saw each other.

In that case it was a beautiful "adieu".

Over and out.

Wait, shall I help you? So. Now it is locked.

If you turn around... Yes, but it is locked. I have it.

- Now it moves. - Just sit down.

I'll check here...

But now it's locked, so.

- I don't know... Is it? - Yes, it is locked now. So there. Perfect.

Can't we stay a while longer?

Here is 'Culture News'. The singer, the actor...

-and activist Harry Belafonte is dead.

The colours of the French flag.