Original subtitles

Hurry up!

Daddy!

Daddy!

What was the only thing about the island you didn't like?

Seaweed!

You little rascal!

You'll never catch me!

I'll find somewhere.

Is he looking for me?

We're not allowed out there.

I know.

I can dive.

Do you believe I can dive?

Of course I do.

Your father said he could dive too.

From that very same rock, probably.

Really? And could he?

He could dive-bomb.

Take a running leap and fly in

with his knees hugged up to his chest.

I could dive.

I was a very graceful diver.

I just let everything go, and you go down deep.

And the water's bright and clear towards the top

and full of bubbles.

Come get dressed. He'll be getting worried about us.

Please.

Hey!

Don't.

Stop. You're being naughty.

Yeah.

Come here...

What are you doing?

Listening.

Daddy's going to grow Cape daisies and lavender

and Dianthus... "chiensis" and all these.

And a mighty poplar tree

that'll be the envy of all the archipelago.

- Mummy's favourite tree. - Yes.

With branches going up to the stars.

Are you sure a poplar tree will grow on that?

Yes, I am.

Daddy, let's stick the packets on the wall in order of when they grow.

That's a very good idea, but I have a very important commission

from a very important publisher to illustrate

a very important book about cheesemaking.

- You could do it after this! - Sophia, just--

Mum would've done it with me.

Just... let me get on with my work.

He doesn't love me since she died.

Sophia...

That is nonsense.

That's why he likes having you here.

Come with me.

I want to ask you something.

What do you think there's more of,

stars in the sky or fish in the sea?

I can't see any stars.

Do you see any fish?

My guess would be stars in the sky.

Hmm...

Me too.

But I would not want to count them.

Do you think it will grow?

Yeah.

I hope it does.

They're just reflections, Sophia. Come here.

Come here.

Is the lion going to eat the man in the tent?

No.

No, he is there to protect him.

I call it the magic forest.

You call it the magic forest

because that's what I told you it was called.

Why did you take them out?

Because they are new and they rub.

What happened to your real ones?

You don't think these are real?

Your own ones!

You think these aren't mine?

- I found these here. - I made them.

You came in here and made them?

Yeah.

When?

Whenever.

Can you make another one? For me.

Can you?

If you fetch my penknife.

- Shall I tell Daddy you were sick? - No. Just fetch my penknife.

When did you make them?

Life is long, Sophia.

Sophia!

Hi, Eriksson!

I brought some fireworks for Midsummer.

They're damp. Tell your father.

- I can get him. - No. Just put them somewhere warm.

Did you tell Eriksson I was here?

- Yup. - What did he say?

He just said the fireworks. Tell you about the fireworks.

Why didn't you say "come and see Daddy"?

Or me. Did he ask about me?

Maybe he just wanted to see me. Did you ever think of that?

A cat!

That's been in there the whole time?

He did say to put the box somewhere warm! -Well...

You'll have to feed it some milk.

We've still got my old bottle in the attic!

All right.

- Oh, wise old Eriksson. - Beautiful.

I'm going to call him Moppy!

Moppy, we're never going to be parted.

Moppy!

Moppy! Where are you?

Sometimes I think I bloody hate Moppy!

What did he do now?

Seems like the more I love him, the less he likes me.

Well, that's cats for you.

You didn't tell me where you were.

Still you found me.

Daddy wants to be on his own too.

It's bloody boring!

Is it?

And you're up here sneaking a bloody cigarette.

What is all this "bloody"?

I don't know. It sounds good.

I think it's for if it all gets a bit too much.

Or if a lot of people come he doesn't want to see.

They had their honeymoon in that tent.

We need a list for Midsummer.

Midsummer is Midsummer.

We always do the same thing.

Except Eriksson is coming! It's a big deal.

- He could go anywhere. - Or nowhere.

He'll do what he likes,

and it's very hard to know what Eriksson likes.

He likes... Umm...

He likes the sea

'cause it's big and you never know what it's going to do.

Yeah, he likes the sea.

Oh, there it goes.

Sophia, come here.

Let's have a dance.

I'll be the man.

Midsummer blooms.

That. Go outside with that.

And this can go outside too.

Looks like the wind's picking up.

Mm...

Rain's not in the spirit of Midsummer.

How many Midsummers have you lived, Sophia?

Okay.

Herring and perch.

And new potatoes.

Broad beans, spinach, and...

...stewed pears.

But Eriksson doesn't eat pears or vegetables.

Eriksson isn't the only one eating.

If he even comes.

He is coming! He said the fireworks were for Midsummer.

Is that a promise to be here with us?

Come on. We'll put seven flowers under your pillow,

and you'll dream of the man you're going to marry.

Don't fill her head with superstitious nonsense.

What's "superstitious"?

Not trying to explain away things that can't be explained.

My grandmother was the superstitious one.

She would march into the room and say:

"Someone is going to die before the moon sets."

"They coughed three times."

- What, like... - Don't you dare!

You'd have to drink one of her horrible potions.

Shoo! You're a monster!

Oh, he's not a monster. It's his job.

Might as well be Midwinter.

Daddy's going to do the fireworks, Sophia.

Let her sleep.

You do it this year.

You think we should wait a little longer?

For Eriksson?

Maybe he won't come.

The stink of grief keeps him away.

Or self-pity.

I'm trying.

Not hard enough.

I won't be here forever.

Sophia.

- Ready? - Yeah!

Try the next one!

- Oh, come on! - Try the third one. Last chance.

- Hold me really tight. - Okay. Really tight.

Midsummer.

- Yeah. - Fly up, Daddy! Set off!

- Hmm? - Set off! Fly!

Together, together!

Or you'll just go round in circles.

Ah...

You get used to what the horizon is,

and then that happens.

Blustergull.

What does that sign say?

"Private property. No trespassing."

Give me those oars.

No well-bred person comes ashore to someone else's island

when there is no one home, but...

If you put up a sign,

it is a slap in the face.

It is provocation.

It's asking for trouble.

And why put everything way up there

when the only place to pull up your boat is right down here?

No steps, no nothing.

No nothing.

At least we can sit here

and not have to look at the bloody thing.

And I bet they don't even know about moss.

Moss? You can bet on it.

The thing about moss...

- Step on it once... - It springs back up.

- Step on it twice... - It doesn't.

Step on it three times, it's...

Dead.

Finito.

People come to these places,

and they have their big, fancy plans.

And they just...

...plonk them down.

Is that coming here?

Hide! We don't know where they are.

- Do you think they're coming? - I don't know.

- They're here! - They're coming?

- I don't know. - Coming this way?

I think they saw me.

Yoo-hoo! - Uh-oh.

Hello!

- Hello there! - Hello.

- Hello. - My name is Malander.

This is my wife and, uh... And my son, Christopher.

- We call him Tofer. - Ah.

Good afternoon, Mr Malander.

This is my granddaughter, Sophia.

She thought you had a dog, you see,

and I'm afraid she is very frightened of dogs.

I'm Hilma. Glad to meet you, Sophia.

Hello. This is Grandma.

Pleased to meet you, Grandma.

Should we go up to the house?

Oh. Do you have steps?

No. I'm sorry, not yet.

- Oh. - This way.

Thank you.

No. No, no, no.

Go like this.

Why don't you go and see what Tofer is doing.

He'll probably call the police. They've got a radio.

No. That would not be polite.

This is socialising, Sophia.

You have to learn how to do it.

One cognac.

And here is my special homemade lemonade

for this beautiful little girl.

- Thank you. - We'll let the grown-ups

have their horrible cognac.

- Well, skål. - Skål.

She's been coming here for 87 years. -47.

Well, that's incredible.

What can I say? It is paradise.

We think the view is quite something.

Panoramic.

We want to preserve the island as it's always been.

- My wife feels the same way. - Yes.

We're going to have boardwalks to protect the heather

and the wildflowers and the moss, of course.

- She's a moss fanatic. - And so am I!

Please, have some blueberry pie.

- Can I? - Of course.

You sure?

Thank you.

Forty-seven years!

I cannot believe it.

That deck, though. Well...

I suppose everyone has to make their own mistakes.

Your turn.

Jesus Christ!

Taking the Lord's name in vain.

I said Jesus, not God.

They're the same thing.

One's the father and one's the son.

- They're both-- - I don't care what they are.

Well, you should care, because--

I don't care about His family, Grandma.

- Sophia... - I don't care about families.

I think I hate families!

Go talk to her.

She doesn't want to talk.

There.

We cut a worm in two!

It's all right.

They'll grow back.

The two halves will make two new worms.

Sophia...

A worm shrinks up to one...

What?

One seventh of its normal size.

To one seventh of its normal size,

which makes it little and fat

and easy to stick a hook through.

- New line. - New line.

A worm that's cut in two knows it'll grow into two worms,

but we don't know how much it hurts.

What's that?

It's your father. Sitting down to his work.

I like it when he's working. Then I know where he is.

Don't light the lamp. Use a torch.

Here.

Mm...

They probably looked at each other

and thought they looked terrible

and then crawled away as fast as they could.

Then they started to think.

Life from now on would be very different,

but they just didn't know how.

Probably everything that happened to them after that

only seemed like half as much.

Would you like me to read it back?

I haven't got time now.

But save it for my children.

Hey. Hey, where are you going?

Into town. Go back to bed.

I want to come with you.

Okay. Can you be ready in 30 seconds?

I'm already.

- Hey, shoes. - No shoes!

I want to come with you.

But I'm going to read my book.

You invented Scouts, right?

Didn't you?

Baden Powell invented Scouts.

I just made it so girls could be Scouts here.

But why couldn't girls be scouts before?

Tell me about being a Scout and all the things you did,

and what it was like sleeping in a tent.

Close your eyes. Just for a moment.

Are there ants in heaven?

No.

How can God keep track of everyone who's praying?

He has assistants.

But what if there's no time to talk to the assistants?

Like if you had prayed 'cause you were falling out of a tree?

Then He has you catch on a branch

until he can deal with it.

So, Scouts.

We sat around the fire.

Oh, it was cold.

We had soup.

You make it sound rubbish.

The things I did when I was young that were fun and meant something

don't seem to mean anything any more.

So nothing you do with me is any fun?

Sophia.

I just meant that there are things I used to do

that I can't do any more.

What sorts of things?

I don't like it when you just lie there.

And I don't like it when day just follows day just follows day.

Time on top of time on top of time.

And the wind! Always blowing on this island.

But you usually like the wind.

Everything is gliding away from me.

I can't always remember things,

and usually I don't care.

But every now and then, I do care.

I really care.

But what can't you remember?

What it was like to sleep in a tent!

I was the one who made it so girls could sleep in tents!

Now I can't even tell you what it was like.

When are you going to die?

Never you mind.

Soon.

Why never mind?

Will they dig a hole?

How is it going?

I came to tell you what it's like to sleep in a tent.

I thought you'd want to know.

You're right. I do.

It's like you can hear everything much clearer

and the tent is very small.

It's nice that you can hear everything.

It makes you feel safe.

That's right.

You hear everything outside

like it's all come up very close.

And pine needles drop off the trees

and slide down the tent.

And you can hear them even though they're not making any sound.

Ah.

I remember that.

Its like everything in the island's in there with you.

But it's not.

Yes, like the whole island shrinks up around you

until you and it are like a raft on the sea.

I always thought we were floating.

I thought the island was floating.

I thought it and I didn't think it.

Well. Perhaps we are and we are not.

Dear God. I'm bored as beef.

Let something happen.

Like a storm, or anything!

Amen.

A lighthouse! Who lives here?

Nobody. Come help me.

Why did you never bring me here before?

When your father was a boy,

sometimes the lighthouse keepers

would let him go right to the top.

But they're not here any more.

You can still get in!

Wow!

Grandma!

Up here!

Grandma!

Daddy?

Oh no, my storm!

Sophia! Come, quickly!

We must get inside!

Good girl!

- What about daddy? - Don't worry.

He'll find us in here.

Dearest God. I've changed my mind about the storm.

Sorry to trouble you. Amen.

Dear God. Didn't you hear what I said?

I don't want the storm any more.

Grandma, where is he?

Is that all you've got?

Is it?

Sophia. Why don't you come help me.

I know I shouldn't have prayed for the storm!

Oh, Sophia.

I prayed to God for a storm,

and it's the end of the world and we're all going to die!

Everything's my fault, Grandma!

Sophia.

You know, I prayed for a storm too.

Did you?

Very early. Before you were even awake.

It's not your fault.

None of it's your fault.

Your mother loved a storm, didn't she?

She loved a storm.

She loved a storm.

Dear God, thank you.

Up to the stars.

Up to the stars.

Daddy! I'm going diving!

Geronimo!

Dive.

- I dove! - You dove!

- Whey! - Woohoo!

What will we put in the potion?

We are doing a posey for him.

He would never drink a potion.

Now, two leaves from the poplar.

And untie all that while we're at it.

So now, find a little snail shell.

- Found it! - Ah!

Ah, good.

One more. Ah, the shell.

Now...

Make sure you put it near him.

Are you sure it'll work?

Without a shadow of a doubt.

Autumn.

Eriksson?

That is not a boat.

It is your heart.