Original subtitles

I'm really not sure

how I should write this.

- What you should write? - Yeah, like…

- A summons to the meeting on Friday. - Sure, that's in there.

Just add that we have breaking news.

I know, but I think "breaking news" sounds a bit ominous.

I want to give it a lighter touch.

Like what? "Happy news"?

I mean, yes. Like, you would want to be there for that.

That's good. I'm using that. "Happy news."

Right. Everyone's on the email list.

- This feels solid. I'm hitting send. - [Sofie] Send.

- [Ronny] Let's go. There. - Go.

[sighs] Wow.

[muffled conversation]

Hi! I don't think they've read it yet. [laughs]

And thank you for chairing on Friday.

Being the future strategist and all…

People will feel more at ease

if you break the news about the acquisition.

Companies like Stream-Us are the future of this industry.

Yeah, it's ding-ding-ding, so… [chuckles]

Oh, about the hiring freeze that you suggested…

- Let's go ahead with that. - Oh, great!

Terrific. You might as well mention it during the Friday meeting.

That would be great, so everything will…

The hiring freeze goes into effect starting Friday.

- Starting Friday? - Yes.

Just put it out there, right away.

[chuckles] Bye!

LAND PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT BY FRIDAY

[message-sent tone]

[phone dings]

LOVE AND ANARCHY

No, I can't find your manuscript. Did you drop it off at the reception desk?

Hey, Caroline. When will Ronny's meeting be over?

Um…

Yes, I understand that you wanted to hand it over in person,

but I would recommend that you email it.

Super. Thanks, bye.

Wannabe authors are like leeches.

Um…

There he is.

- Ronny, can I talk to you? - Can we talk later?

- I'm running 10K before my next meeting. - Nice shoes!

"Born to run." It suits you.

Well, I'm always setting goals for myself.

Having goals is what separates us from the animals.

[Max] That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

Goals.

My temporary employment expires in two months…

- [phone rings] - …so my goal is permanent employment.

- [Caroline] Lund and Lagerstedt… - Oh.

[Max] I can't stand the insecurity.

It's like, I'll get more out of life

when I have a roof over my head and food on the table, if you see what I mean.

Mm.

Max, I totally get it.

But…

I also know the importance of proving yourself first. Mm? And…

waiting your turn.

You know what I mean, right?

- Yeah. - [Ronny] Right on.

Attaboy!

Bye.

[sighs]

I mean, this is amazing. It's incredible.

We've really delved deeper with this version.

It's nothing like a debut novel.

Are you saying that because we're hooking up?

No, I'm not. Any guy would say...

"Anybody" would say.

I don't want to be a bitch, but it's really annoying

that you keep saying "guy" when you're referring to people.

Yes, I'm sorry. I'm probably just tired.

I usually say "person."

Not in my experience.

I haven't known you all that long, but it's been very intense.

I get that it's hard to change. Patriarchal structures run deep.

But you're in a position of power, Denise.

You have a responsibility as a feminist. Young girls look up to you.

- Don't you want to inspire them? - Yes, every guy wants to...

[spluttering] Everybody wants to inspire others.

- Of course I want to. - Good.

Listen, I'm not so sure…

Maybe we shouldn't do that here.

- Are you serious? - Uh…

[exhales]

I don't think it's very professional.

Sleeping with me in secret is professional?

[sighs]

Men have always been sleeping around at work.

Like, male film directors either marry or sleep around with women at work.

Mm.

- And we think of them as professionals. - Yes, you're right about that.

Thanks.

Good morning.

Hey.

So…

Oh. [chuckles]

- What's on your mind? - Hey.

The big news that you're presenting tomorrow…

How big is it?

It's big.

- Please tell me. - No.

Come on, just tell me.

- No. - I…

Hey, Max.

[chuckles] Cheer up!

I promise to keep it between us.

I can't.

Oh, well.

He said it's about working your way up, not about dressing sharp.

Then he told me how he got a steady job at a printing shop in Västerås at 17.

- Hm. - [Max] Hm.

With a permanent job,

I can get a mortgage, and you and I could get our own place.

I give up. Why even bother?

All of them are exactly the same.

They think buying expensive tickets to a play about the projects

makes them woke.

They never venture outside of downtown.

Fucking shit!

- My apologies. - Sorry.

Does Ronny have any hobbies?

Tectonic uplift, sailing… I don't know.

Running. He jogs during his lunch hour.

["Explosions" by Coco Morier playing]

- Hi! - Hey.

[Ronny grunting]

No, no. No.

[grunts]

[yelping]

No, don't hurt me! Do you want money?

[youth, shouting] Shut up! Fuck!

- Oh fuck! - Take my credit card. It's in the bag.

And the PIN code. Or I'll Venmo you…

- [yelps] - I'm going to take all your fucking money.

Because I don't have a job!

- I don't have permanent employment. - No.

I feel so insecure in life.

No.

If I didn't feel so fucking insecure, none of this would have happened.

I could have bought an apartment. I would have stayed off drugs.

No.

I was a temp once.

Then suddenly one day, I was dismissed.

All I asked for was permanent employment,

but they refused.

[exasperated sigh]

- Is this about Max? - [spluttering] What? No, no.

It is!

- Did he put you up to this? - What are you talking about?

I'm tripping and I don't want to hurt you.

I was young back in the '80s, so don't try to pretend you're high.

Please don't fire Max.

This is unbelievable. Unbelievable!

- Sorry. - "Sorry"?

Are you insane? I could have broken my leg or had a heart attack!

I'm sorry. I was only trying to help.

Max wants a permanent job so bad,

and he tried to talk to you, but…

So I thought maybe I could…

If these are broken…

Damn it, they cost a fortune.

You did what?

- Have you seen Ronny? - [man] No.

[Denise] Max, have you seen Ronny?

- Ronny? - We'll talk later.

- Ronny, I need to have a word. - It will have to wait.

[clears throat]

There you are.

My office, right now.

Close the door.

Sit down.

What do you have to say about this?

Before you fire me, I just want to say

I'm really sorry and I do apologize.

Don't apologize for the fact that you want job security.

This is your take-it-or-leave-it salary.

Three months' notice, terms and conditions apply.

Give me ten minutes for the contract. I have to print one out.

But... Yeah...

[spluttering] Why...

If you consider the way you tried to get a permanent job,

you'd have to say that it was very, very, very… very…

controversial, and illegal, for that matter.

But, having said that,

I also see a worker

trying to make a future for himself.

I recognize that, more than you know.

Hm.

I'm actually a working-class kid from Västerås.

Run along now, or I might change my mind.

Thanks.

Yes, that could be in order.

Close the door.

[drums fingers]

Woohoo!

[door opens]

Congratulations.

- Yes! - Nicely done.

I'm sorry.

Hey, I didn't mean to…

- [traffic hums] - [indistinct chatter]

[gentle music playing]

[gargles]

Hello.

Hi.

[Isabell] In math, I need to work on mental calculation,

especially multiple steps.

But in the last exercise, you got all of the answers right, except for one.

Nice!

As you can tell, Isabell is doing very well across the board.

Um.

But school isn't just about math and Swedish and books.

There's so much more that you need to work on,

so I wanted to talk about the social aspect and stuff like that.

What do you like to do during recess, Isabell?

Um… Go to the library.

Mm… But then you're all by yourself.

We've started to notice

that Isabell rarely interacts with others.

She mostly keeps to herself

and reads her books.

So I wanted to talk to you about that.

Hm.

Okay, sure.

Why is it such a big deal, just because I want to do other stuff?

Do you keep to yourself because you want to do other stuff?

Yes.

Okay.

What do others like to do?

[pop music playing over speakers]

You like to dance.

Huh?

We could download TikTok on your cell phone.

[girl 1] Get it right or I'll kill myself. Come on!

- [girl 2] It's your fault. - [girl 1] No, it's yours.

[girl 2] One more time.

[pop music playing over speakers]

So what are you reading?

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Wow!

I read this too when I was your age. How far have you got?

They've just met the Cowardly Lion.

Right, with the glasses.

What is it?

Please don't say anything to Dad

about what the teacher said.

He wouldn't understand.

[Sofie sighs]

- [tender music plays] - Okay.

Grandpa, wouldn't it be better if everyone wore the same clothes to school?

Now, there's a simple solution to a difficult problem.

That's very insightful of you, Bella.

I mean, I wear whatever I feel like,

but a lot of kids don't, because they don't want to be made fun of.

Capitalism makes commodities of all of us.

It breaks my heart to see how people, especially young people, are affected.

- I agree. - Mm.

Hi, Ronny. I'm on my way.

Did you tell anyone about the acquisition?

I've got a bad feeling. Something's stirring among the staff.

I'm not sure about this. They won't like it. Mark my words.

It doesn't matter if they like it or not.

It's inevitable in order to save the publishing house.

No, this is not good. It will divide us, I'm positive.

Just relax. I'll deal with it when I get there.

Oh, good. Are you within sight?

- I'll handle it, okay? - Right.

- Bye. - Bye-bye.

[sighs]

[gentle electronic music plays]

Once the doors open, back out of the elevator.

Then walk backwards for the rest of the day.

- Hello. - Hello.

[indistinct chatter]

[phone ringing]

[indistinct chatter]

- Has anyone seen Tom? - [Friedrich] He's…

- Yes? - Parental sick leave.

Yes, that's it.

Oh.

Sofie's here.

[chuckles]

[room falls quiet]

So… Uh…

Sorry I'm late.

Are you all right, Sofie?

Sure, I'm fine.

The thing is that my heel is… acting up,

so my maneuvering ability is somewhat limited.

- And yet, I'm wearing high heels. - Well, then…

- Sofie, the stage is yours. - Nice!

Gunnar, would you mind pressing play?

Oh right, one quick thing before we get started…

As part of the necessary cost-cutting measures,

we have decided to implement an indefinite hiring freeze.

It's effective as of today.

Those of you with active employment…

Well, that's not going to change.

This is an initiative put forward by me,

but additional measures will be necessary.

So.

Let's get to the big issue at hand.

The fact of the matter is that our earnings have been unsatisfactory.

But…

the publishing house has been sold.

- [employees] What? - Yes.

[Sofie] Now we have every opportunity to achieve increased growth,

so that we can grow organically, in sync with the rest of the industry.

And why not start with appearances?

Let's see if we can…

This is our new logo.

[faint applause]

Who's the buyer?

Wait for it.

Hello, hello, hello!

Greetings from all of us at Stream-Us.

I can't wait to come by and shake hands with all of you,

but for now I just want to say that I'm really excited about this,

and I'm fully convinced that we will come together to create magical content.

I'll be seeing you. Take care.

Ciao!

[applause]

Our new owner is Stream-Us.

Oh boy, oh boy.

Do you hear me? Oh boy!

[chattering]

What are you saying? Are we Stream-Us from now on?

It's a fucking disgrace. A degradation of literature!

I get that you're emotional about this. But Friedrich, I mean…

It was either this or bankruptcy.

- The publishing house… - [Friedrich] Oh!

[Denise] In my humble opinion,

I honestly think that this is the best thing that could happen.

What?

[Denise] Deeper pockets give us more freedom.

We can be more mainstream, as well as more alternative, Friedrich.

- [sighs] - More perspectives, more representation...

- You're absolutely right. - [Friedrich sighs]

That's the kind of super positive outlook I want you to envision

when the two of you break the news…

- at the Book Fair. - What?

- The Book Fair? - Yes.

[stamps foot] Over my dead body!

Everyone will think of us as sell-outs. I'm sorry. It's out of the question.

- That's no good. - No.

Well, I don't think so.

[Sofie] Why are you saying no?

It was your idea.

No...

- Was it your idea, Ronny? - [Ronny] No.

Ronny, stop it.

We were brainstorming and it seemed like a good idea.

- Get out of here. Get out! - Okay, okay.

Knock it off!

I'm leaving, in my own fashion.

- [Denise] Friedrich and I can't do it. - Well, maybe you can. You're outstanding.

[Denise] Yes, I know, but can't we just put out a press release?

[continuing indistinctly]

- Hi. - Hi.

- Are you all right? - I'm fine. How are you?

Are you kidding me? You're acting weird and won't tell me why.

- Of course I'm worried. - [Sofie] I've told you why.

It's just for fun.

No silly walk when Nille and Elin get here.

[doorbell rings]

- Oh, it's you. - That's right.

I'm here for a game of Shithead with my grandchild, you see.

[Johan] Listen.

- We're hosting a dinner party... - [Isabell] Grandpa!

Hi.

[Isabell] Mom has been walking backwards all day.

Really?

Well, sometimes you can't help yourself.

I wouldn't worry about it.

You can play for a while, Isabell, but then Grandpa needs to leave.

Ah.

I think we have ourselves a buzzkill fascist here.

[laughs]

[Isabell] Dad is so stuck up.

[Lars] Quite the little buzzkill fascist.

Max, here's to your five weeks of paid vacation, retirement plan,

public holidays off…

- Am I forgetting anything? - Just the most important thing.

Sick leave. Am I right?

- Parental sick leave. - [Alex] Hell yeah.

- Here's to Max. - [others] To Max!

[housemate 1] Hey, Max, my brother, my guy…

You make more dough than me. Splitting the rent four ways isn't fair.

Are you kidding me? You need to step up.

So, you're saying there's one rent for Max

and a much lower rent for the rest of us?

Until Alex and me find a place of our own, we can figure out how to split the rent

- based on how much money you make. - [housemate 2] Yeah.

That's fair for everyone.

[housemate 1] Whip out your phones.

Put that out. Let's crunch the numbers.

You're onto something, but there's one problem.

We never took the windows into consideration.

- Your tomatoes are ripe. - [chuckles]

I'm boxed up in my room. I haven't gotten any sun since forever.

You should pay more for your window.

- That goes for you, too. - Listen. Let's agree on a window fee,

deduct it from the grand total and recompute. Cool?

Or we could put it into a mutual fund for things like cleaning supplies.

[housemate 1] Wow, wow, wow.

He's a brainiac! Permanent employee!

[all laugh]

Of course you're doing it to get likes. It's so damn obvious.

You don't get it. You've become so cynical.

- [Johan] I'm not cynical. - [Nille] You're so cynical.

Sofie, they're renewing their wedding vows at Burning Man.

Have you ever heard anything more pathetic?

It's all about community and inclusion, and not being judgmental. It's beautiful.

Inclusion without being judgmental. Community…

You should take Sofie's dad. It's right up his alley.

Of course, Lars can tag along.

How is he? Is he feeling better?

Yes, he's alright. He's…

He's fine.

I mean…

Mm… Not completely.

He's fine, but having him around is like being in a sick comedy, like…

The Hangover.

But with a Finnish twist, kind of super dark…

Oops.

- Oops. - I'll clean it up.

Okay. That's fine, honey.

No, I'm just…

I'm sorry. Of course you should go. I'm just jealous.

["Hear This" by Jarami plays]