Chairman Mao would have liked this.
The first item on the agenda:
What constitutes the primary conflict in the world today?
Yes, Comrade Hilde?
I have had a clandestine affair with a married male Comrade.
I request the floor for self-criticism.
Shouldn't we rather discuss issues of national importance?
Sort those petit bourgeois things out for yourself.
I have had a decadent relationship with Comrade Eivind.
We have committed adultery.
A woman of the people has been hurt. Eivind's wife.
We used the Party to keep it secret, so I have to ask:
What kind of Party do we want?
This is not some private matter!
It's a matter of life and death for the Party.
It's reactionary to tolerate a relationship like this.
What use is a Party that does nothing -
- when I betray a woman of the people?
I don't need a Party like that.
A Party like that can never lead the people in their uprising.
I stand here because I don't want to rot.
I can't stand becoming a capitalist destiny.
That's why I became a Communist -
- and joined this Party.
Do something!
Exterminate me if necessary, or give me a final warning.
But show that you mean it -
- when you say that this Party will lead the people -
- in the battle against all oppressors everywhere.
Thank you.
I, too, offer self-criticism.
But more as a matter of principle.
I don't regret what I've done. I had a wonderful time.
The relationship's secret nature definitely made it more exciting.
I understand it's a breach of Party guidelines.
I accept that.
But I have been incredibly happy with Comrade Hilde.
Thank you.
The District Council issued a warning -
- for breach of Party Regulations paragraph 12, section 1.
Quite a serious matter.
Hi.
I don't think anyone noticed that my personal life was in ruins.
I think you should go back to your marriage. And stay there.
Do you still love me a little?
Next.
Hi.
- It's raining. - Yes.
Thanks.
The mention of her name is enough to...
I cry out inside, and...
I don't know what's wrong with me.
Her smell, and...
It's like an explosion inside me.
I've never loved anyone as much as her.
Her voice when she says my name.
And "Comrade."
Comrade...
That was stupid of you.
- Yes. - Yes.
So there's no chance of?
- No. - No.
- Good night. - Good night.
You can stay here for the time being.
I hope you'll like it.
What now began was the golden age of AKP (m-l).
I loved Nina more than ever. But my plan was to act normal.
Well, Nina, here we are again. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
Nina?
I wonder how the workers coped without us?
Must have been a sad state of affairs without us.
The belief that we would get back together was definitely there.
Only the girls are to sing the melody here, -
- but some of the lads come in and ruin it.
Come on, Comrades. Let's get started.
Harald, have you been to Ferdinand's Pub recently?
Yes, last Friday.
- Was it fun? - Yes, it was OK.
- What did you do? - Drank a few beers.
How many?
Three, perhaps?
- That's 42 kroner. - Yes.
- Go there often? - Maybe once a week.
And drink three beers?
Stop it, Nina. A man's allowed to drink a couple of beers.
I'm just pointing out that it costs 42 kroner a week.
Money that the Party could put to good use.
- Why do you go to Ferdinand's? - To have a good time. Meet people.
Couldn't you drink coffee?
Give me a break!
You expect me to drink coffee when everyone else is drinking beer?
Yes. Lots of people do.
Those who are driving, for example.
If you must drink, do it at home. With your friends at home.
That alone would mean an extra 20 kroner for the Party.
You can still go to Ferdinand's for one beer. Sip it, make it last.
Is that such a bad idea?
Anyway, after the Revolution, everyone will drink tea.
Hi...
- Hi. - Hi.
Are you seeing Jan Klåstad now?
Answer me!
- The man is an animal. - Knut!
I knew it was bourgeois of me to be jealous, especially of a worker.
Knut... Sure you don't want to come with us?
- Are you getting tired? - Yes.
Do you want to go to mummy?
What have you got there?
We'll see each other just as often, -
- even though you're moving a thousand miles away.
Knut! Knut!
The USA has been driven out by the Vietnamese!
I knew it was only a political embrace.
But I took what little I could get.
There must be more than this.
Have you seen Anna Nicolaysen and her husband? They promised to come!
Damn!
- I don't see Marit Knutsen either. - Come on, let's line up.
How many are we?
Sixty.
Count the baby carriages, too. Don't forget.
And count all the wheels.
NATO out of Norway! USA out of Cambodia!
You shouldn't joke about the baby carriages.
Those babies aren't here of their own free will.
It would be an insult not to count them.
Imagine the pride, knowing they took part -
- in the Labor Day parade on the day Vietnam was liberated.
That's why the baby carriages must be counted.
We all forgot the number 60.
Those 24 baby carriages gave the parade its historical dimension.
It wasn't enough for Nina that we helped drive the US out of Vietnam.
She wanted to go further.
And that only made me miss her more.
Comrades.
The class composition in the Party isn't good enough.
Too many intellectuals aren't fully employing their powers.
Those familiar with Communist theory have a collective responsibility.
Take your shoes off so we won't have to wash up after.
That means that people in petit bourgeois professions -
- should consider doing something else.
Or the Party's thinking will become petit bourgeois too.
I urge you to consider making a complete break -
- and becoming full-fledged members of the working class.
I have decided to become a worker.
I will no longer be a doctor.
I can't stand not being a part of the working class.
I have committed myself fully to the working class.
And for that reason I myself am becoming a worker.
I am going to start working at Brynje clothing factory.
These are the steam irons.
Where incidentally the King's gala uniform has been pressed...
Here are cuffs and sleeves for the King's guard...
As you can see, we're making uniforms now. This is your station.
- I'll fetch Gerd. - Thank you.
Hi.
Unni Langmoen would come to play a significant role in Nina's life.
Her burning political engagement was clear from the start.
So many awful things in the world...
And despite the proletarians' skepticism -
- Nina Skatåtøy became the key player on the factory team.
It became clear that a new Comrade would have to make the brave leap.
But who would it be?
We need more Communists in the proleta...
Studying to become an engineer -
- was a huge mistake.
Just a petit bourgeois dream.
I feel like a traitor, and a bloody awful Communist.
So I'm relieved to have made the decision -
- to abandon my studies and return here.
Here, where I belong.
Werner got a job at the power station.
He began by asking polite questions, then making polite demands.
Why doesn't the union negotiate the wages for everyone here?
Werner Ludal turned out to be a very crafty Communist.
- Does the union negotiate for you? - I do it myself.
Isn't it odd that those who've worked here the longest, -
- are still in the lowest wage bracket?
Nina and Werner had become examples to us all.
Tove, hi.
We have a special offer on The Class Struggle this month. Want to try it?
Hi, Malin.
It bothered me that Nina quit as a doctor. But I admired her tenacity.
My relationship with Nina is strictly business now.
Anyway Jan Klåstad is better suited than I am. A real proletarian.
A less complicated personality.
- No inner conflict. - He doesn't have your inner conflict.
Why not join the working class?
No. I'm a teacher.
I'm still attached to being a teacher. You know?
It's good that we can talk about these things.
I'm not forgetting that we're revolutionaries.
In Nina's absence, it was good to have a friend.
But I still missed her.
Me and factory life, it's like... I don't think we go together.
That has nothing to do with it.
In a few years you'll be a real worker yourself.
As a teacher, you can't contribute to the Revolution.
I think I could make some contributions.
Such as what?
I told the central committee about your inner conflict.
Must be awful. A permanent conflict that one day might tear you apart.
You've been part of our movement for five years.
Isn't it about time you delivered on some of the promises you've made?
Don't you feel like a hypocrite, -
- asking intellectuals to show solidarity with the working class?
Yes, but that doesn't mean I should start working in a factory.
Then get a job as a postman. You'd be good at that.
Use your intellect to find unknown addresses.
I had become a second-class member. There was no denying it.
Do it now!
Yes!
Comrades!
Seize the power! Seize the power!
Sign here.
What am I signing?
You've been chosen as spokesman for AKP (m-l) Larvik.
And there.
"As World War III approaches, people must prepare for a long occupation."
"We admit the most likely occupier of our land is the Soviet Union."
Good. Well written, Pedersen.
Thank you.
"A People's War against the occupier is our only way to freedom."
"Most of us will be tortured before we die."
Is this serious, Pedersen?
I suppose I got a bit carried away, but...
"Most of us will be tortured before we die"?
Dear, dear...
There's the house I was telling you about.
It's great up there.
An old mountain farm.
- Is that your son? - Yes.
They live up north now.
- I'm sorry. - It's all right.
I prefer to trust my memory.
As the Third World War approaches, we need to tighten our security.
VACATION IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
All traces of political affiliation had to be removed before the War.
- Is it over between you and Jan? - Yes.
If we're not back at work by Monday, management says they'll fire us.
There is no reason to doubt them.
Now I hear that some of you want to go back to work.
Some are losing their taste for the battle.
Even if it means we don't get... the parity bonus.
The strike was clearly a major defeat.
But Nina's spirit didn't break.
However, we had even tougher times in store.
With Mao's death, we registered the collapse of the Chinese utopia.
As you can see, -
- I'm now a social worker for the county.
Shouldn't you have presented this problem for collective discussion?
Cleaning for eight hours a day makes me irritable and aggressive.
And when I'm home I'm too tired to do anything.
I need a job where I'm not too tired to clean my own house.
What about the leading role of the working class?
I've applied to be a teacher again.
They've promised me my old job back at the school.
I get nothing out of my life at the bottling factory.
Don't you realize the huge responsibilities we've assumed?
As Marxist-Leninists we have a responsibility -
- toward the workers and the oppressed in all countries.
- Isn't that Crown Prince Harald? - He's so handsome.
- And so tan. - Fantastic.
- Where is he? - Houston, Texas.
For the first time since I met her, I felt she needed me.
More than ever, I wanted to be her knight in shining armor.
When she says "So many awful things in the world," it means something.
- Who said that? - Unni Langmoen. At the factory.
A woman in capitalist Larvik, in wealthy Norway, is afraid.
We mustn't forget that.
Maybe she just meant we're too well off in Norway?
She must think we're very well off here.
Perhaps she only said it to avoid more unpleasant questions?
- What I think Nina means is... - I can speak for myself, Knut.
Suppose Unni had just said the world was a good place to live.
Suppose oppression had gone that far. That's a starting point.
It's the basis for political activity.
For forming a front with the workers, -
- against those who have created this world Unni dislikes.
You should read these.
- Even if you do work in a factory. - Werner has quit.
Didn't tell anyone. Gone off and become a Social Democrat.
Werner!
Get out here!
Oh, it's you, is it?
- Is it true? - Yes.
Yes, it is. I realized I'm actually very happy -
- about what's happened in Norway over the last century.
Imagine: We were going to start an armed Revolution.
We were ready to gun people down.
Just the thought of it makes me shiver.
Thank goodness things turned out the way they did.
OK, right...
I understand.
You know what? I'm afraid.
I'm afraid of ending up like you, Werner.
I'm making dinner, so...
It's bad enough to have a Social Democratic body, let alone brain!
- Go, just go. - Yes.
Go on, eat your sausages or whatever...
It's not easy for Crown Princess Sonja, poor thing.
And she's so beautiful.
And intelligent, too.
And two adorable kids as well.
Thank God they're fit and healthy.
I read little princess Maud has a cold.
Martha Louise. You're just trying to be funny.
- No, it was a mistake. - You know her name is Martha Louise!
Of course I know Martha Louise is called Martha Louise. I'm not stupid.
Don't pretend you don't know her name. You're not that stupid?
No, I'm not that stupid.
This place has become unbearable!
Stop spoiling our lunch breaks, or we'll strike until they sack you.
- I want to go out. - Can't we? Just for one glass?
That must be little Maud.
I'm sorry.
I want to apologize for behaving so stupidly.
It won't happen again.
So you're sorry now?
Yes.
I'm sorry.
- So let's go out, then. - Yes.
Hi. Come in.
- I'm not intruding? - I'm just washing up.
I wondered if I could interview you.
For the "Everyday Hero" column.
I thought of you.
I'm the official spokesman, you know.
Yes.
Want a beer?
Sure, if you've got one.
- Here. - Thanks.
Pretty standard questions. You know the type.
Do you feel accepted at the factory?
No.
I couldn't exactly say I've been accepted.
Why not?
It's my own fault, I suppose.
Do you think the situation will change?
Yes, of course I do, or else I would have quit.
How do you think it will change?
If I become like them. And miss no opportunity -
- to make it clear that that is what I really want.
Why do you want that?
I want to become as one -
- with the doubly oppressed working-class woman.
To learn from them and become like them.
I like that.
Have you achieved much?
Not much.
But I learn something new every day, so...
At least I'm getting wiser.
Do you like your work?
Yes.
It can be somewhat tedious, but that's the lot of women.
- Are you staying there for good? - Yes.
Unless there are any major social upheavals like war or occupation.
One final question:
Are you happy?
They always end with a personal question.
Are you happy?
No one's ever asked me that before.
Are you sending that to The Class Struggle?
Yes, or The Red Flag, or...
No, I'm not.
Perhaps you want to be alone?
I think perhaps I do.
Happy 30th birthday, Nina.
Thank you.
That's good, Nina!
Defense, Nina. Run!
Defense!
Good!
Good match today.
Knut?
Will you come to Unni Langmoen's with me?
She used to work at the factory, but she got married.
I was confused. I understood she wanted to show me something.
Now?
But I didn't know what it was.
Here's from the Christmas party.
I wish now I had understood.
Look at Gerd, she looks fed up.
- Nothing changes up there. - And there's Grete...
Oh, I noticed your subscription to The Class Struggle has lapsed.
- It's so expensive. - It is a bit expensive, yes.
But we have a number of special offers. If that's of interest.
- But we never read it. - No.
I understand.
I won't force a paper on you that you don't like.
It isn't that.
- There's so much heavy stuff in it. - Yes, it's pretty heavy.
So you probably won't be renewing your subscription?
No.
In five years at the factory, Unni Langmoen -
- was the only one I got to subscribe to The Class Struggle.
You can get another job.
Be a doctor again.
You have to do something. You can't carry on at the factory.
Want to come up for a cup of tea?
For ten years, it seemed my life had been filled with meaning.
But I am very skeptical of the tool I dedicated ten years of my life to.
So watch out for those Communist Parties.
You look a bit scared.
But in spite of this I feel jubilant inside, -
- having told you all this.
Perhaps I haven't made that too clear.
Perhaps it doesn't matter that much, either.
You know, we could start over, Nina.
You don't understand anything, do you?
Why don't you please come up for a little cup of tea?
You don't understand anything.
You understand everything.
Subtitles: Robert Ferguson and Nick Norris