Original subtitles

Sweden 2018

Hello, Sergei.

Mr. Bergqvist, Miss Aberg.

Åberg.

Natalia.

Hello.

Hello, Katia.

Hello, Miss Åberg.

Is everything going well at school and choir?

Really well, thank you.

And you, Alina? How's diving going?

Good.

You speak Swedish well.

Your daughters are lovely.

They seem really...

happy and stable now.

Don't they?

Would you like some tea?

Gladly.

Not for me, thank you.

No issues with the appliances?

No, everything works fine.

Good.

It's very clean, you deserve credit for keeping it tidy,

here, all alone.

Thank you, Natalia.

You're welcome.

You'll have new room-mates soon.

A couple.

And for groceries? Do you have everything you need?

It's balanced.

That's good.

What about tonight's dinner?

It looks very appetizing.

Is that everything?

Yes.

We'll let you have dinner.

Thank you for the tea.

Good luck tomorrow.

Do you already know if...

Let's stay optimistic.

Can I be called Astrid?

Tomorrow, when we become Swedish.

We'll need Swedish names, right?

Then I'll be called Sven.

And I'll be Ingrid.

And you, Mom, you could be called...

Hilde.

Hilde?

Not bad.

MIGRATION OFFICE

Please, have a seat.

Yes?

We're ready.

Good.

Hearing for the granting of a residence permit.

Case number: 50134096.

Decision date: May 7, 2018.

Applicants: Sergei Galitsin, Natalia Galitsina,

Alina Galitsina, Katia Galitsina.

Nationality: Russian.

Current status:

asylum seekers

receiving benefits, temporary housing,

and exempt from work permit requirements.

Requested status:

refugees with permanent residency.

This application is based on the following claims.

Sergei Galitsin states that he was persecuted

and received death threats in his home country.

He cites physical assaults

by Russian state agents with intent to kill.

He also reports physical intimidation

in and around his home by unknown individuals.

Furthermore,

Sergei Galitsin indicates that in 2017,

while working as a high school principal,

he allowed and encouraged the distribution and discussion of banned texts

among his students.

These texts included novels, scientific articles,

and essays advocating pluralism, democracy,

and freedom of expression.

Upon learning of this, local authorities

physically and verbally threatened Mr. Galitsin and his wife.

Natalia Galitsina

urged her husband to stop these activities.

Facing prison and job loss,

Sergei Galitsin persisted and published an article

opposing censorship and book bans

on a news website.

The article was later removed.

Two days after publication, Mr. Galitsin was stabbed

by two police officers and two civilians,

who, according to Mr. Galitsin, acted on behalf of federal authorities

with intent to kill.

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

Already traumatized, she did not testify,

and her name is not included in the file.

Mr. Galitsin's injuries required hospitalization,

but fearing further threats, now targeting Natalia Galitsina,

the family went into hiding.

A week later, a smuggler helped them reach Sweden.

The Migration Office's decision complies with immigration law.

The Migration Office finds

the provided information insufficiently reliable

to establish Russian state responsibility

or further assess the need for protection.

The Office also regrets the lack of formal evidence

of physical or verbal threats.

No medical records or third-party testimonies

corroborate these claims.

Nothing confirms

the family would be in danger

if returned to their home country.

Consequently, the Migration Office

denies your application for permanent residency

and refugee status.

You have ten days to submit additional evidence

or third-party testimonies and appeal.

After this period, the decision takes effect,

and you will be deported from Sweden.

Please, sit down.

Please, sit down.

Look at me.

Do you see this?

Look at me.

Please.

Look at me.

Please, look.

Look at this!

Why are you leaving?

Please sit down.

The doors will open once order is restored.

Look at me.

Look at me!

Please sit down.

The doors will open once order is restored.

Please sit down.

The doors will open once order is restored.

We must appeal. We'll need your testimony.

You'll have to tell them what you saw.

Do you agree?

Yes.

Mr. and Mrs. Galitsin?

Yes.

Can we see her?

Yes, of course.

She must remain isolated

until we know more.

What's wrong with her?

We're waiting for the test results.

We should know more tomorrow.

Alina.

Alina, come eat.

Alina, please.

Eat, please.

Alina...

Alina,

talk to me.

Why can't I come with you tomorrow?

You have to go to school.

I want to be with Katia.

The best thing you can do for her is write down her homework.

She'll need it when she wakes up.

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

How do you know?

Some sick kids at school never came back.

Alina, that's enough.

That doesn't mean anything.

Katia will recover.

You have to believe me.

I'm not hungry. I'll do my homework.

Okay.

I called the Migration Office.

We have to go tomorrow to appeal.

Tomorrow?

Thank you, everyone. Five-minute break.

Your daughter has been transferred. Follow me.

Go in.

Please, sit down.

Katia's toxicology tests came back negative.

So you're not under suspicion.

What do you mean?

Sometimes parents poison their children.

Why would we do that to our child?

To stay in Sweden, Mr. Galitsin.

Have you no shame?

It's horrible,

but more common than you'd think.

Regardless, social services

have assigned us Katia's care.

Can I see her?

Are they ready, or do they need more time?

They're ready.

Who is that?

This is Adriana, one of our head nurses.

She'll oversee Katia's treatment.

Can I see her?

Of course.

First, I have some questions for you, if you don't mind.

Is she conscious?

Unfortunately, no.

What?

You've been through a stressful period.

Have your daughters been exposed to this stress?

We've done our best to shield them.

Do they know what's at stake?

About your asylum application?

Of course.

Your asylum request was just denied, correct?

Yes.

When you heard the decision,

did you feel fear, disappointment?

What do you think?

You need to answer.

Yes.

Did you express these feelings in front of the children?

Where are you going with this?

Your daughter has resignation syndrome.

Her higher brain functions are shut down.

She's dissociated from reality.

It's a defense mechanism to protect herself emotionally.

Because she doesn't feel safe.

How can she feel safe when we're being forced to leave this country,

when death hangs over our family?

It's impossible.

You're in no position to provide the stability

and security she needs right now.

So treatment requires

separating the child from her family.

Your visitation will be supervised.

It's for Katia's own good.

Please wait here.

Before seeing your daughter, you must undergo therapy.

It's the only way to help her.

You can start tomorrow.

Until we get the papers, we do as they say.

How will they give them to us without a witness?

We'll have one.

No.

It's the only way.

We'll get the papers, and everything will be fine.

Mom said you talked.

We'll start tomorrow.

Is that okay?

When can I see her?

Good night.

Stretch your lips until your teeth show.

Good.

Hold it.

Hold it.

Hold it.

Hold it.

Sit up a little.

Good.

And smile.

Hold it.

Hold it.

And relax.

This is what happened to us.

Don't make me do this, please.

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

That's enough for today.

Who knows the golden rule?

P.A.P.A.

Well done, Sergei.

P.A.P.A., the four forbidden things in front of children.

Never mention the...

Past.

Never say...

Asylum.

Never talk about...

Problems.

And above all, never show your...

Anxiety.

And smile.

Keep going.

All together now.

Never mention the...

Past.

Never say...

Asylum.

Never talk about...

Problems.

And above all, never show your...

Anxiety.

Good.

Smile.

Hold it.

Good... Keep going.

Hold it...

And relax.

Relax.

Though Sweden has elected parliament members

since 1917,

the process of becoming a representative democracy

was a long one.

Would you believe that until 1975,

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

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad had picked me up from a birthday party.

We went to get Mom and Katia

and drove to my grandmother's for the weekend.

It was cold that day.

- We had turned on... - Start over.

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad had picked me up from a birthday party.

We went to get...

Start from the beginning.

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad had picked me up from a birthday party.

We went to get Mom and Katia

and drove to my grandmother's for the weekend.

It was cold that day.

We had the heat 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?

- What? - Who was having the birthday?

I don't know.

Think!

Well?

It was Ania's birthday.

Good. Where did we stop?

- When? - After the attack.

Let me start from the beginning.

Answer my question.

Where did we stop?

In an alley.

- What time? - In the afternoon.

- What time? - 6 p.m.

- Where was the blood? - What blood?

My blood, where was it?

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.

- Can't you see what you're doing to her? - What?

Don't you know when to stop?

For once in your life, let it go!

Keep your elbow aligned.

Good.

Don't forget to smile.

Now the other side.

Keep smiling.

Hold it.

Very good.

Natalia, Sergei?

Keep your head steady.

Start with the right side.

Still smiling.

Keep going.

Good. Now the legs.

Start with the right side.

Hold the ankle and bend the leg.

Continue.

Sorry.

Don't apologize, you're doing well.

We're releasing these toxic feelings that are poisoning your child too.

Come on! Release that poison.

This will do you good.

I've ruined everything.

They'll 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. Galitsina.

May I call you Natalia?

Fine.

I'm here to listen to you.

If you refuse to talk to me,

I have the authority to bar you from seeing her.

I'm her mother.

That's true.

And this hysterical reaction is the last thing Katia needs.

If you want to help her,

you must learn to stay calm in her presence.

And to trust us.

Understood?

I had a garden too.

I loved tending to the flowers.

It relaxed me.

When they came,

they trampled my flowers.

Without even noticing them.

I loved my home.

My job.

I was a teacher.

I was with my students

when they broke into our home.

I was helping them practice verb conjugations.

I helped them escape through the window.

I couldn't get out in time.

I told him to stop.

Not to get involved in this.

For the children's sake.

We had...

We had a life.

Come.

Come, she can hear you.

I brought you a present.

You can open it when you wake up.

Katia, I heard the choir,

they got a new girl, she sings like a tea-kettle.

So hurry up and get better, okay?

You have to save the concert.

I brought your homework. We can do it together.

No!

Come in.

This way.

This is my son, Yuri.

Hello, Yuri.

Yuri was also in this clinic.

He woke up just like that.

We don't know when he had the stroke.

The red mark on Katia's arm is thrombosis.

She has pneumonia.

They gave her antibiotics.

Don't worry, she'll recover.

But you must remain calm.

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

You can't fight this right now.

- You said... - That they have no right to do this.

That won't stop them.

Is the treatment working?

I'm afraid not.

She's slipping deeper into the coma.

How long was Yuri asleep?

Nearly two years.

He wants to go to his room.

Yuri was six

when we arrived from Montenegro.

He was such a happy child.

His health declined when our appeal was rejected.

They said this clinic would help him.

I believed them.

They didn't mention that the longer the coma lasts,

the more severe the after-effects.

What woke him up?

We were granted asylum.

How?

How did you get it?

Yuri's father worked illegally. Day and night.

He drove his boss's van.

He fell asleep at the wheel.

I reapplied for asylum.

As a widow.

And I got it.

They got angry.

They tried to force him out.

There were three of them.

Dad resisted, he fought back.

They...

Don't look at the notebook.

Start again from when you mention the cold.

I can't do this anymore, I'm tired.

You'll tell this to people who want to deport us.

They'll use any excuse not to believe us.

If you don't sound sure of what you're saying,

we'll be deported.

Go ahead.

It was cold that day.

We had the heat on in the car,

and the windows...

Start over.

- Start over. - Dad, please.

Start over, please.

I can't do it!

That's enough!

We're doing this for Katia.

If she doesn't wake up soon, we'll lose her forever.

Do you understand?

They're lying to us.

The longer they sleep, the worse the after-effects.

I saw it.

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

Come on, continue.

It was cold that day.

We had the heat on in the car

and the windows were fogged up.

Give it back!

Stop, let me go!

- Give it back! - No!

Stop!

No!

What's wrong with you?

What happened?

I fell during gym class.

You fell?

I have homework.

Welcome, Alina.

You wanted to talk to us?

About the attack?

Yes.

Tell us what you remember.

It was a Friday afternoon.

Dad had picked me up from a birthday party.

We went to get Mom and Katia

and drove to my grandmother's for the weekend.

It was cold that day.

We had the heat on in the car

and the windows were fogged up.

I was drawing on the window with my finger

when Dad suddenly braked.

I hit my head against the window

and started bleeding.

I saw a police car by the side of the road.

There were two officers standing near it.

They were armed.

They signaled for us to stop.

Another car stopped behind us.

Two men got out and came toward us.

I asked Dad what was happening,

and he told me to hide in the back.

Through the window, I saw shadows.

They called Dad by his name

and asked him to get out of the car.

He asked, "Why? What did I do?"

They insisted.

He asked to see their badges,

and that's when...

they got angry.

They tried to force him out.

There were three of them.

Dad resisted, he fought back.

So they took off his shoes,

they hit him and...

they slammed his head against the steering wheel.

They kept hitting him until he stopped fighting.

I hid as best as I could.

After that, I heard someone opening

the front passenger door.

He didn't see me and left.

I heard them pulling Dad out of the car.

When I looked up, I saw blood on his seat.

I could hear them hitting Dad outside.

I wanted to wipe the window to see, but I was scared.

Then I heard Dad scream,

and the others running away.

I got out of the car

and saw the police car driving off,

then the second one.

I screamed.

I was scared, I called for Dad.

I went into the alley

and 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 was holding his stomach with his hands.

I remember blood dripping between his fingers.

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

I thought he was going to die.

I lay down next to him and cried.

Someone must have heard me,

because soon after, I heard an ambulance siren.

Thank you, Alina.

I know this isn't easy for you,

but I'd like to ask you a few more questions.

Why did you want to talk to us today?

To tell you everything I saw.

Why didn't you speak up sooner?

You know your parents applied for asylum here, right?

Yes.

Do you understand what this information means for their application?

Yes.

So why didn't you speak up earlier?

My parents didn't want me to.

They were worried about me.

Why?

They didn't want me to relive all of this.

It must have been terrifying.

Yes.

You did the right thing by telling us.

Was it your idea to come here and talk to us?

Yes. I wanted to tell you everything.

Alina, I have here a statement from your teacher.

May I read it to you?

"From her very first day with us,

"I noticed Alina's maturity.

"She was a polite and diligent student.

"She made efforts to integrate into the class.

"She was very protective of her younger sister, Katia."

Katia fell ill recently, didn't she?

Yes.

Is that why you decided to speak up? To help Katia?

I want my sister to get better.

And how do you think

this conversation can help your sister?

If you listen to me,

you'll grant us refugee status

and she'll feel safe enough to wake up.

Who told you that?

That Katia would get better if you talked to us?

My parents.

You know what, Alina?

Your parents were right.

Telling the truth

is the best way to help Katia.

You understand that, don't you, Alina?

Why did Katia get sick?

Because she was worried.

Why?

She was afraid of what would happen

if we went back to Russia.

Of what might happen to Dad.

Were you worried too?

Yes.

But you didn't get sick.

Even though you were the one who witnessed the attack.

You know what going back would mean for you.

She's younger than me, more sensitive.

Alina, I've received a report

from the school nurse.

She says that

you attacked one of your classmates,

because she tried to steal a notebook from you.

Is that true?

What was in that notebook, Alina?

Nothing.

If you really want to help Katia,

you need to tell me the truth.

Alina, I wonder

if it wasn't Katia in the car that day.

Alina, I'll ask you 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 a false testimony. Come with me.

Thank you, Alina.

You may go now.

Thank you very much.

Where are you going?

To swimming class.

Do you want me to come with you?

Alina...

Forgive me, please.

Mrs. Nyman,

this is Natalia and Sergei.

Hello.

This will do.

It's quite livable.

Perfect.

Here...

If anyone sees you,

say they were on the door.

At my age, we forget everything.

Here are my car keys too.

If you can get it running, take it.

I live in apartment 7, on the ground floor, if you need me.

Thank you so much.

We'll talk later, okay?

Due to recent developments,

I'm revoking your visitation rights.

I believe this is what's best for your daughters.

You'll receive updates on their health every two weeks.

You will no longer be allowed to see them.

The Migration Office has been informed about Alina's condition.

As long as your daughters remain hospitalized,

you're permitted to stay in Sweden.

We demand to have our daughters back.

You know I'll have to inform the authorities

as soon as you leave this office?

Yes.

Please sign here.

I bought some ice cream.

We're here.

It's Sergei.

Hello, Sergei.

Natalia says you have a wheelchair.

- Can I borrow it? - Of course. I'll be right there.

Thank you.

Are you settled in okay?

We're fine.

Thanks.

I'll bring it back.

No rush.

We manage without it.

Give Yuri a kiss from me.

Will do.

Shall we go for a walk after dinner?

2, 3, 4 and paddle!

2, 3, 4 and stretch!

- You came! - Yes.

They're so beautiful.

Thank you.

Ladies, let's leave this lovely little family to their swim.

To enjoy time with their daughters.

Welcome back, Katia.

Since 1998, thousands of cases of resignation syndrome

have been reported in Sweden.

Since 2014, the syndrome has been recognized by the Swedish Health Agency.

The vast majority of cases involved refugee children

from former Soviet Union countries and former Yugoslavia.

Given recent global conflicts and mass displacements,

experts fear an exponential rise in cases.