Original subtitles

Hi, and welcome to Tri-Boules...

Welcome to Tri-Boules' pétanque night. Pétanque is the chess of the gravel court.

The aim is to get as close to this jack as possible.

It is thrown 6-10 metres. You start by greeting the opponents.

Then a draw decides who starts.

The person who gets to start takes the circle.

If there is no circle, you draw one on the ground.

THE GIANT

Yes!

- Shoot it! - OK.

A carreau. Come on!

In their dreams!

You do know the rules, right? You have to get close to the red one.

One point for us.

That's it!

- Thanks. Two points for us. - No. Just one.

- That one is also a point. - No way.

- Measure it then. - I'll clear the court.

I'll check it out.

Damn!

- Rikard! - What happened?

- Shit... - How do you shoot?

- Do you hear me, buddy...? - It was not my fault.

- I hit his shoulder. - What did you do?

He just got in the way. Wake up, Rikard.

- Wake up. - They are on their way.

- What? - He just walked onto the court.

Get lost!

His eyesight is very poor. He just wandered in there.

He's unique among our patients. The wonder of the day.

His name is Rikard Boberg.

It's a wonder he has survived this long, really.

He is unconscious.

He was brought in after being hit in the head by an iron ball.

He was unconscious and had problems breathing and a brainstem impact.

This is the newborn Rikard in his mother's arms.

Even at that time you can see that the boy is deformed.

He has a 'craniostenosis' with a protruding frontal bone.

His father is unknown so we cannot investigate his heredity.

His mother had a full-blown neurosis after the birth.

A real postpartum neurosis, which developed into a psychosis.

She was completely incapable of caring for her son.

Let's show the full body. Feel free to examine him.

His case is unusual, and his condition has so many components -

- that it has to be a type of syndrome.

If we were to describe the syndrome -

- we could call it Rehncrona's syndrome after me.

Thanks.

And here we have Hjördis Kjellman. Hi.

Mum...

Here is some water, too.

Have you had something to eat?

Will you stop that?

There are sick people here. You can't just whistle.

Promise me you won't do that again.

- Hi. - Hi.

My God... Rikard?

Absolutely not! Back to bed. Just sit down, Rikard.

Let's pull off his pants. That's good.

- There. - No!

Rikard...

Good, thanks. Can I have it?

That's great. That's great. Calm down, dear.

- Now you can relax your arm. - It's on.

Relax your arm.

Oh good, you have that.

Mum, eh?

Do you want to see Mum?

So do I.

Isn't there anything else you'd like for your birthday?

You want to see Mum, but you can ask for anything. Whatever you want.

Tsu-ghi.

What was that?

- Zugh! - Zug?

That's "train" in German. Do you want a train?

So you want a train, huh?

Of course you can have a train! We'll bring Mum along, too.

Suck!

Suck?

Suck?

A suck-off? I can't fix that for you. I can't.

I can fix a lot of things, but not that. Not getting you sucked off.

- Sughi. - Soggy?

Soggy suck-offs? That's quite a bit to ask for.

No...

Soggy suck-offs on a train. Nope. But the train is fine.

What are you saying? Huh?

Zughi?

Damn right, you're getting a zughi. A zughi for the kid!

A zughi? A zughi for Rikard. Really great.

Zughi!

No, Rikard, this is not OK! Darn it... No, no!

No one in the world is allowed to play pétanque in their apartment.

Hey, come on now. You know this.

This is not news. Come on!

- OK, are you ready for the attack? - No!

Ready? Dee-da, dee-da, dum-da-dum-dum.

Dee-da, dee-da...

Oh, and there's the bag. Listen...

I'll put these in the staff room.

You promised me to not...

...throw these inside, you know that. Isn't that right?

Rikard?

Hey...

Don't be sad. I know that you...

Hey... Beep, bop, beep, bop!

Don't be sad. You get to play pétanque tomorrow at practice, right?

It's really late. I'll be back to say goodnight in five minutes.

If you're not careful, I'll have my fingers ready.

Go on, get ready now. Bye!

- Stop it. - Could you just move?

Take your beer.

You throw a curved ball.

A bit too far. You have played this before, right?

- One, two. One, two. One, two. - Did I get number two?

The first one to hit the cock wins.

- I hit the cock. - You have to get the closest to it.

Let's play according to the new rules.

God damn it, Bosse!

Quiet! I hereby call the annual meeting to order.

- Louder, we can't hear you. - I call the annual meeting to order.

Did you receive and read the agenda, so that it can be approved?

- Yes! - Now for the minutes checker.

I nominate Anki. Any others?

Mr. Chairman, I think we should talk about parking. We have new spaces.

- Yet there are never any free ones. - That belongs under other issues.

If so, we can't make a decision. I want it on the agenda.

Not if it wasn't presented to us two weeks in advance.

- You know that, Greger. - You could add an item.

No, we'll have no additions. What's with all the damn racket?

Hey! Keep it down!

What the hell is this...? Hey! Hey!

What the hell are you doing? This is a boulodrome.

- You call this a game of pétanque? - Cross-country pétanque.

We're having an annual meeting in here, so you'll have to keep it down.

Stub that cigarette out. And keep it down.

- "We are having an annual meeting!" - Who the hell are these people?

Where did you find this scum? We shouldn't allow beer drinking.

Then no one would come here at all. That's where we make money.

- Maybe that's for the best. - Then membership fees would rise.

- The parking spaces... - Shut up!

Parking is not on the agenda.

That means we're at item five, which most of you are excited about -

- the preparations for the Nordic Championships.

Right, it's the NC in Copenhagen.

Do we have a photo of the defending champs, Thilleman and Wagner?

It will be a tough final, but we'll beat them, Rikard and I.

I like your confidence.

While we're on the subject, should we discuss Rikard?

- Everyone is here. - No. Let's do it afterwards.

- We can keep it calmer then. - What are you on about?

We've had an internal discussion about what happened on the court.

We have all been affected by it.

We want what's best for Rikard, but we can't take responsibility anymore.

This accident... It could have had fatal consequences.

- What are you trying to say? - We can't be responsible for Rikard.

We can't have him compete at the Nordic Championships.

People could get killed. We won't stand for it.

- So what are you saying? - Rikard won't... This sounds harsh.

But Rikard won't be playing for us at the NC.

He can still be a part of the club and our activities, but we can't...

What the... Hang on! Kjell threw a boule at Rikard's head.

- And now he's excluded? - No, you misunderstand me.

Anyone could have thrown that boule. Me, Milos...

- And anyone could have been hit. - Exactly!

We must minimize that risk. We can't be responsible for Rikard.

- What the hell? - He has only half of our vision.

He moves up and down the court. It won't do.

- It's for... - Rikard, hang on!

Wait. Let's settle this.

- This game is his life. - We are doing it for him.

All he wants is to play at NC.

And then the three of you tell him that he can't do that.

We have a responsibility.

We are responsible for all those people who are playing.

- It's not just... - Damn it!

- Calm down, Roland. - Show some support for Rikard.

- Sit down! - Doesn't anyone want him to play?

It's his entire life, and you just bow your heads.

You are going too far now. We must be able to talk about it.

- It's a question of responsibility. - Rikard! Damn!

We must be able to discuss it without freaking out like that.

- This was not the right time. - When then?

- This was not a good time. - But it's a good time to discuss parking.

- A parking barrier is what we need... - Greger!

- I have made a drawing... - Sit down and forget about it.

- I want a card reader right here. - What the hell have they done?

Shit!

What the hell...?

This is the one from the Swedish Championships.

What the...?

What the fuck are you doing? Get out of here, you scum bags!

- Take it easy. - You stupid idiots!

Have you no manners? Get out of there.

Get lost!

Go to hell, both of you.

Don't you ever come back!

Why do you let pigs like that in here?

Triple the amount on their bill.

Hello.

Weren't you at the pétanque court just a while ago?

Are you a professional player?

- Is that your little boule bag? - Bosse!

No!

You can't just jerk at his things.

Show a little respect.

Stop it now.

Hi, dude. Hello, little troll.

Hello.

Dude? It is a dude, right?

- Maybe it's a new species. - We also played pétanque.

It was fun. We just weren't good at it.

- We were pretty good at cross-country. - Say...

Is that a boule cap?

- He's mad now. - He's coming!

Get your mobile phone out.

- Here. - Is it made in London?

Check this out.

Stop it. What's wrong with you, you fucking freak?

- Watch out for his rabies. - Here you go.

- You flippin' idiot! - I'll hunt you down, one by one.

I'll kill you.

What happened today... was for the best.

Now we have trimmed the fat.

Only the pros are left. You and me.

If you look at a game of pétanque as a solar system -

- the boules are the planets, and the jack is the sun.

The planets orbit the sun. They seem to gather around it.

They all want to be close to the centre of the world.

Even when you face the impossible, you can find a solution.

If you can't solve it otherwise, do it crazy-wise, as grandma said.

Crazy-wise in pétanque is moving the jack.

Don't fight to get close to the centre. Instead, just move the centre.

Move the centre of the universe.

It's the hardest thing to do, but also the most beautiful.

Zu-ghi.

You're damn right about that! Zughi is our name.

Zughi Ball Club - give me five! Zughi BC.

- Zughi. - Zughi! Zughi!

When we enter the arena, the audience gets up.

They start yelling: "Zughi! Zughi!"

They are among Europe's best at tossing iron balls at a 'jack'.

They eat, live and breathe pétanque. Last week, they won the Nordic Championship.

It means a lot to us.

We are a force to be reckoned with, at least in the Nordic countries.

We hope to do well internationally as well.

My serial number is A028.

And then I have had the words 'End of the line' engraved on it.

Because if you meet me in a competition it's the end of the line.

He brings it up from back here.

Then he kind of rolls his entire body.

He brings his hand up, and that's when he releases the ball.

There, and he makes a hell of a backspin. And it stops on the spot.

Run it again.

Keep your eye on him now.

Watch it now. Man, it's way up...

And then he throws it.

We'll spot their weaknesses. We'll spot them.

We are going to win that match. It's our match.

We are going to be Nordic champs. Zughi will beat them, Rikard.

You bet we will!

- Look at this. - Very nice.

- It's a mix of a tree and a hand. - That's nice.

The red background is beautiful. It's as if the hand is coming out.

It's detailed, I like that. It must have taken a lot of focus.

Yes, it's great. Here's another one.

- And it is a fall tree, right? - I think it's very pretty.

- It's a little blurry. - It's for Rikard.

- Oh, it's for Rikard? - Yes. It's his birthday tomorrow.

- He'll be 30. - Do you think there will be a party?

- No, there won't be a party for him. - No. What do you think, Rikard?

Rikard. How are you doing?

Rikard? Wait, we have to...

- Helena? Good morning. - Good morning.

- Did you sleep well? You did? - Yes.

- Are you up already? Good morning! - Good morning!

- What are you up to? - I finished the drawing.

- You made a drawing? Wow! - I'm giving it to him now.

- He's getting it now? - I've finished it now.

- Happy birthday to you... - No, wait a minute.

- Is everyone here? - Yes.

Hush!

Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, clear Rikard

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you...

- Is he there, Freddan? - No, he's not here.

- Well then... - Then we'll have to look for Rikard.

- Where is he? - We can go look in the kitchen.

- We can look in the kitchen. - Can anyone find Rikard?

Hey, wait a minute! You have to register!

Wait, wait!

Rikard...

Rikard, will you come with us?

Mum...

Mum...

"Rikard turns 30 on Thursday, 28th October!"

"There will be a celebration and cake over lunch."

When we're in the forest

When we're throwing balls

You turn into a butterfly

And I become a troll

The troll is a butterfly

The troll is a kid

The kid likes to dance

And play all day long

When we're in the forest

When we're throwing balls

I turn into a butterfly

And you become a troll

Aw, hell...

23, 24, 25, 26, 27...

- 27... - Is it childish, or do we wear hats?

Once I started shopping, I simply couldn't stop.

- Do you like the hats? - Yes!

Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you...

- Watch this; does it look the same? - Yeah...

- Can you see what it is? - Yeah, a cap.

- Perhaps I should have the rose. - No, it's Rikard's!

- I'll just get it. - No, you can't!

- It's Rikard's problem. - Martin, you can't! Martin!

There...

Why don't you try the cake, Rikard?

It's a cap cake made especially for you today.

I think you'll like it.

- Rikard... Are things that bad? - It looks really tasty.

I think Rikard misses his mum. That can make you very sad.

- He misses his mum. - Yes.

You're missing Mum.

But guess what, Rikard? The party isn't over yet.

Try to enjoy it anyway and make the most of it.

Things don't always go as you want, unfortunately.

- The cake was really good. - I'm glad you liked it.

- Do you like blue marzipan, Rikard? - Does anyone have a blue tongue?

- Oh my, what did you buy? - You can manage now, right?

When he drinks from it -

- he has to think of me, because I made it.

What drink should he have in it?

Oh my, what's going on?

Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, clear Rikard Happy birthday to you

- Cheers to Rikard! - Hurray, hurray, hurray, hurray!

Happy birthday, buddy!

Sorry we're a bit late, it was hard to get everyone together.

Let's see, this is from all of us.

Happy birthday!

It's the nicest thing we could find.

Oh my God, look at that...

They are custom-made for you.

Zughi!

- Zughi! - Yes, it's zughi. Lots of zughi!

- Zughi! Zughi! - Zughi, that's right!

There's no turning back now!

I want you in the darkness with me

Time stands still when we're touching each other

I take off, I'm flying, I'm floating up

Let it never end

I want you in the darkness with me

Time stands still when we're touching each other

I take off, I'm flying, I'm floating up

Let it never end

Rikard and Roland.

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to Tri-Boules.

Welcome!

They will not be playing for Tri-Boules, because for some reason -

- they insist on playing for their Zughi BC.

- Zughi! Zughi! - So here's my idea:

Let's view Zughi BC as Tri-Boules' first daughter club.

The question is who is daughter club of whom...

- Oh, that's how it is? - You get to keep training with us.

Just as usual. Rikard and Roland, welcome back!

Give me the mic. I'd also like to say some things now that you're back.

After all of the commotion... There have been a lot of harsh words.

We've had to reason about uncomfortable things.

In my position as chairman, you must understand, I only want to do good.

But sometimes it turns bad. What the hell?

- What do you want? - Ram-ra-di-ra-di ram...

Cut it out. What the hell am I going to do with him?

He's hopeless.

Because if you meet me in a competition it's the end of the line.

What the hell...?

Keep to your own side, you damn beach bums!

Hey, grandpa? Old monkey.

A Nordic Championship and we still have to put up with these bikini poofs.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...

Mr. Referee, I measured our court.

It's 11.23. That's 77 cm shorter than the minimum.

12 metres is acceptable, though the standard is 15.

But not 11.23. 1 say we redraw the courts -

- or I want to see the exemption. I also have another complaint...

Yes! A perfect shot by Thilleman. And the match point.

Denmark beats Finland, 13-0. Who can stop Thilleman and Wagner?

Bloody volleyball.

You have to throw it properly.

Look at him now. At least he knows the basic technique.

- Damn. - Match.

See, I told you so.

- Thanks. - Thanks.

That's the way to do it! Denmark is in the final!

Deep thoughts at team Zughi. The final is at stake.

- Let's try a special. - Zughi!

The decision has been made. Roland Spångberg walks towards the ring.

He can end the game now -

- if he can knock the opponents' boules away.

We have the team that will play the Danish champs.

Team Zughi, Roland Spångberg and Rikard Boberg, will be in the final.

- Way to go, Roland! - Zughi!

Something for Mum, huh?

When we're in the forest

When we're throwing balls

You turn into a butterfly

And I become a troll

The troll is a butterfly

The troll is a kid

The kid likes to dance

And play all day long

Thilleman and Wagner are elite athletes. Zughi is different.

- Definitely. - Roland isn't exactly young.

And Rikard has a diagnosis. How are their physical states?

I can't go into details about that.

But they are in the finals, so there's only one game to go.

We're hoping against all odds.

And we are ready to begin the final match of the championships.

Denmark wins the draw. They seem happy about that.

They will throw the jack and decide the distance of the game.

Thilleman and Wagner are well-known for their short distance games.

That gives Thilleman a 100 percent shot efficiency. Wagner throws the jack.

- Do we have 6 metres? - 6.07.

6 metres. That's how they want it.

They might as well just walk over and place it at six metres.

They are the defending champs. Team Zughi is really a dark horse.

First team to reach 13 points will be Nordic Champions!

- John Wagner... - Come on, Wagner!

And it's a good one. Time for the Swedes to respond.

- Rikard Boberg enters the circle. - What a circus parade. Look at him.

- It's Jabba the Hutt. - Or a tiny Elephant man.

At least we know who wins the female vote.

Rikard Boberg is a great personality on the bouleodrome.

- What's going on? - What the hell, Rikard?

It's the Nordic Championship.

Are you alright?

Time stands still for the Swedes.

- We need the Swedes in the ring now. - We can call it quits.

We can do that. It's OK.

- This looks like a scandal. - It's no scandal. He's ill, damn it.

You have only one minute.

You have to intervene now. He has just one minute.

That's right. We have to call in the referee.

A warning to the Swede.

I give you the yellow card, Rikard.

A yellow card to the Swedes. It's only fair.

You have all the time in the world. There's just you and me on the court.

Great setup for the Danes.

Beautiful. He does it again and again.

The Danes are ahead 8-0. A beautiful throw.

Don't worry.

It's the six metre distance again. It's Martin Thilleman's favourite.

They never miss at six metres. We must win a round so we can throw the jack.

The Danes are brilliant. Thilleman is leading his team to...

That's art. Awesome. It's simply outstanding.

It's simply pétanque artistry!

What will the Swedes do now? There's only one team playing.

Here. You have to hit right next to this one.

The Danes have a theoretical chance to end the game this round.

Four points on the ground and Thilleman has one more boule left.

And the Swedish boules are far from where the action is.

Far, far away from the centre.

He moved the jack. He moved the jack.

- What a surprise. He moved the jack. - That's one way to do it.

We went from four Danish points to three Swedish points.

Finally, the Danes get some competition.

I knew you could do it.

- Move it, Jabba. - He's a bit touchy.

The Danish champ is entering the ring.

Martin Thilleman.

What the heck?

- I get another try, don't I? - Of course.

- I can have another go at it? - Yes.

Don't touch the boule! It's against the rules.

There's a spectator on the court.

Mr. Referee... Paragraph 19, section 1.

Go, Greger!

"A boule stopped by a spectator or moving object retains its position."

- The referee gave me permission. - Let me read that.

- But you gave me permission! - That was before I read these rules.

You'll need to... The boule is live.

- There has to be some fair play! - Rules are rules.

The boule is live. This is a scandal!

- It is a scandal! - This is a final. What's going on?

- Strange things are happening. - Come on!

The Danes have problems with the new distance.

Another beautiful boule by Spångberg.

Zughi, five points. Denmark, eight. This is a turning point.

And they do it again. Amazing!

Half an hour ago, Denmark was up 8-0.

Now it's 8-11. Zughi has two boules left.

He's sitting down. We haven't seen that before.

This is going to be very hard. He has to pass the Danish defence -

- and then get close to the jack.

That was incredible. He passed the Danish boules.

They now have 12 points. Swedish Rikard has one boule left.

One chance to take the 13th point.

One chance to win the Nordic Championship.

We'll smash them now.

This final boule can send the gold medal to Sweden.

- What is Thilleman up to? - Fucking Dane!

Is this your golden ball?

It's our finals. Get off the court.

Rikard?

What's wrong, Rikard?

Hey, buddy...

Do we have a doctor here?

Give me that.

Hallo. Is there a doctor or a nurse present?

We have an injured person here.

We need some help. Is there anybody here with a medical background?

19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25...

A FILM BY JOHANNES NYHOLM