Hello, you have reached...
The Ardor residence.
Please leave a message after the tone.
Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. It’s Dani.
Uh, I'm sorry to be calling so late.
I'm just checking in.
Making sure everything's okay.
Listen, I got kind of a scary e-mall from Terri
and she hasn't been responding.
Surprise, surprise.
But, yeah, itsounds like you guys have been ﬁghting or something happened.
Anyway, I just got a little worried.
80, um, if you can call when you can.
And of course you know I'm always here
if you need anything, of course.
Okay, um, I love you. All right, bye.
- Hey. - Hey, sweetie.
What are you up to?
Just smoked some resin with Mark, and now we're getting pizza.
- Oh, nice. - Hi, Dani.
-Hi, Dani. Hi, Dani. Hi Dani. -Yeah, um...
- he's saying hi right now, over and over.
- Hi, Mark. - Hi, Mark
So I was calling just to see if you-- you still wanted to hang out later.
Oh.
Did we talk about doing something tonight?
I mean, not-- not concretely, but I just wanted to see.
Um...
Well, okay.
Yeah, I should be able to swing by.
-Coo|. -Yeah, okay.
How's the sister situation?
Um, well...
Uh, yeah, um...
I've emailed her three times, and...
still no response, so I'm getting a little bit nervous.
I'm sure it's fine.
-Yeah, probably. -She does this every other day, Dani.
And only because you let her.
-Well, I don't let her. She's bipolar. -Yeah, lknow.
But you do, though, babes. You go straight to cn'sls mode.
Well, she's my sister,
and even you said that this e-mail seemed different.
Yeah, right, but...
...ls it though, really?
It's still just another obvious ploy for attention,
just like every other panic attack she's given you.
Yeah, you're right.
You are right. Yeah, I know.
I mean, the more you respond, the more she's encouraged to keep--
No, I know, I know, I know. You're right.
|just-- | just needed to be reminded. Thank you.
I'm very lucky to have you.
Yeah, well.
I love you.
llove you.
Okay, uh, I'll see you later?
sass
-Bye, Mark. -Bye, Mark.
Okay, I love you.
-All right. -Bye.
It's in his tone. Like, you can hear it in his voice.
He's just working up the nerve to say something.
80 be direct. Confront him.
-How do you rope him in? -|'m always leaning on him!
Like, I even called him today in tears
because my sister wrote another stupid scary e-mail.
That's what he's there for.
What if I'm scaring him off?
What did your sister write?
Just some ominous bullshit like she always does, and it's torture.
And I lean on him constantly for support.
Like, what it l have overwhelmed him,
and he thinks that | just have too much baggage?
Well, if that's the case, then good riddance, right?
No, not if I went too far, it I leaned too much.
You didn't. He should be there when you need him.
Yeah, but what if I need him too often, and it becomes a chore?
Then he's not the right guy.
Because it shouldn't ever be a chore. Would it be a chore if he leaned on you?
Yeah, but he doesn't ask me for anything. I've never even seen him cry,
so I'm the only one that's leaning.
- Or the only one opening up.
The only one making yourself vulnerable.
That's intimacy.
Dude.
You have gotta get off the fence with this.
What if I regret it later, and I can't get her back?
-You don't want her back. -But I might.
Okay, well then you can
bitch to us about how much you regret it for that day
and then we'll remind you again
that you've been wanting out of this stupid relationship
for, like, a year now, and then you can ﬁnd a chick who actually likes sex
and doesn't drag you through a million hoops every day.
Do you think that there is a masochistic part of you
that is playing out this particular drama
to avoid the work you actually need to be doing?
What work do I need to be doing, Josh, exactly?
Well, I don't know. Your prospectus, maybe? Your PhD?
Wow. Okay, thanks for the psychoanalysis.
It's not about academics, Josh.
-|'m just trying to get you focused. -Change?
That's for you.
See? You could be getting that girl pregnant right now.
And don't forget about all the Swedish women you can impregnate in June.
-Okay, guys. -Don't forget about
all the Swedish milkmaids.
That's not her again.
Seriously?
Oh, my God.
-She needs a therapist, dude. -She has a therapist.
Oh, so then she should call her therapist and not you.
It's literally abuse.
-She's abusing you. -Excuse me.
-Nope. -Oh, my God.
Okay, excuse me, guys.
Well, great.
- Hey. - No!
- Dani, babe? - No, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no!
Hey, babe.
How you feeling?
I'm up.
Where are you going?
l was just gonna go to that party for 45 minutes.
But you just keep sleeping.
No.
No, I'll come with you.
You sure you've had enough sleep?
I wasn't sleeping anyway.
Yeah, I'm fucking dreading the summer.
Stuck in shit-ass Boulder, listening to my stepmom fuck my dad all day.
I'll listen to your stepmom fuck your dad.
Josh, weren't you going to Europe?
Yeah, for my thesis. Now we all are.
Oh, you're all going?
Yeah, they're all coming to visit my home in Halsingland.
- Sweden. - Oh.
Any occasion, or is itjust for fun?
Well, I'm going for research.
These guys are just tagging along.
Mr. Pelle's invited us to an authentic hippie midsummer at his yodeling farm.
Oh, yeah?
I mean, we were talking about it.
We were thinking about it.
For when?
Mid-June to mid-July?
Yeah, two weeks from now?
Yeah.
I mean, that's if we even go.
I'm probably not gonna go, but...
Yeah, we were talking about it.
You okay?
Mm—hmm. Fine.
That was just really weird.
What was?
The...
Sweden.
I had no idea.
Well, what do you mean? 'Cause I told you I wanted to go.
Okay, ﬁne, but I didn't know you were going.
| just decided today.
I wasn't keeping it from you.
You already have a ticket.
I'm sorry/.7
Okay. Well, just...
imagine if you were at a party, and someone said,
"Hey, what are you doing for summer?"
And then my friend said...
"Oh, we're going to China for three months and we're leaving in two weeks."
-|t's Sweden, for a month and a half. -And it was the ﬁrst
-you'd ever heard of it. -Okay.
I told you I wanted to go to Sweden.
Yeah and then I got the opportunity
-and I decided to do it. -Look, I don't mind you going.
| just wish you would've told me, that's all.
Well, Ijust apologized, Dani.
You didn't apologize. You said "sorry," which sounds more like "too bad."
-Maybe I should just go home. -What? No, no.
I'm just trying to understand.
-And I'm trying to apologize. -And I don't need an apology. I don't.
| just wanted to talk about it, that's all.
-I really think I should just leave. -No, no, no, no.
Please, please, please. I'm not trying to attack you. I'm not.
-It really feels like you are. We", then, I'm sorry.
| just got confused. I'm sorry. I...
Hey, please, come on. Can you come...
-Just can you come... -Just stop.
...and sit with me, please?
Please, and we can talk about it?
Look, it just felt really weird, okay?
But I'm fine. I think it's great that you're going to Sweden, I do.
I think it's amazing.
Are you going for your thesis?
I don't know what my thesis is.
I know, and it can-- it will--
It can be inspiring, right?
Right?
Hey.
Please, loverreacted. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I know I get paranoid.
- I don't mean to.
I know I overreacted, but I've been trying to pull myself back up,
and I‘ve been trying to deal with this panic and my fears.
I didn't mean to put pressure on you or to blame you for anything--
-Okay. -I just got crazy for a second,
-and I didn't mean to project. -Okay. Okay.
-I'm sorry. -|t's ﬁne.
It's ﬁne.
-I am sorry. -It's ﬁne.
I was gonna ask you if you wanted to come with me.
What?
-What do you mean? -What I just said.
To Sweden?
Mm-hmm.
You don't want me to go.
I just asked.
-Yeah, after I broke down crying. -Well, you ruined the surprise.
I wanted it to be romantic.
In Stockholm, are there any, like, meatball sex clubs
we should hit up before we head north?
No, we're going straight north.
Not straight-straight, though, right?
We gotta go through Stockholm to get there.
No, it's the opposite direction. Stockholm is south of Arlanda.
Guys, it's Dani.
She's coming up.
Okay.
-Should we clear all this? -No, it's fine.
Um, I invited Dani to come to Sweden.
So you guys know.
She's not actually gonna come,
but I invited her just to not make it weird.
-You invited her to-- -Mm-hmm.
But she's not coming.
She doesn't want to?
I invited her, and she accepted,
but she's not actually coming to Sweden.
Okay.
Guys, you know what she's been going through.
Yeah, no, dude, Ijust, uh...
thought you were-- -Yeah, dude, nobody minds.
Thought you were saying something else, that's all.
Okay, that's great.
And just so we're clear, you guys told me to invite her,
and you all know that she's coming, agreed?
- Yep.
- Hey. - Hey, babe.
Hey, guys.
How's it going?
We're chilling.
Nice.
So, Sweden.
- Yeah. - You're coming, right?
I mean, I...
I guess so, if that's not completely ruining you guys' plans.
-No, no. -No, not at all.
Christian, can I get you to take a look at this paragraph real quick?
Yeah, sure.
- I'll be back. - Mm—hmm.
-Hey, Pelle. -Hi.
What were you drawing?
Uh, just the table.
Oh.
How have you been?
-Pretty good. -Yeah?
Survived ﬁnals, so...
You know. And you?
Uh...
I didn't-- I didn't quite ﬁnish, but they're giving me a break this year.
Oh, God, yes. Yes, of course. Sorry.
No, it's, uh... How did you like the anthropology department?
I like it, yeah. Not as much as this one maybe, but...
You're doing psychiatry, right?
Uh, psychology, yeah.
- Okay. - That's how you know I'm nuts.
Yeah. Also that funny look in your eye.
So you're coming to Halsingland?
I guess so, yeah.
And, um, we'll actually be arriving on my birthday.
-Oh, happy birthday. -Thank you.
Yeah, Christian says you've got this special week planned.
Yeah. It's sort of a crazy nine-day festival my family's doing.
Lots of pageantry and special ceremonies and dressing up.
That sounds fun.
It'll probably seem very silly.
But it's like theater.
Yeah, Christian says you're...
you're from, like, a commune, right?
Yeah, we're a small community.
Here.
I'll show you.
Oh, wow.
I see what you mean about the pageantry.
Yeah, we make those clothes special for every winter and summer solstice.
We-- I mean, everybody sort of does everything together.
That's an interesting symbol.
Yeah. It's our special little language.
Whoa, who's that one?
That's last year's May queen.
Oh.
Beautiful.
You know, I'm very, very glad you're coming.
I... I think it's very good you're coming.
Thank you.
Also, I...
I never had the chance to tell you,
but I was...
I was so very sorry to hear about your loss.
-Oh. -What happened. I mean, I...
can't even imagine.
I mean...
-I lost my parents, too, so... -Okay.
I kind of have some idea.
-I'm sorry. -No!
-No, I'm sorry. -No, you're--
I'm gonna just go to the bathroom. Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are beginning our initial descent into Stockholm Arlanda.
The temperature right now...
Oh, my God, the women here.
What is it that makes them hotter?
The Vikings grabbed all the best babes from other countries...
and dragged them over.
How long is the drive?
About four hours.
Oh, my God.
I saw a video, and it wasn't even like-- It wasn't fake.
And there was this one woman with three clits.
Actually. For real.
...sensitive about Hiroshima?
I am, actually.
- Trail of Tears? - Yeah.
- Slavery? - Dude, what do you think?
Like, imagine trying to take a dude seriously,
and he's, like, reading out the news,
and you know he, like, bludgeoned his wife with a pan.
Why are you reading that?
Ask Pelle.
We're taught the runic alphabet in my village,
so Josh just carries that around to annoy me.
Oh.
What are you doing your thesis on again?
Uh, well, my focus is actually on European midsummer traditions,
which was basically the impetus for this whole trip that we're all on.
Hey, that sounds similar to what you're thinking of doing, right?
For your thesis?
Well, I don't know exactly what I'm doing it on yet, as you know.
But I'm thinking of rooting it in something Scandinavian, yeah.
See that, Pelle?
You've managed to brainwash all of your friends.
Josh was already brainwashed when Ifound him.
Okay, this is the ﬁrst stop.
This is it?
Not quite. Almost.
Pellel
- Heyl Hey!
Just beautiful. - Oh, my God.
Okay, guys, so these are younger people from my village.
They're also returning from their trips outside.
Come on over.
Hey!
These are my friends from America.
Oh, dude.
Just fuckin' walk.
Yeah, dude, there's so many bugs.
-You're not seeing this? -It's beautiful, huh?
Mm-hmm.
Okay, so this is
-Mark, Dani, Christian and Josh. -Hi.
What?
Give me just one second.
- You think he knows that guy? - He sounded mad.
Here. Come on over. Come on over.
This is-- These are my great friends from America.
-Christian, Dani, Josh, and Mark. -Hi.
Meet my brother, Ingemar.
Best friends since we were babies, actually.
Yeah.
So, Christian, Josh, Mark...
-Dani? Yeah! -Yeah!
Awesome! And say hello to my friends.
-This is Simon and Connie from London. -Hi.
-How's it going? -Hi.
Simon and Connie, this is Pelle.
And these are all the names I just teamed two seconds ago.
Perfect timing, by the way. We just took these five minutes ago.
Haven't even started coming up yet.
Oh, shit!
Do you guys wanna take it now, or should we settle in first?
-Fuck it. Let's just take it now, right? -Yeah.
Great.
You know what? I might have to ﬁnd my footing ﬁrst, if that's okay.
-Yeah, of course. -Yeah? Okay.
And, listen, if you're feeling uneasy, you don't have to take them at all.
No, no, no. I just-- I wanna feel settled ﬁrst.
-I'|I wait. -No, no, you go ahead.
-No, I'll wait. -Please.
I want us to come up together.
-Ready? -Okay?
Guys, I'm gonna wait for Dani, so you just go ahead.
Dude, we can't take them at different times.
They'll be totally separate trips.
You wanna wait for us then?
You know what? It's ﬁne, it's ﬁne.
-Babe, no. -I'm-- It's-- I'm ready.
-No, it's okay. -Don't feel rushed.
I don't. It's ﬁne. I'm ready.
Are you sure?
Yes, Mark, thank you.
They've made mushroom tea.
If you prefer against the taste.
Uh, yeah, okay. I'll try that. Thank you.
"Ingmar"? "Ingemar."
-Ingemar. Perfect. -Ingemar, okay. Thank you.
-Don't let Mark pressure you. -He's not.
-Of all people. -He's not, he's not.
It will get complicated othenwise. It's ﬁne.
-Are you ready? -Yes, thank you.
-There you go. -Ooh.
Thanks, dude.
Okay, here we go then.
Think happy thoughts! - You sure about this?
- Yeah, I'm excited. - Cheers.
-All right. -Yeah?
Are you sure about this?
- I think it's gonna be fun.
-Ready? -Yep, go.
What time is it?
It's 9:00 pm.
What do you mean?
That can't be right. The sky is blue.
It's ﬁne. It's Sweden.
That's not ﬁne. Why is it like that?
It's okay, Mark. It's the midnight sun.
That feels wrong. I don't like that.
I promise you, it's okay.
I'm not okay.
Oh, fuck. It's a new person.
What?
I don't want new people right now.
No, new people are good, Mark.
Hi, hi!
-I'm just gonna lay down, okay? -Yeah, do that.
Everybody else lay down.
Guys, do it. It feels so nice.
Josh, can you lie down, please?
Can you feel that?
The energy,
coming up from the earth?
Look.
The trees, too, they're breathing.
Nature just knows instinctually how to stay in harmony.
Everything just mechanically doing its part.
You guys are, like, my family.
You're, like, my real, actual family.
Dani?
Sorry.
I'm gonna... go for a walk.
I can walk too.
Sor-- No, I'm gonna...
No, no, no, no, no.
Don't think that. You're ﬁne. It's almost your birthday.
You're okay. You're ﬁne. You're fine. You're ﬁne.
No, stop it! You're ﬁne.
Hey, Dani!
How are you?
They were laughing at me.
What? No, no, no. I'm sure they weren't.
They've been laughing.
You want to come meet my friends?
Thank you. I'm sorry. Thank you.
Stop it! Stop it. Fuck!
You're okay. You're okay. You're okay.
Hey.
How long was I asleep?
I mean... we found you here, like, six hours ago.
Did it get dark at all?
For a couple hours. Not completely.
Is it tomorrow?
I mean, from yesterday's perspective.
Come on.
Where are we going?
Where we came for.
Jesus, Pelle, where are you taking us?
Yeah, this is way the hell out there.
Do they have ticks in Sweden?
Sweden has a tick problem.
What? No, they don't. Do they really?
Actually, it is a big problem.
Last summer a record number of people got tick-borne encephalitis.
What the fuck? Are you serious?
Yeah, both my grandparents died from ticks.
Had to give them a closed-casket funeral.
Okay. Josh, I actually have an uncle with Lyme.
And believe me, you ask him, it was not worth the pleasant picnic in the park.
He's fucked.
So this is is the place.
The tranquil and majestic Harga.
Pelle, you know all these people?
These are my family.
So we're stopping in Waco before going to Pelle's village?
-Oh, thank you. -Thank you.
-Oh, thank you. -What is it? Strawberry?
-No, rhubarb. -Oh, wow. Thank you.
This bag?
Thank you... sorry.
Hey, guys?
Meet my sister, Dagny.
Born on the exact same day as me.
-Hi. -Say hi to Dani, Josh, Mark, Christian.
Thank you.
- Thanks. - Hey.
Father Odd.
Sorry. These are my friends.
Christian, Dani, Josh, Mark.
Hello. - Hi.
-He||o, hello. Welcome, welcome. -Hi.
-Hi. 0h! -Welcome home.
-We are so very happy to have you. -Thank you.
Pelle has an immaculate sense for people.
I love what you're wearing.
My frock? Quite girly, no?
We do these as a tribute in respect of Ymir
and because of the nature's...
her... "hermaphrodite," I think? These qualities.
Wow. I think the sakhis saints do the same thing in Brajbhoomi.
So, we are your hosts.
So whatever you need, just say so, and we will accommodate, okay?
-Thank you very much. -Yeah.
Today is all festivities...
just tomorrow the ofﬁcial ceremony begin, and you are welcome.
Welcome. Welcome, welcome. -Thank you.
Yeah. Enjoy.
Yes. Thank you.
-That guy has a very red face. -Yeah.
-Do we eat these? -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Can I take photos? -Um, discreetly.
Thanks.
Oh, forgive me.
I'm excluding the ones who aren't of Swedish tongue.
Welcome to Harga...
and happy midsummer.
It has been 90 years since our last great feast,
and it will be 90 years before our next.
And what poetry that it's now the hottest and brightest summer on record.
We already have so much to give back.
And so, without any further blathering, let's raise our glasses.
And let our Nine-Day Feast commence.
Ska/t
Ska°lt
You know, that ﬁre hasn't burned out since I was born.
It's all of ourjobs to keep it going.
Oh. - Yeah.
Wait, what did you say?
I'll tell you later.
He's giving thanks.
For the food?
Yeah, and the weather and the crops.
Was that praying?
Maybe not praying, but he was just addressing the...
the everything— the harmony and the balance.
Can I get a translation of what was sung?
Yeah, I can get a translation from him later.
Yeah, thanks. That would be amazing.
Sure.
Yes. Thank you, Petle.
Of course.
You guys should join.
Oh, no. I'm too scared.
-All right. -Thanks, babe.
What are the kids playing?
Skin the fool.
- Skin the fool? - Yeah.
Precious.
Hey, Pelle, can anyone just join in?
You're an American. Just jam yourself in there.
Hey.
Happy birthday.
Oh, my gosh, Pelle.
It's just something I do for birthdays.
Maybe it's not appropriate?
No, no, no, no, not at all. Thank you so much.
It's beautiful.
Anyway, just between us.
Yeah, well...
Christian forgot anyway, so this is amazing. Thank you.
Oh.
No, no, no, no. I forgot to remind him, and it's not his fault. It's...
Never mind. It's okay. This is-- This is beautiful.
Thank you so much. I'm really touched.
So, how do you support this place?
Lumbering, linen, homeopathics...
Water power plant.
School time over here.
- Carving runes. - Really?
They put it under their pillow and dream about its powers.
- Aw. - Oh, yeah. I do that too.
- Oh, fuck. There's a big one. - Oh, shit.
What alphabet is that from?
The Younger Futhark?
I think. Or is that medieval?
Actually, that is the Elder Futhark.
So, how long have you two been together?
-Oh, geez. Um... -Um...
Just over three and a half years.
Four years.
-No. Really? -Yeah.
Four years and two weeks.
You're right. I'm sorry. You're right.
-Mm-hmm. -Four years.
Yeah. Um, how did you guys all meet?
Well...
we were all working on the same farm,
and, funny enough, I was dating Connie when Simon and me first became pals.
Well, we'd been on a date.
And I didn't even actually know it was a date, so...
You're right. No, no, I meant that Connie and me had just become friends.
We decided to be friends.
And that was just before Connie and Simon started dating.
And now they're engaged.
What? -Wow.
Congratulations. -Which is amazing. Yes, congratulations.
Thanks. Yeah, we actually asked Ingemar to ofﬁciate the wedding.
-Rea||y? -Nah.
-Oh. -What's that building over there?
It's like a sacred temple, but no one's allowed in there.
Let me show you where we sleep.
Let me show you the Rotva‘ilta.
So we're just gonna ignore the bear then?
It's a bear.
What's that?
We can check it out.
A little love story.
Oh! Wow. What? Wow.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
Oh, man.
It's like painted scripture.
What do you think?
It's like another world.
Amazing.
Do people just sleep here?
All the younger ones, until we turn 36, and then we move to the Iaborers' house.
Why 36?
Well, we think of life like the seasons.
So you're a child until you're 18, and that's spring.
And then at some point we all do our pilgrimage,
which is between 18 and 36, and that's summer.
And then from 36 to 54,
we're of working age, which is fall.
And then finally from 54 to 72, you become a mentor.
What happens at 72?
Not a lot of privacy.
Yeah, what do you do when you need to jerk off?
Especially with all these dicks on the wall. There's a lot of dicks...
Oh, wait, no. We got some pussy paintings too.
See, man, that guy dismissed me,
but this is exactly like the sakhis saints and the cult of Aphroditus.
Maybe you forgot or something.
-It's Dani's birthday today. -Oh, thank you.
Did she say something? - No, no, no, absolutely not.
I just wanted to let you know before, so...
Are these the May queens?
Yeah.
Right. Uh, you'll actually be here for that.
And who are your May queens?
Every midsummer we have this dance competition,
and the winner gets crowned.
- Oh, wow. Beautiful. - Hey.
Was that...
You saw that too, right?
Pelle, who was that?
Inga. - Oh, my God, I want to give her a bath.
Hey, can I pull you outside for a sec?
Yeah, sure.
Pelle, tell her to come back.
J Happy birthday to you J
What?
J Happy birthday to you J
J Happy birthday, dear Dani J
J Happy birthday to you J
Fuck.
-Stop. It's fine. -What?
You didn't think | forgot, did you?
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I got fucked up by the daylight. I thought it was yesterday.
-|t's ﬁne. Thank you. -Happy birthday. Happy birthday.
I'm not upset. It's okay.
-You should be. -I should be.
I'm sorry.
All right. Beauty rest.
Tomorrow's a big day.
What's tomorrow?
First of the big ceremonies.
Attestupan.
What's that?
Ah, it's too hard to explain. You'll get a better sense tomorrow.
Wait, seriously? - You can't just tell me now?
Wait, you‘re not talking about an actual one.
I mean, it's pretty actual.
Fuck.
Do you know what it is?
Dude!
Is it scary?
That is so fucking annoying.
Pelle, check my scalp for ticks, then I'll check yours.
Somebody should tell those girls they're walking stupid.
How long do they typically stand?
We're going to stand until it's right to sit.
Hey. Oh.
-These for me? -Mm—hmm.
-You pick them backwards? -Yeah.
Are those the ones?
Yeah.
Dude, I'm so hungry. It's like they're trying to make it gross.
Dude...
is the girl from earlier staring at me again?
i W’ 1
- Her mother is on pilgrimage. - Oh.
It helps them to detach.
Okay.
The babies are raised here by everyone.
Wow. You want this?
What do you think that guys reaction would be
if I just put my finger in his butt right now?
Dude, are you following them out?
I'm beat. I'm gonna go take a nap.
- Okay, yeah. - Yeah.
Wait. What are we doing now?
What is that book?
Rubi Radr. Our scripture.
Can I read that?
You would not be able.
No!
Oh, my God!
- It's ﬁne. Don't worry. - Did shejump?
What the-- It's part of the ceremony.
- What? No, she felt, she fell. - Fuck!
- She felt, right? - Did she jump?
It's okay. - Did she fall or did she jump?
-She jumped, right? -|t's okay. It's ﬁne.
What do you mean it's fine? She's fucking dead! Look at her head!
-What the fuck was that? -Look at her head! She's dead!
It's part of the ceremony.
Why the fuck are you all standing there like that?
She just fucking jumped off the cliff.
Are you freaking blind? What the fuck?
Oh, my God.
What the fuck?
- No, no, no. - No, he's doing the same thing.
- He's doing the same fucking thing! - No, no, no.
Someone stop!
Sir, don't do it. Get him to stop.
Whys everyone just standing there? What the fuck!
-Sir, don'tjump, don'tjump. Get him... Someone please do something.
- What the fuck? No!
Fuck! He's still alive!
- What's going on? - What are you doing?
He's hurt... He's fucking alive! Call an ambulance!
Yeah, I'm not going to argue. Please try to respect it.
- He's alive! - I'm sorry.
- What do you mean, "respect it"? - Oh, my God!
- Ah, shit. Fuck, we're going.
Fuck! This is fucked!
Fuck this! You're fucked!
Fuck! You're all just fucking standing there watching.
- What the fuck is wrong with you!
-No, fucking leave her alone! -Please, please, please listen to me.
-What? Explain what? -Let me explain!
-Please, my poor thing. Fucked!
What you just saw
is a long, long, long-observed custom.
-Custom? It's fucked! -Yes.
Those two who jumped have just reached the end of their Harga life cycle.
And you need to understand it as a great joy for them.
-A joy? -Yes, and when it is my turn,
it will be a great joy for me.
We view life as a circle.
A recycle.
The lady who jumped, her name was Ylva, yes?
And that baby over there who is not yet born
will inherit that name.
Instead of getting old and dying in pain and fear and shame,
we give our life.
As a gesture.
-A gesture? -Before it can spoil.
It does no good dying, lashing back at the inevitable.
It corrupts the spirit.
I am so sorry I didn't warn you better.
You feeling okay?
I just really need to not be here right now.
Yeah.
I'm gonna go.
Just take some time to yourself, okay?
Number 8...
A businessman in Brussels was receiving oral sex from his secretary
in his car while driving on the freeway.
Unfortunately, he needed to make a sudden stop and was rear-ended,
startling his protégée into biting down with such...
How was the thing?
...brute force that his penis was severed clean from his body.
Hope you enjoyed the meal...
What's up, man?
- Are you getting reception here?
Uh...
Um, I'll talk to you in... in just a minute.
-Hey, dude. -Hey.
Holy shit, right?
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Good.
Hey, listen. Um...
I've been thinking about something that I wanted to ask you.
Or tell you, actually.
Um...
I've been thinking a lot about my thesis,
and, um, I've decided I'm going to do it here, on Harga.
And I wanted to tell you first, just so it didn't seem like I wasn't telling you.
| feel like-- I feel like I can't tell if you're joking.
I mean, you know I'm doing my thesis on midsummer.
-That's the reason why I'm here. -Yeah.
Yeah, but not on this community.
I mean, you're going to Germany and England next.
Well, you knew I was gonna want to do this.
-No. -Oh, my God.
-I mean, did you even know until just now? -Christian, of course you did.
Okay, do you think I don't know what you're doing?
It's actually kind of outrageously unsubtle.
The fact that you're being this bald about it.
I'm honestly kind of impressed.
-What the fuck, man? What does that mean? -Yeah, what the fuck!
This is what I've been working toward, and you know it.
That's why you look so guilty right now-- because you know.
You know that what you're doing is unethical and Ieechy and lazy,
and frankly it's kind of sad.
-Fuck you. -No, dude, not fuck me.
Find your own subject. Or-Or your own passion.
And-- Because-- All right, look.
This-- I am-- I am actually invested in this.
This is not some gloriﬁed hobby that I'm casually dipping my feet into.
Okay.
In case you hadn't noticed, Your Highness,
we're doing the exact same degree.
No, but not in the same way, Christian!
Okay? I have to hold your little hand through everything.
You didn't even know how to use JSTOR until I taught you,
and you are a fucking grad student.
Why are you even in academia?
You don't care! Which is ﬁne. That is your prerogative.
But do not appropriate my actual work for your new shortcut.
I'm gonna do my thesis here.
If you're going to do it here too, I'm open to collaborating.
And if not, I guess we can both do separate theses on the Hargas.
Dude, of all the things to let me sleep through.
What?
- We're leaving tomorrow morning. - I know we are.
Sorry, um... Hi. I don't mean to disturb you...
Uh...
Hello.
Hi, I'm Christian.
Hello. My name is Ulla.
-U||a. -U||a. And this is Maja.
-Maja, hi. -Hmm...
What are you guys doing?
We are decorating the tree.
Right. Um, Iwas wondering if I could ask you a question.
-Of course. -How many... uh...
How many times have you seen Attestupan... performed?
-"Attestupan." - "Attestupan. "
- How many times you've seen it performed?
Oh... uh...
Every time one reaches age, so...
Okay.
And do you have a typical... period of grieving?
Is there a-a time when you mourn?
Mm-hmm. We grieve and celebrate.
-Yes. -Okay. I see.
I told Christian this already,
and now I think he's trying to pretend like it's his idea.
-So if he comes up to you-- -Well, no. Wait a minute.
I seriously doubt the elders will approve of anything being written down.
They're extremely protective.
So then I'll just use aliases for everything. Problem solved.
Then what would be the point? You couldn't even get it peer-reviewed.
And Christian did already ask me this, by the way.
And I told him the same thing I'm telling you now.
I thought you said you hadn't talked to him.
Ah, fuck. No.
Okay, look, I'll ask the elders. Okay? Good?
Dani?
Um...
I'm really sorry, Pelle. Thank you for inviting me, but I really have to go.
Can someone maybe drive me somewhere?
I know I shouldn't have let you stay for that.
I mean, I know it looks extreme.
-But we only-- -I don't know why I'm here, Petle!
I don't know why you invited us. I don't know why--
-I don't know why I'm here. -Okay, okay.
-It's fine. It's okay. -I don't know, and I can't--
-Come on. Come on, sit down. -No.
Dani, please. Please, sit down.
Dani.
I invited my friends because this is a once-in-a-Iifetime thing,
and I wanted to share it,
especially with my friends who I knew would appreciate it.
Because I...
-I am proud of this place. -Okay.
Okay, but I'm not an anthropologist, and I don't understand any of this.
-Yes, yes, yes. I know, I know. -I don't get it.
And yet, I was the most excited for you to come.
Here. Here, smell this.
What is it?
-It calms you down. -No. I'm ﬁne. I don't want it.
-Are you sure? -No, |-| really want to go, Pelle.
-I don't— I don't want it. -Okay.
I know what you're going through, Dani.
What am I going through?
-Because I lost my parents too. What?
No, no, Pelle. That is not what I'm talking about.
-I'm not talking about my family. -I know you're not.
-|'m talking about... -I lost my parents as I was a little boy.
-They burned up in a ﬁre. -No, I wasn't talking about that.
My parents, they burned up in a fire, and I became technically an orphan.
So believe me when I tell you that I know what it's like.
Because I do. I really, really do.
Yet my difference is, I never got the chance to feel lost
because I had a family... here,
where everyone embraced me and swept me up.
And I was raised by a community that doesn't bicker over
what's theirs and what's not theirs.
That's what you were given.
But I have always felt held.
By a family. A real family...
which everyone deserves.
And you deserve.
Pelle, Christian could walk in.
He's what I'm talking about.
He's my good friend, and I like him, but...
Dani, do you feel held by him?
Does he feel like home to you?
Hey. How you doing?
Today was tough.
Are you going to be okay?
Are you not disturbed by what we just saw?
Yeah, of course I am.
That was really, really shocking.
I'm trying to keep an open mind though.
That's cultural, you know?
We stick our elders in nursing homes. I'm sure they ﬁnd that disturbing.
Hello.
Would you like to be joining us with a special ceremony?
Why? What's happening now?
What's happening?
No, wait, wait. Stop!
Okay, can you slow down? Just wait a sec, babe.
Please, Christian, this is feeling really wrong.
We need to leave.
I know that this is weird,
-but it's because it's alien. -No...
We haven‘t been exposed to anything like this.
No, Christian. This is completely backwards. We need to leave.
-We just need to acclimate. -I don't want to acclimate. I want to go.
Well, I can't. I'm sorry. Period.
I'm doing my thesis on this.
What? Since when?
Since I decided today.
You know how much of a nightmare this has been for me to ﬁgure out.
And I've made the mistake of telling Josh, and now he's competing with me.
So if he wants it, let him have it. We need to leave.
Can you not see what's going on here? This level of tradition?
No one's seen this. No one's written anything on it.
And theyve invited us to be a part of it.
-Can't you see what a privilege that is? -Why have they invited us?
-Because Pelle did. -Why did Pelle?
-Because he trusts us. -Why would they trust us?
You're opportunistic anthropology students.
Maybe because we're anthropology students.
-Oh, my God. -Maybe they want
-someone to document this. -Are you fucking blind?
Theyre doing pagan rituals. People are jumping off cliffs.
They depend on no one knowing about this ever.
Not necessarily.
Okay. I want to leave.
Okay, then you can leave. But I'm staying.
I invited you, and I don't regret that, but I'm here for a reason.
Do you not love me anymore?
What does that have to do with this?
We're in the devaluation phase.
We've been in it for a long time, and next comes discard.
Can we spare our relationship your textbook psychology keywords?
We've been in this for a while.
You‘ve been trying to pull away, and I've been in denial.
Please. Give yourself some credit, babe.
Looks like you've got this all figured out.
- What?
Actually, you know what? I'm gonna say one thing.
When you casually gift me an impromptu bouquet of flowers,
-that just makes me think... -What flowers?
...how and when am I supposed to pay that back?
Everything you give me is a reminder
that I'm not doing enough for you in this relationship.
What, at lunch?
I picked those on a whim!
Oh, don't try to tell me that you had no ulterior motive.
-Yeah! What motives do I have? -On your birthday?
The day after I didn't get you something?
Are you being serious?
Okay, fine.
Play the wounded party again.
You're just a self-denying altruist, and I'm a paranoid dick.
You don't have a conniving bone in your body.
-What is it you imagine I'm conniving? -You are, Dani!
I feel locked into your debt every time you do something "just because."
-I don't keep you in my debt! -Because it's never "just because."
I was being kind.
Okay, ﬁne. I'm the asshole.
-Nobody's the asshole. -I clearly am.
You selflessly gave me ﬂowers, and I feel trapped. Fuck!
Are you actually gonna leave?
-I'm supposed to be working here. -You're gonna leave me like this?
Christian!
Hey, do you... Sorry.
Do you have a sleeping pill I can take?
-Yeah, sure. -Thanks.
Shh. You're going to wake her up.
Yo, Pellet
Whatcha doin'?
Just working in the garden.
-Hey, man. -Hey.
Any word?
Yeah. They say you can do it.
As long as you absolutely don't use any names or...
-Okay. Wow. -...the location is never even hinted at.
Okay.
And you'll have to sign an agreement to that.
And you're splitting it with Christian because he came to me first.
Well, that's-- We'll ﬁgure that out.
I got to go take a leak.
Uh, here, can I ask you something?
Yeah.
Do you know what this is?
I found it under Christian's bed.
Oh. That's a love rune. Casts a love spell.
A love rune.
Yeah.
-Under Christian's bed? -Yeah, yeah.
What's going on?
Uh, the elders said you can do your thesis
as long as you don't use the actual names or location.
Are you serious?
Yeah.
Oh, my God. Thank you, man. That is incredible news. Thank you.
Great. You're splitting it with Josh as well.
Yeah, I already told him I'm totally fine with that.
Good. Well, Ithink my sister, Maja, has taken a liking to you.
:; as???
The redhead?
And actually she just got byxmyndlg last year.
It basically means that you are allowed to have sex when you're 15. Pan's license.
- Okay, good for her.
Hey, whoa!
What? Okay, relax, relax. What did Ido?
-Pelte, what is going on? -What happened?
What did I do? What did I do wrong?
Dude, okay! Relax!
You pissed on the ancestral tree.
-The tree? So what? -Yes, yes.
"So what"!
-I didn't know. -No, it's...
That tree is tied to all of our dead.
It's a dead tree though. It's dead.
Yeah, yeah, I know. But it's important to us.
I just had to pee. I didn't know it was special.
No, I know. We know that you didn't know that, but it's just...
-Well, how was I supposed to know... -You wouldn't pee on a gravestone, right?
Obviously not, but...
- Fuck! I mean... - What did you do to him?
I don't know what I'm apologizing for-- Do I apologize?
Apologize later.
-Okay. -Oh, shit. Hi.
- Okay. - What the fuck!
What did she say?
She said it's gonna be okay,
and she'll talk to Ulf and apologize for the mistake.
Seriously? What else did she say?
Hey.
You get some good sleep?
Mm-hmm.
Good.
What happened over there?
Mark's... just...
I'm sorry about last night.
How are you feeling?
I don't want us to be fighting, Christian.
Well...
me neither.
Hey.
Hey. It was really nice to meet you.
I'm so sorry. We're actually leaving.
What?
- Yeah. - Connie.
Simon is getting the truck with one of them now.
- Connie. - Is everything okay?
Connie.
Oh, there.
Uh, Simon, he told me to tell you that Jan drove him to the train station.
And after Simon gets dropped off, he's sending the truck back for you.
What?
You will meet him there.
No. Why would he just go without me? He wouldn't do that.
Well, the truck only had room for two.
What does that mean?
That doesn't even make any sense. He would have told me.
Todays only train leaves in 90 minutes.
It takes about 35 minutes to go there and back.
So they didn't want to waste time.
So I could have sat on his lap.
Yes, I imagine that too, but, you know, we don't break trafﬁc laws, okay?
So theyve just gone. They've left me just now.
Now, Connie, there was no room in the truck.
Yet it is coming right back for you. Yeah?
This is bullshit.
Okay, lunch in a bit.
And how are... jobs or roles assigned?
That's based on traits we show as kids.
For example, he was assigned to protect.
So he made his pilgrimage as doctor.
Is he gonna be okay?
I mean...
Yeah, he's a very sensitive guy.
It's a big week for him.
-Hey. -Hi. Sorry.
Um, Simon left without Connie.
Jesus, really?
-Yeah. -What a dick move.
-Is she okay? -Uh, no.
-She just got told. -Did she say why?
No, no.
That sucks.
On the-- On the subject of couples, actually, um...
is there ever an issue here with incest?
Sorry. I mean, you know... small communities.
Well, the bloodlines are very well preserved.
So the elders must approve mates.
Cousins can sometimes mate. But we do respect the incest taboo.
So we often need to...
We often need to invite outside peoples.
Excuse me. Hey.
Would you like to help join us?
Uh...
sure, yeah.
Come.
Do you-- Do you know, um... Have you seen Simon anywhere?
Yes. He was driven to the station. Did you not say good-bye?
No. No, I didn't. But, uh, that's okay, that's okay.
What are we making here?
Meat tarts.
Oh, wow.
Oh, thank you.
She says you're so beautiful.
Oh, thank you.
Um, she's so beautiful.
We describe it like emotional sheet music.
What does it say?
Well, each runic letter stands for one of the 16 affekts,
which are graded from most holy to most unholy.
This one, for example, is about grief.
You can see at the end, however, we have blank pages.
This is because the Rubi Radr is a work forever in progress.
Forever evolving. We have many, many hundreds of these.
And who decides what gets added?
Well, uh, this iteration is being written by Ruben.
Uh, the disabled...
Since birth.
He draws, and we the Elders interpret.
You see, Josh, Ruben is unclouded by normal cognition.
It makes him open for the source.
Uh... what happens when Ruben... dies?
Do you just wait for a baby that is...
not clouded?
No, no, no. Ruben was a product of inbreeding.
All of our oracles are deliberate products of inbreeding.
Can I take a photograph?
What?
Uh, a photograph?
No.
Absolutely not. -Okay, sorry.
- Absolutely not.
Oh, fuck. Yep, that's her.
Hey.
Oh. Great. She's walking away.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Tack.
Thanks.
Has anyone seen Connie?
I think Mark saw her earlier.
I'm sure I saw her trying out for the sprinting Olympics earlier.
-What? Where? -Sorry, but I can say what happened.
Her boyfriend called the Iandline from the train station
and calmed Connie down.
Then she begged our pardon and I drove her to meet him.
-Okay. Well, that's a relief. -Why would Simon leave without her?
I'm sure it was just a miscommunication.
I could see you possibly doing that.
What the hell does that mean?
Never mind.
Someone's still sore about their ancestral tree.
Dude, is he gonna kill me?
Did you learn anything about the Rubi Radr?
Oh, so now you want to collaborate?
Okay, thank you.
-I know that one elder... -Thank you.
-...gave you a glimpse of it. -Thank you. Sorry I brought it up.
Oh, my God, dude. What the fuck?
-Is that... -What is that?
Is that a fucking pube?
-Ew. -It's just a hair.
Yeah, a pubic hair.
Dude, calm down.
Why are you embarrassed? You're not the one giving out... hair pies.
Jesus Christ. He's still fucking lookin' at me.
Hey. You'll come with me?
-What? -You'll come?
-Uh... [It show you.
Okay, sure.
-Yeah? -Yeah, great.
Um, I'll be back. I guess she's going to show me.
Hey, can I, uh, borrow another sleeping pill?
-Yeah, sure, yeah. -Thanks.
Thank you.
What the fuck, Mark?
What the fuck are you doing? Close the door! We're not supposed to be in here.
Do you think Mark's still off with that girl?
I wouldn't be surprised.
What about Josh, though?
I'm honestly not too concerned.
Wow.
We, um... have something regretful to announce.
This morning the 1ch Book of Rubi Radr was found missing from the temple.
We don't want to point ﬁngers,
yet we kindly ask that whoever took it to return it to its original place.
You can leave it in the temple,
which will be left unguarded and unwatched.
Nobody needs to know it was you.
Where is your friend, Josh?
I know. Uh, we have no idea.
He and your other friend, they both disappears the same day.
You see how it looks?
Yes, obviously. But I swear to you we are in the dark on this.
We're just as confused as you are.
We did see Mark go off with that girl last night.
-What girl? -Inga.
Yeah, but Mark wouldn't have done this.
Josh, on the other hand...
he came to bed with us, and when we woke up he was gone.
And if he did take that book, | just pray you understand
we don't associate as friends of his or collaborators or anything.
We would just be so embarrassed to be connected to this
in any way, shape or form.
Let's hope it gets returned.
I hope so too.
I feel responsible.
Well, you and Odd, you can go looking for them.
-Yes. -Maybe you can redeem this.
You are going with the women for the days activity.
Oh, hi.
And Siv wants to see you in her house.
-Okay? -Mm—hmm.
Okay.
This is the big one.
Okay. Thank you.
Look into her eyes.
Mm-hmm.
Um... can I ask what this is exactly?
It's, uh... tea for the competition.
-And then you... glass here. -Mm-hmm.
And then we drink it.
ass
Okay.
Mm—hmm?
Uh-oh!
-Oh, God. -Here we go.
Please. Come in.
Firstly, Ijust have to say I have no idea where Josh is.
And I can swear to that on my mother's life.
How do you feel about Maja?
About Maja?
How do I feel about her how?
You have been approved to mate with her.
You're an ideal astrological match.
And she has fixed her hopes on you.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean.
I haven't even spoken to her.
She ﬁxed on you before you came.
Pelle showed her a photo.
I'm here with someone.
I'm here with Dani.
Dani will not know.
I am not proposing marriage.
You wouldn't be approved for that.
Okay, so what is it you're asking?
I'm asking if you care to mate with Maja.
It's a one-night offer.
I think I ate one of her pubic hairs.
Oh. Sounds probably right.
From an academic perspective...
it would also provide a unique glimpse into our sexual rites.
Can I not have a unique glimpse without participating?
-Stay here. -What?
Are you ready?
-What are we doing? -You'll see.
-You're so good. -What does that mean?
-Eight, eight! -What?
- We're now eight left!
Christian?
Um, for you?
Uh...
- Thanks.
-What is it? -Um, it's...
Sorry.
Spring water with special properties.
Oh.
Okay.
What does it do?
Oh, um...
It breaks down your defenses
and opens you for the inﬂuence.
Okay.
Thanks.
You're welcome.
You know what? Um...
I'm worried I'll have a bad trip.
Oh, no. You won't. You won't. Trust me.
I don't speak Swedish.
What?
Aah!
What's happening?
You are our May queen.
-Why? -You won!
What does that mean?
Oh, my God.
Mom? Mom?
Oh, my God, Dani! May queen!
Herring?
What for?
It's tradition. For good luck.
Yeah!
What?
And you must eat it whole.
-But the tails go in ﬁrst. -No, no, no.
You must try! You must try!
Aww.
A very good try.
Excuse me?
What's going on?
Why did you do that?
To our May queen!
Véilkommen! Skal!
Ska°lt
You are in the family now. Yes?
Yes, you are in the family.
Like sisters.
Now it's traditional for the May queen to bless our crops and livestock.
And after the luck you just inherited from that salt herring,
we should all be doubly encouraged.
Can Christian come with me?
Nay.
The queen must ride alone.
So repeat after me?
Breathe in.
For your vitality.
We shall go now to Siv's house.
What's this?
It‘s a special meeting, only for the queens.
She will bless you.
What's that?
That's not for us.
I think you should not.
No, no, no.
Christian?
Christian.
Hello. There you are.
Listen. You can't speak. You can't move.
All right?
Good.
On this, the day of our deity of reciprocity,
we gather to give special thanks to our treasured sun.
As an offering to our father, we will today surrender nine human lives.
As Harga takes, so Harga also gives.
Thus, for every new blood sacrificed,
we will dedicate one of our own.
That is four new bloods. Four from Harga.
And one to be chosen by the queen.
Nine in all to die
and be reborn in the great cycle.
The four new bloods have already been supplied.
As for our end, we have two already dedicated...
and two who have volunteered.
Ingemar and Ulf.
You have brought outside offerings.
Thus volunteering your own bodies.
You will today be joined
in harmony with everything.
And to Pelle, who has brought new blood and our new May queen,
you will today be honored for your unclouded intuition.
And so for our ninth offering...
it is traditional that our fair queen shall choose
between a preselected new blood and a specially ordained Hargan.
Torbjorn.
Honorable Torbjorn, please step forward.
And...
Christian Hughes.
These are the candidates for the ninth and ﬁnal offering.
We patiently await your verdict.