I never understood why girls had to be princesses and boys vikings.
Anne Lunde, age 5
One hundred!
Anne Lunde, age 10
Ready or not, here I come!
I've always done the opposite of everyone else.
Some think I am strange.
But what's the big deal?
Beate goes to jail!
That's Beate. My best friend.
- You didn't see me. - Yes, I did.
Beate is afraid of dying. Probably because her parents are dead.
She lives with her strict grandmother, -
who doesn't like cats or kids.
Beate always thinks she's sick, but she hates shots.
Beate likes swimming. In calm water.
And getting good grades. Which she often does.
As opposed to me.
Beate is in love with Einar.
- Einar is over here! - That's Dag, Einar's brother.
Their mother says they're twins. I doubt they have the same father.
Knut goes to jail!
That's Knut. He has real short hair.
Just because he got lice two years ago.
And his dad thinks he still has them.
Get out!
- Hi! - And that's Ellen.
Tone is her slave.
Ellen...
Everyone is in love with Ellen.
Including her mother.
She's perfect.
- Wanna play? - I have to work.
- She has a TV job. - Doing what?
She's in a shampoo commercial.
And that's the Helga House.
My brother Ole says a mean man killed his daughter -
and buried her in that house.
She was killed because she went insane with love.
- It isn't true. - That's what everyone says.
You think her dad buried her behind a wall? That's bullshit!
Look!
Ole!
Ole, you jerk!
That's Ole. My brother. He loves to scare people.
- And hates to lose at arm-wrestling. - One more time!
We are a hot-tempered family.
That's my mom. And that's my dad.
Dad likes mom best when she's upset and breaks things.
And he can glue them together.
Yech! If that's love, I don't get it.
But I don't have to worry about that. You can't fall in love at my age.
- Hi. My name is Anne. - Anne Lunde.
I'm 10 years old, 145 centimeters tall, -
and I weigh 32 kilos.
I love fish sticks. Specially when I fry them myself.
I don't like it when dad forgets to put clothes on.
Or when insects pretend they are dead.
And I hate it that everyone keeps talking about love.
But that was before I met Jørgen Ruge.
And before I ruined everything.
JØRGEN + ANNE
I finished that book yesterday. It was 300 pages.
Was it good?
- Yeah. They both ended up dying. - Why?
They were so in love that they would rather die than live apart.
Give me a break!
Not again! Have you seen the water can?
- No. - No?
Unfortunately.
We're almost there. We could just push it.
Hello? Hi! Could you give us a hand?
- Hi. What's your name? - Beate.
- And yours? - Anne.
- Did you say "Panne"? - Dad!
We sure could use some help.
- What a cute baby! - That's Pavlova.
Anne, come and look at the baby!
- Ready? - I thought Pavlova was a cake.
Maybe so. But this is a baby.
I'll get in, and you push.
- Ready? - Yeah.
Push!
- Your girlfriend is strong! - She arm-wrestles her big brother.
Impressive!
- Is this where you live? - Yes. Isn't it nice?
It just needs a little fixing up, and it will be great.
- Good job. Thanks for your help. - Bye.
They're moving into the Helga House! Poor people.
What's that?
Nothing.
I'm just borrowing it.
Hi.
- What are you doing? - Meditating.
Have you done your homework?
Look at me.
- What have you done to your bangs? - Nothing.
I just cut them a little.
JØRGEN IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER
He was born on October 8 at 5:30 in the morning.
Jørgen Ruge.
GOOD FRIENDS ARE GOOD TO HAVE
Jørgen, Jørgen...
- Beate left ages ago. - I know.
Move!
- Beate! - Hurry up!
We are in class 5B.
Dag was dumped by Tone when he refused to kiss her.
Now she likes Einar, just like Beate.
But Einar likes no one.
Everyone has been Ellen's boyfriend. Except Knut.
Knut used to hit Ellen so she would chase him.
No one really understood that.
I have never had a boyfriend.
Sit down. Good morning. Silence, please. Silentium.
Today's homework was to spell various fruits.
In English.
And the word is... cherry.
Remember? The red ones.
OK?
Miss Anne? Anne Lunde.
Would you please come up to the board?
Come on, girl.
Cherry. The small red ones, remember?
Come in!
- Hello. - Hi there!
This is class 5B, Jørgen.
5B, this is Jørgen Ruge. He'll be joining your class.
- Can you say hi? - Hi!
- Hi. - Good luck, Jørgen. Bye.
- Bye. - Bye!
Hi. My name is Jørgen Ruge.
I like playing soccer and stuff like that.
I have a sister called Pavlova.
My dad plays guitar in a band and my mom is a film actress.
Wonderful! Come on, Jørgen.
Welcome. Sit down. Einar, move it!
OK. Miss Anne? Cherry.
Please.
There, there. Give her a chance.
Anne?
Anne, look at me.
Look at me, please.
There comes a time in a person's life -
when you have to start applying yourself. That time is now.
Thank you, Miss Anne.
Anyone else who wants to try? Jørgen!
- Hi. - Hi.
- This is Tone, Dag, Einar and Knut. - Hi.
That's Anne and Beate. Anne has cut her own bangs.
No, I haven't.
- When will you start doing homework? - She does do her homework!
Look, Ellen is all over him already.
It's only a ten-minute bike ride for me.
- Boo! - Anne!
Anne, it is possible to behave civilized, you know.
We have to tell Jørgen. He's new, and he lives in a haunted house.
But you know I'm not allowed to go to the Helga House.
Come on!
- Come on! - All right.
You guys are jerks!
- Stop it! - Did I scare you?
- Be quiet! - You be quiet.
No, Anne!
Anne, Jørgen is out here!
Come on!
Hi.
Quiet! I think I heard something.
- Maybe it was the ghost. - What ghost?
Anne says her brother has seen a ghost in the yard here.
- He has. - Ooh, scary Helga!
Who is Helga?
Saturday, October 17. The day Helga was killed.
Helga!
It's almost midnight.
Helga's father has found out that she isn't in her room.
Although she had been grounded.
Helga had gone to see Luka one last time.
The first time Helga saw Luka was on Sunday, August 10.
He was the most handsome boy she had ever seen.
Helga couldn't stop staring at him. But no one else could either.
She hated the other girls.
And would do anything to get rid of them.
But there was one girl she hated more than the others.
- Pretty twisted girl, huh? - What did her father do?
Horrible things.
No one ever saw Helga again.
The next day the house was empty.
Some say her father buried her in her bedroom wall.
And that she's still in there.
The new tenants suddenly decided to move out.
And no one else would buy the house.
Knut, come home this instant!
- It's your dad, Knut. - Think I'm deaf?
I can see you. Don't try to hide!
Knut!
- I finished another book. - Another one?
About a woman who can't love the man she loves.
Because he has another wife. In the attic!
Beautiful.
- I thought you'd find it stupid. - No, beautiful.
- Want to come to my house? - Sure.
- Do you think Ellen is in love? - I don't know.
- But do you think he loves her? - Yeah.
If you want to be loved by someone other than family, -
it helps to be beautiful and wear clean clothes.
- I didn't think you cared about that. - I don't.
Wait! I can help you!
Anne!
Isn't that girl in your class? It is her, right?
She's hot!
We have to go.
Do you want natural, beautiful hair? Try Bliss...
If they mix the foundation, their skin gets a more natural glow.
I guess I am vain. The right word is metrosexual, although that is passé.
My goal is to get as far as possible. I'm willing to do anything, even lie.
You need a nice body and a sense of humor.
I'll find my dream date at Paradise Hotel.
Jeanette, you have chosen Tobias. Why?
He is the most handsome boy here.
We're the same age and we're both new here.
Tobias, you have two girls behind you. How does that feel?
It should be positive, but it sucks.
- You knew Jeanette would choose him? - Yes.
Tobias, the girl you don't choose, has to check out of the hotel.
- How will you make your decision? - Gut feeling.
Who I think I can get along with best.
Tobias, which of the girls do you choose as your partner?
I choose...
It was horrible to stand up there. A nightmare.
Hi. Are you here to see Beate? Come in.
This is a bad idea! Why do I have to find out if Ellen likes Jørgen?
- Beate is downstairs. - OK.
Hi.
Why did you call me?
- What's that pile of stuff? - Weird!
- Isn't your room always neat? - Yeah.
- Where is Anne? - Who knows?
Didn't she tell you at school?
- No, we aren't friends anymore. - You aren't?
She isn't exactly a very good student.
I've lent her a ton of books. She can't read any of them.
Seriously?
And no one wants to be her boyfriend.
That's because she isn't cute. At least I don't think so.
- Don't you agree? - Sure. Totally.
- Quiet! So no one hears us. - Who?
No one. Never mind.
- Now what? - It's better to scratch sitting up.
I don't itch anymore.
- But listen... - What?
- Do you like Jørgen? - No. Ellen likes Jørgen.
I like Einar. I'm going to be his girlfriend.
I think you should go now.
- I just got here! - But my knee is killing me.
I'll go to Ellen's. It's more fun there.
We're going to write love letters to Jørgen and Einar.
- I'll bet you never get a boyfriend. - My knee!
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all those things.
I couldn't help myself.
Did you hear that?
She's in love with Einar and wants to be his girlfriend.
Nonsense. You're getting Einar and I'm getting Jørgen.
- And Tone will never get a boyfriend. - Exactly!
I have a plan. Let's write a phony love letter.
We'll pretend it's from Jørgen and give it to Ellen.
- That's like lying. - Yeah.
Jørgen will never get Ellen's letter.
- Like with Helga? - Exactly. Helga's like me.
Helga was different too.
Her father didn't like that, so he gave her a phony love letter.
He said it was from Luka, but that wasn't true.
"I, Luka, do not love you. Stop now!" the letter read.
But Helga didn't want to stop.
Beate, we have to practice boys' handwriting in my secret book.
- You mean Jørgen's handwriting? - Yeah. Smart, huh?
- But why? - Look at them.
"Dear Ellen. You are the cutest girl in class. I love you. Do you love me?"
"Will you be my girlfriend? Put your answer in the secret place."
"From the new boy in class. Jørgen Ruge."
Hurry, Anne!
Anne!
Hi!
Hi...
- Wait! - OK.
There they are! Hurry!
Hold your breath, Beate.
Typical!
"Dear Jørgen. Thanks for your letter. I love you too."
"You are so cute. I would love to be your girlfriend."
"I think Anne and Beate are stupid."
"But Anne is the worst. Do you agree?"
"Have you kissed before? I have. Answer me soon. Love, Ellen."
- She wrote that we were stupid. - And I was the worst.
- What if Jørgen believes her? - He'll never see this letter!
You have to find something cool to wear tomorrow!
Anne, those are my pants!
- Not that many, but... - Where did you live before?
Where did you move from?
- Hi! - Hi.
- Nice pants. - Thanks.
- Aren't those Ole's? - No.
Whatever.
Hi. Mom said I had to invite the whole class. Tomorrow at 5 p.m.
I'm part of the world too, you know.
Anne!
Anne, you stole my pants!
I'm tired of you stealing my stuff!
- I'll give them back at home. - No! Give them to me now!
- I have nothing else to wear. - So?
Come on. Take them off.
Come on.
- Take them off. - Do I have to?
Yes!
Now!
Do that again, and I'll kill you!
Come on.
Never mind, Anne.
But Jørgen saw me.
- You'll always have me. - Yeah.
Sit down here.
- I didn't think you were friends. - Until the day we die.
Jørgen sent me a love letter. He's going to be my boyfriend.
- He thinks I'm the cutest. - So do I.
Nobody wants to be your boyfriend.
Specially since everyone saw you in your underwear.
Here comes Ruge!
- Hi, Jørgen. - Hi.
- Hi.
Let's have a bike race. The girls ride on the back.
I'll time you!
- Wanna ride with me, Ellen? - I don't know.
- I want to ride with Einar. - OK.
Do you want to ride with me?
- Anne? - Yeah.
Yes.
Jump on.
- Sorry. - Did you say something?
- Are you ready? - Ready, set, go!
Go, go, go!
Ready, set, go!
What took you so long?
- Knut? - It's your dad, Knut.
Come home this instant! Do you realize what time it is?
- Beate? - Mhm?
- I held my arms around Jørgen. - You did?
- What did he say? - Nothing.
Think he wants to be your boyfriend?
We're going to write love letters to Jørgen and Einar.
I don't think Einar wants to be my boyfriend.
Sure he does.
- You really think so? - Mhm.
But maybe you don't have to write a letter. Let me talk to him.
- Maybe that's better? - He'll say yes if I ask him.
And in return I can teach you to spell fruits in English.
Yeah.
- Good night. - Good night.
- Anne? - Yeah?
- Do you think red hair is ugly? - No. Einar has red hair too.
I love him a little. I think about him before I fall asleep.
I think about Jørgen all the time. I love him a lot.
- Good night. - Good night.
Maybe that's what Helga wanted to tell him. That she loved him.
Maybe she wanted a kiss.
But everything went wrong.
Luka was taken by surprise. He got scared, and screamed.
Helga!
Helga couldn't live without Luka.
She took her own life.
If only someone had saved her!
Everyone over to the edge. Come on!
Hurry up!
"Dear Jørgen, I really love you. Do you love me?"
"I sure hope you do. Please answer me today."
"Love, Anne."
A girl in the boy's room! A girl in the boy's room!
- I'm going to do it now. - No!
- Einar! - No, Anne!
Einar!
What is it?
- I have a question for you. - What?
- You have to promise to say yes. - To what?
My secret question.
- Do you promise? - OK.
- No way! - You promised to say yes.
- I did not. - Yes, you did!
No way!
No, no, no!
Einar, do you want to be the only one without a girlfriend?
- Does everyone else have one? - Yes. But that's a secret.
Do you want to be Beate's boyfriend, or not?
I want to. But what am I supposed to do?
Write a love letter and put it in the secret place.
What should I write?
Write that you love her, then put the letter in the secret place.
Huh?
Beate, he said yes! Aren't you happy?
Did he really?
- Aren't you happy? - I guess...
A love letter for me, Anne! For me!
"Dear Beate, I love you. I'm glad you want to be my girlfriend -"
"since everyone else has a girlfriend."
"I only love you. Answer me soon. Love, Einar."
Just the ones I was missing!
Anne, I love him a lot! I don't care that he has red hair!
Anne!
Here. See you at the birthday party.
Do you want natural and beautiful hair? Try Bliss!
Ole!
- Get out! - Relax. Here's the money from mom.
Get out!
- Why are you all dressed up? - Get out!
- Hi, welcome! - Hi.
Can I help you with your jacket?
- Oh, it's you. - Ellen...
- Happy birthday. - Thank you.
- Want me to take your bag? - No, I'll hang onto it.
Happy birthday to you...
Why did you bring your book?
Everyone ready for cake?
Time for Spin the Bottle!
- Truth or dare? - Truth.
Who do you love?
You.
Oh.
- Truth. - Who do you love?
Beate.
- Beate? - Yes. I do.
Why do you have that bag with you? What's in there?
- Answer me! - Dare.
You have to kiss Jørgen.
- I'd never be allowed to do that. - You have to do it.
- No, you don't. - Do it, do it!
Do it, do it, do it!
- Do it! - You have to do it.
Ready, set, kiss!
- It has to be a lot longer. - Yeah!
- No, it doesn't! - It has to be over ten seconds.
Ready, set, kiss!
Ten, nine...
Give me your bag!
- Give it to me! - No!
She's crazy.
Take it now!
Don't! It's full of secrets!
- Shut up, Beate! - Take it!
- Let go! - I've got it!
- Five against one is unfair! - I agree.
Sorry.
- But it's my birthday! - Stop it!
- Give it to me! - Stop!
Mommy!
- What happened? - Anne hit me!
Anne Lunde, come here.
I think it's about time you went home. Say goodbye to the others.
Look at your dress!
Anne!
- Does it hurt? - Just a little.
I don't get Ellen. She told Knut that she got a love letter from me.
But that isn't true. The only one I've ever written was to you.
- I have something for you. - Really? What?
It got a little beat up.
Thank you, I love it!
- Want to be boyfriend and girlfriend? - Sure.
- Is what Ole said about Helga true? - I don't know. We have to find out.
Definitely.
Hi.
Hi, honey.
What's happened?
You can't run around alone at night, Anne.
I wasn't alone. I was with Jørgen.
- I don't believe it. - Believe what?
Helga couldn't help it.
When you're in love, you're not yourself. Everyone knows that.
You don't have to worry about that for a long time.
Ole said Helga is buried behind a wall in the Helga House.
Ole!
- Ole? - I'm sleeping, you jerk!
Turn on the light. I have to ask you about something.
Tattletale!
- Did you really see Helga? - Yes!
Why are you so mad?
I'm not mad. And you're a merde!
- Merde? - It's French.
- How do you say "I love you"? - Je t'aime.
- Je t'aime? - Yes. "I love you".
Why?
- Jørgen is my boyfriend. - Jørgen Ruge?
Yeah. We've kissed. I love him.
- You can't love at your age. - Yes, I can!
- I feel all shaky inside. - What do you mean?
Inside of me. In my body.
Whatever.
Je t'aime!
He killed her because she was insane with love.
If she had stayed home that night, she would still be alive.
And would never have been buried behind that wall.
And if I hadn't woken up so early and in love, -
I wouldn't have remembered to return Jørgen's photo album.
And I wouldn't have caught Ole.
- That's my book! - Let me read it!
And my secret book would have been under my bed, not in my school bag.
Pumpkin. Let's see...
Miss Anne?
On the board, please.
- Was that right? - Yes! One more.
Cucumber.
Come on, Anne!
Very good. Excellent! Thank you.
One more?
Give her a chance, come on!
Avocado.
"Dear Ellen. I love you. Do you love me?"
"You are the cutest girl in class. I hope you want to be my girlfriend."
"Love, the new boy in class. Jørgen."
- I didn't write that. - OK, Jørgen.
Anne wrote it. She pretended to be Jørgen. Isn't that right, Anne?
You're a liar.
Here. I don't want it anymore.
- Hi. - What are you guys up to?
It's all your fault! You said I had secrets in my book!
Einar didn't even want to be your boyfriend!
No one wants to be boyfriend with an orphan!
Want me to reveal your secrets? Tell everyone you wet your bed?
And by the way, I lied. Your kids are going to be ugly!
- Lina. - Yes!
- I don't want to pick Anne. - It's Anne or Ellen.
Ellen.
Pick me!
Excellent!
- Dag. - Yes!
Anne...
Jørgen's coming to my house after school today, to be my boyfriend.
Let go of me!
- Stop it! - What are you doing?
Anne, listen to me.
Go straight to the principal's office!
Let me look at you.
- Hi. - Hi. Is Ellen home?
Yes, upstairs. Welcome.
- Hi. - Hi.
I'm sorry.
- I was just jealous of you. - A lot of people are.
- You have such beautiful hair. - Thank you.
You can put it up, as if I'm getting married.
As if I'm marrying Jørgen.
OK.
- Are you braiding it? - For starters.
And then I'll put it up, as if you're marrying Jørgen.
Hurry. Jørgen will be here any minute.
Look. Nice, huh?
Let me just put on a hair band first.
What are you doing?
Mommy!
Oh my God!
There goes that commercial.
Ellen! Run after her, for Christ's sake!
Anne!
Anne?
Anne!
Ellen!
Anne!
- Everyone's looking for you. - I'm staying here.
When they find me, they'll cut off my hair and bury me behind a wall.
Nobody gets buried because of a haircut.
They don't?
It's just a story.
But didn't you see her, that night?
- I might have seen something else. - Then why did you say you did?
That's what big brothers do.
Come on.
Anne...
What are you up to?
Cutting Ellen's hair off? Have you lost it completely?
- You don't want to talk about it. - About what?
Anne?
- I'm in love. - Give me a break!
- Love isn't real at your age. - It's totally real to me!
You've become a big girl now.
I hadn't noticed.
I'm sorry.
Anne?
Everyone makes mistakes.
It's what you do after the mistakes that's important.
Really?
Try to get some sleep. Good night.
Are you sad?
I shouldn't have said that about your bed-wetting.
I'm sorry.
Beate?
You're my best friend in the whole world.
It's much better to be friends.
You have to tell Jørgen why you did it.
I read about this guy who did all kinds of stupid, mean things, -
just because he loved this lady. And that's just like you!
He saw me do it.
He saw me cut Ellen's hair.
So what are you going to do?
Hi, Anne.
Shouldn't you be in bed?
I had to apologize to Beate first.
Beate is lucky to have a friend like you.
She's my best friend in the whole world.
You remind me of myself.
I do?
As you get older -
you change.
Because people say things.
And lie. And make up stories.
Eventually it becomes easy to be the person others expect you to be.
But I don't think you should do that.
I think you should be yourself, Anne.
But am I a good enough person?
Yes.
I just wanted to say...
I'm weird!
I thought if you wanted to be Ellen's boyfriend, you would never be mine.
Huh?
- Huh? - I like you.
Hi.
Come.
I want to show you something.
Of course Helga wasn't in the wall. Her father had saved her.
And she still loved Luka.
- You can play with this. - Look, kitty!
Open it.
I can hold the cat.
Who is that?
That is someone -
I was in love with.
- I'm in love with Einar. - Good for you.
You should watch that ball.
Wanna borrow this?
Thanks.
I think they got married.
Don't believe everything you hear.
And definitely don't believe everything adults tell you.
Specially if they say you can't fall in love when you're 10 years old.
Because you can!
Subtitles: Nick Norris