Original subtitles

Sweden 2018

Hello, Sergei.

M. Bergqvist, Miss Aberg.

Aberg.

Natalia.

Good morning.

Hello, Katia.

Hello, Miss Åberg.

Everything is going well at school and the choir?

Very good, thank you.

And you, Alina? How does the diving go?

GOOD.

You speak Swedish well.

Your daughters are charming.

They look really...

happy and stable now.

Isn't it?

Would you like some tea?

Gladly.

Not for me, thank you.

No problem with household appliances?

No, everything works fine.

So much the better.

It's very clean, you deserve credit for cleaning up,

here, all alone.

Thank you very much, Natalia.

You are welcome.

You will soon have new roommates.

A couple.

And for the races? Do you have what you need?

It's balanced.

It's good.

And what about dinner tonight?

It's very appetizing.

Will that be all?

Yes.

We'll let you have dinner.

Thank you for the tea.

Good luck for tomorrow.

You already know if...

Let's remain optimistic.

Can I call myself Astrid?

Tomorrow, when we become Swedish.

We'll have to have Swedish names, right?

So I'll call myself Sven.

And me, Ingrid.

And you, Mom, you could call yourself...

Hilda.

Hilda?

It's not bad.

MIGRATION OFFICE

Please take a seat.

Yes ?

We are ready.

GOOD.

Arbitration for the award of a residence permit.

File number: 50134096.

Date of decision: May 7, 2018.

Applicants: Sergei Galitzine, Natalia Galitzine,

Alina Galitzine, Katia Galitzine.

Nationality: Russian.

Current status:

asylum seekers

receiving an allowance, temporary accommodation

and an exemption work permit requirement.

Requested status:

refugees with allocation permanent resident status.

This request is based on the facts listed below.

Sergei Galitzin declares to be persecuted

and threatened with death in his country of origin.

He mentions physical attacks

by Russian state agents with intent to kill.

He also states physical intimidation

in and around his home, by strangers.

Moreover,

Sergei Galitzin indicates that in 2017,

while he was working as a high school principal,

he authorized and encouraged the dissemination and the discussion of prohibited texts

among his students.

These texts included novels, scientific articles

and tests supporting pluralism, democracy

and freedom of expression.

Informed of these facts, local authorities

physically and verbally threatened Mr. Galitzine and his wife.

Natalia Galitzine

incited her husband to end these activities.

Risking prison and the loss of his job,

Sergei Galitzin persisted despite everything and published an article

opposing censorship and the prohibition of works

on an online news site.

The article was subsequently deleted.

Two days after publication, Mr. Galitzine was attacked with a knife

by two police officers and two men in civilian clothes,

which, according to Mr. Galitzine, acted for the federal authorities

with the intention of killing him.

The only witness to this incident is Mr. Galitzine's daughter.

Already traumatized, she did not make a statement

and his first name does not appear in the file.

Mr. Galitzine's injuries resulted in hospitalization,

but fearing to be found and facing new threats,

this time towards Natalia Galitzine, the family went into hiding.

A week later, A smuggler helped her get to Sweden.

The decision of the Migration Office complies with immigration law.

The Migration Office estimates

that the information provided are insufficiently reliable

and do not allow to establish the responsibility of the Russian state

nor to evaluate further the need to ensure your protection.

The Office also deplores the absence of formal evidence

physical or verbal threats.

No medical records nor testimony from third parties

does not corroborate these statements.

There is no evidence to support this claim.

that the family would be in danger

in case of return to the country of origin.

As a result, the Migration Office

rejects your request permanent residence permit

as well as the request of refugee status.

You have ten days to provide additional evidence

or third-party testimonials and appeal.

After this period, the decision will take effect

and you will be expelled from Sweden.

Please sit down.

Please sit down.

Look at me.

Do you see that?

Look at me.

Please.

Look at me.

Please look.

Look at this!

Why are you leaving?

Please sit down.

The doors will open

Look at me.

Look at me!

Please sit down.

The doors will open

Please sit down.

The doors will open

We must appeal. We will need your testimony.

You will have to tell what you saw.

Do you agree?

Yes.

Mr. and Mrs. Galitzine?

Yes.

Can we see it?

Yes of course.

She must remain isolated,

until we know more.

What's wrong with her?

We are waiting for the results of the analyses.

We should know more tomorrow.

Night.

Alina, come on, let's eat.

Alina, please.

Eat, please.

Night...

Night,

talk to me.

Why can't I? come with you tomorrow?

You have to go to school.

I want to be with Katia.

What you can do for her, It's marking your homework.

She'll need it when she wakes up.

- What if she doesn't wake up? - She will wake up.

How do you know that?

There are sick students who never returned.

Alina, that's enough.

It doesn't mean anything.

Katia will recover.

You can believe me.

I'm not hungry. I'm going to do my homework.

All right.

I called the Migration Office.

We have to go there tomorrow to appeal.

Tomorrow ?

Thank you all. Five-minute break.

Your daughter has been transferred. Follow me.

Come in.

Please sit down.

Katia's toxicological analyses are negative.

So you are out of the question.

How so ?

It happens that parents poison their children.

Why would we do this to our child?

To stay in Sweden, Mr. Galitzine.

Aren't you ashamed?

It's horrible,

but more frequent than you imagine.

At any rate, social services

entrust us Katia's care.

Can I see her?

Is this okay, or do they need time?

They are ready.

Who is it ?

This is Adriana, one of our head nurses.

She will take care of Katia.

Can I see her?

Of course.

First, I have some questions. to ask yourself, if you allow.

Is she conscious?

Unfortunately, no.

What ?

You have just crossed a stressful period.

Have your daughters been exposed to this stress?

We do our best to spare them.

Do they know what's at stake?

Regarding your asylum application?

Obviously.

Your asylum application just got rejected, right?

Yes.

Upon learning of this decision,

did you feel fear, disappointment?

In your opinion?

It's up to you to answer.

Yes.

Have you expressed these feelings? in front of the children?

What are you getting at?

Your daughter is suffering of resignation syndrome.

Its higher brain functions are paralyzed.

She dissociated herself from reality.

It's a defense mechanism to protect themselves emotionally.

Because she doesn't feel safe.

How to secure it while we have to leave this country,

that death hangs over our family?

It's impossible.

You are not able to bring him stability

and security that she would need at this moment.

The treatment therefore requires

to separate the child from his family.

Your visiting time will be limited.

It's for Katia's own good.

Please wait here.

Before seeing your daughter, you need to go to therapy.

This is the only way to help him.

You can start tomorrow.

As long as we don't have the papers, we do what they say.

How they will give them to us, without witness?

We'll have one.

Non.

This is the only solution.

We'll have papers and everything will be fine.

Mom told me you talked.

We'll start tomorrow.

Is that okay with you?

When can I see her?

Good night.

We stretch our lips until the teeth appear.

GOOD.

We're holding on.

We're holding on.

We're holding on.

We're holding on.

We straighten up a little.

GOOD.

And we smile.

We're holding on.

We're holding on.

And we release.

This is what happened to us.

Don't make me do this, Please.

I'm not forcing you, I just ask you to try.

That's enough for today.

Who knows the golden rule?

P.A.P.A.

That's good, Sergei.

DAD, the four forbidden things in front of the children.

We never talk about the...

Pass.

You never say...

Asylum.

We don't talk about...

Problems.

And above all, we never show our...

Angoisse.

And we smile.

Continue.

And in chorus.

We never talk about the...

Pass.

You never say...

Asylum.

We don't talk about...

Problems.

And above all, we never show our...

Angoisse.

GOOD.

Smile.

We're holding on.

That's good... Keep going.

We're holding on...

And we release.

Relax.

Even though Sweden elects parliamentarians

since 1917,

the process of becoming a representative democracy

has been long.

Imagine that until 1975,

the king of Sweden had the power to appoint or dismiss the government...

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad came to pick me up to a birthday.

We picked up Mom and Katia

and we went to my grandmother's for the weekend.

It was cold that day.

- We had turned on... - Start again.

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad came to pick me up to a birthday.

We came to pick up...

Start from the beginning.

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad came to pick me up to a birthday.

We picked up Mom and Katia

and we went to my grandmother's for the weekend.

It was cold that day.

We had put the heating on, the windows were fogged up.

Stop.

I don't believe you.

I don't believe a word of your story.

Whose party was it at?

- What ? - Who was celebrating their birthday?

I don't know.

Think!

SO ?

It was Ania's birthday.

All right. Where did we stop?

- When ? - After the assault.

Let me start from the beginning.

Answer my question.

Where did we stop?

In an alley.

- What time? - In the afternoon.

- What time? - 18 h.

- Where was the blood? -What blood?

Where was my blood?

On my hand. On my hand.

How many were there? What kind of car did they have?

I don't know, I wasn't there!

Stop torturing her.

- Don't you see what you're doing to him? - What ?

You don't understand when should you stop?

For once in your life, Let it go !

The elbow remains well aligned.

GOOD.

We don't forget to smile.

And on the other side.

We always smile.

We're holding on.

It's good.

Natalia, Sergei?

We hold the head.

We start on the right side.

Always with a smile.

Continue.

Okay. Let's move on to the legs.

We start on the right side.

We grab the ankle and we bend the leg.

Continue.

Excuse me.

Don't apologize, you are doing well.

We let go of this feeling which poisons your child too.

Come on! Let's get this poison out.

It will do you good.

I messed everything up.

They will never let me see her, NOW.

Show them what they want to see.

And don't believe everything they say.

Thank you, Adriana, I'll take over.

Hello, Mrs. Galitzine.

Can I call you Natalia?

GOOD.

I am here to listen to you.

If you refuse to talk to me,

I have the power to ban you to see her.

I am his mother.

It's true.

And this kind of hysterical reaction is the last thing Katia needs.

If you want to help him,

you must learn to keep calm in his presence.

And to trust us.

All right ?

I had a garden, too.

I loved taking care of flowers.

It relaxed me.

When they arrived,

They trampled my flowers.

Without even noticing them.

I loved my house.

My work.

I was a teacher.

I was with my students

when they entered our house.

I made them revise their conjugations.

I helped them escape through the window.

I couldn't get out in time.

I told him to stop.

Not to interfere in this.

For children.

We had...

We had a life.

One.

Come on, she hears you.

I brought you a gift.

You will be able to open it when you wake up.

Katia, I heard the choir,

they took a new one, She sings like a pan.

So hurry up and heal, okay?

You have to save the concert.

I brought you your homework. We can do them together.

Non !

Come in.

This way.

This is my son, Yuri.

Hello, Yuri.

Yuri was also in this clinic.

He woke up like this.

It is not known when he had the stroke.

The red mark on Katia's arm, It's a thrombosis.

She has pneumonia.

They injected him with antibiotics.

Don't worry, she will get over it.

But you must keep calm.

Do what they ask. Otherwise, they will ban you from seeing her.

You can't fight, for now.

- You were saying... - That they don't have the right to do that.

It won't stop them from doing it.

Does the treatment work?

I'm afraid not.

She sinks into a coma.

How long did Yuri sleep?

Almost two years.

He wants to go to his room.

Yuri was six years old

when we arrived from Montenegro.

He was such a happy child.

His health deteriorated when our appeal was rejected.

They said that this clinic would help him.

I believed them.

They did not specify the longer the coma lasts,

the more after-effects they have.

What woke him up?

We were granted asylum.

Comment ?

How did you get it?

Yuri's father worked illegally. Day and night.

He was driving his boss's van.

He fell asleep at the wheel.

I applied for asylum again.

As a widow.

And I got it.

They got angry.

They tried to force him out.

There were three of them.

Dad resisted, he struggled.

They have...

Don't look at the notebook.

Start again when you talk about the cold.

I can't take it anymore, I'm tired.

You're going to tell this to people who want to expel us.

Anything will do to not believe us.

If you don't seem sure of what you say,

we will be expelled.

Vas-y.

It was cold that day.

We had put the heating on in the car,

and the windows...

Start again.

- Start again. - Dad, please.

Please start again.

I can't do it!

That's enough!

We're doing this for Katia.

If she doesn't wake up soon, we're going to lose her forever.

Do you understand?

They are lying to us.

The more they sleep, the more serious the after-effects.

I saw it.

If we want Katia to wake up, you have to do it.

Come on, keep going.

It was cold that day.

We had put the heating on in the car

and the windows were fogged up.

Give it back to me!

Stop, let go of me!

- Give it back to me! - Non !

Stop!

Non !

What's wrong with you?

What happened?

I fell into sports.

Did you fall?

I have homework.

Welcome, Alina.

Did you want to talk to us?

Aggression?

Yes.

Tell us what you remember.

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad came to pick me up to a birthday.

We picked up Mom and Katia

and we went to my grandmother's for the weekend.

It was cold that day.

We had put the heating on in the car

and the windows were fogged up.

I was drawing with my finger on the glass

when Dad braked suddenly.

I hit my head against the window

and I bled.

I saw a police car by the wayside.

There were two policemen near her.

They were armed.

They signaled us to stop.

Another car stopped behind us.

Two men came out, They came to us.

I asked Dad what was going on,

He told me to hide in the back.

Through the window, I saw silhouettes.

They called Dad by his name

and they asked him to get out of the car.

He asked: "Why, what did I do?"

They insisted.

He asked to see their papers

and at that moment...

They got angry.

They tried to force him out.

There were three of them.

Dad resisted, he struggled.

So they took off his shoes,

They hit him and...

they hit his head against the steering wheel.

They beat him until he stopped to struggle.

I hid as best I could.

After that, I heard someone opening

the front door, passenger side.

He didn't see me and left.

I heard that they were taking Dad out of the car.

When I raised my head, I saw blood on his seat.

I could hear them hitting Dad outside.

I wanted to rub the window to see, but I was afraid.

Afterwards I heard Dad scream,

and the others who were running away.

I got out of the car

and I saw the police car who was leaving,

then the second.

I screamed.

I was scared, I called dad.

I entered the alley

and I saw a man lying on the ground, behind a trash can.

I ran over, it was Dad.

His shirt and the snow around him were covered in blood.

He held his stomach in his hands.

I remember that blood was flowing between his fingers.

He looked at me, but he couldn't speak.

I thought he was going to die.

I lay down against him and I cried.

Someone must have heard me,

because shortly after, I heard the siren of an ambulance.

Thank you, Alina.

I know it's not easy for you,

but I would like to ask you some questions.

Why did you want to talk to us today?

To tell you everything I saw.

Why didn't you speak sooner?

You know that your parents have asked for asylum here, right?

Yes.

You know what this information imply for this request?

Yes.

So why not have spoken earlier ?

My parents didn't want to.

They were worried about me.

For what ?

They didn't want to that I relive all of that.

That must have been scary.

Yes.

You did well to say everything.

It was your idea to come here to talk to us?

Yes. I wanted to tell you all about it.

Alina, I have a statement here. from your teacher.

Can I read it to you?

"From his first day among us,

"I noticed Alina's maturity.

"She was a polite and studious student.

"She made an effort to integrate into the class.

"She was protective of his younger sister, Katia."

Katia fell ill recently, is that it?

Yes.

Is that what made you decide to talk to us? Did you want to help Katia?

I want my sister to heal.

And what do you think?

that this interview can help your sister?

If you listen to me,

you will give us refugee status

and she will feel that she can wake up.

Who told you that?

That Katia would get better if you spoke to us?

My parents.

You know what, Alina?

Your parents were right.

Tell the truth,

This is the best way to help Katia.

You understand that, don't you, Alina?

Why did Katia get sick?

Because she was worried.

For what ?

She was afraid of what would happen

if we returned to Russia.

About what might happen to Dad.

Were you worried too?

Yes.

But you didn't get sick.

While it's you who witnessed the assault.

You know what a comeback would mean to you.

She is younger than me, she is more sensitive.

Alina, I received a report

of the school nurse.

She explains that

you attacked one of your classmates,

because she had tried to give you a license.

It's true ?

What was in that notebook, Alina?

Nothing.

If you really want to help Katia,

You have to tell me the truth.

Alina, I wonder

if it wasn't Katia, in the car.

Alina, I ask you the question one last time.

Who was in the car with your father?

Alina, for the very last time,

who was in the car with your father?

Katia.

We have false testimony. Come on.

Thank you, Alina.

You can go.

Thank you so much.

Where are you going?

During swimming lessons.

Do you want me to come with you?

Night...

Please forgive me.

Mme Nyman,

This is Natalia and Sergei.

Good morning.

That will do.

It's very livable.

Perfect.

Here...

If someone sees you,

say they were on the door.

At my age, you forget everything.

There are also my car keys.

If you manage to roll it, take it.

I live in apartment 7, on the ground floor, if you're looking for me.

Thank you very much.

Let's talk later, okay?

Due to recent developments,

I revoke your visitation rights.

I estimate that it's best for your daughters.

You will be informed of their state of health every 15 days.

You will no longer be allowed to see them.

The Migration Office was informed of Alina's illness.

As long as your daughters are hospitalized,

you are allowed to stay in Sweden.

We demand our daughters back.

You know I will have to inform the authorities

as soon as you leave this office?

Yes.

Please sign here.

I bought some ice cream.

Here we are.

This is Sergei.

Hello, Sergei.

Natalia says you have a wheelchair.

- Can I borrow it? - Sure. I'm coming.

THANKS.

Are you comfortable?

How are you.

THANKS.

I'll bring it back to you.

There's no rush.

We manage without it.

Give Yuri a kiss from me.

That works.

If we went for a walk, after dinner?

2, 3, 4 and let's grind!

2, 3, 4 and we stretch!

- You came! - Yes.

They are so beautiful.

THANKS.

Ladies, we will leave this pretty little family swimming.

To enjoy with their daughters.

Welcome, Katia.

Since 1998, several thousand cases

have been recorded in Sweden.

Since 2014, the syndrome has been recognized

The vast majority of reported cases

originating from countries of the former Union

In view of recent conflicts in the world

Experts fear an increase