"Can you talk?" "What are you doing?" "I can't really talk right now" "We were going to meet tomorrow" "I know that, but I'm here already And I was thinking..." "Why don't you come over tonight?" "I can't do that" "No, it's not possible" "Well, I'll be here all night, just so you know." "Mikael." "Yes?" "What is it?" "I dreamt about you" "What did you dream?" "Once a Year A film by Gorki Glaser-Müller" "May I sit down for a while?" "Please, feel free" "Thank you." "Hello." "Hello." "Where's your ring?" "It's gone." "I got divorced" "What?" "When?" "Six months ago" "Why didn't you tell me?" "I don't know What would I have said?" ""Hi, I got divorced."" "I should check in, I haven't yet..." "Yes, well..." "I was thinking..." "What?" "This time, I've booked a double room." "You mean we're going to." "You and me, one room." "Excuse me?" "Just to sort of break it up." "What do you think?" "OK." "Mikael." "This might be the last time." "Just so you know" "Come on." "Wow!" "This is really lovely." "Ouch" "There..." "What's the matter?" "There." "What's the matter?" "What's the matter?" "You don't want to." "Of course I do." "No, I can feel it" "What?" "What?" "What's the matter?" "What's the matter with you?" "Well, I don't know." "You don't want to, you're just making an effort." "What's up with you, Mikael?" "Why do you say that?" "I can feel it" "What do we do now?" "What would you like to do?" "This is all we ever do" "I'm sorry" "Sorry for what?" "Maybe I was a bit eager." "I don't know who was eager for what." "No need to apologise." "We're sat here like two..." "I just get a bit..." "I think this is the first time it hasn't worked between us?" "We could." "What?" "I don't know Stop it" "Look over here" "Oh, no." "Not a chance." "You can't!" "Why not?" "Don't you trust me?" "It's not that." "I don't have a single picture of us And we're so good looking" "Let's see..." "Relax!" "Let me see." "How come you've got this gadget?" "Lina wanted one for her birthday." "So I thought I might as well get one for myself" "No, not of me!" "Wait a minute now!" "I'm waiting" "Will you let me explain?" "Explain to me, then!" "You in your mobile - fine" "Me in your mobile - not fine A problem." "Wait..." "Serves you right!" "What are these pictures?" "It's a house in France that I'm thinking of buying" "France?" "You look happy here." "Yes, indeed!" "Why didn't you tell me you separated?" "I don't know." "I would have called you straight away." "Well, you are you and I am me." "You are you and I am me." "It seems I forgot about that" "Was it you who broke up or was it her?" "What does it matter?" "What matters is that you and I are here together Right now." "It's just so strange" "I've done a lot of thinking lately" "About you and me" "And this thing that we.are doing." "One day it struck me that." "You and I don't know each other." "Do you feel that you know me?" "I know you" "Really?" "Who am I, then?" "Who are you or who am I?" "Who am I." "You are Maria." "The beautiful one." "The lovely one." "The sensual one." "The woman that I...hold" "Once a year." "I have to get this." "I'm sorry" "Hello" "Yes, we arrived." "Everything's fine" "A few of us are going out for dinner I'll call you as soon as I know when" "Or I'll send you a text." "That's good." "Kisses" "This is exactly what I mean." "We can't keep doing this" "We don't really know each other." "I know you" "In what sense?" "I know what you like." "And I know what you don't like." "You've got a point there." "But what do we do with that?" "I don't know" "Come to me" "We don't actually know each other" "Sex with a stranger." "That's nice." "Is that your view of me?" "Cut it out." ""Sex with a stranger?"" "You know that's not what I mean" "So what do you mean?" "You said it" "It sounds exciting." "It was an attempt at a joke" "Then you got all serious" "No..." "Yes, you did" "I happen to think that we know each other quite well." "Maybe..." "What do you mean by that?" "What did you mean by "the last time", that you said out in the corridor?" "It was just an impulse." "But I've started to take my impulses seriously of late" "Perhaps it was more of a question" "The previous time, it was you who said it might be the last time" "Well, I didn't quite know where it was heading" "Hasn't it always been back and forth like that?" "Mikael!" "Hello there" "Yes, I'm fine." "I'm just doing some work from my room" "And how are you?" "Yes, I'll be there tonight" "No...there's no need to wait" "I might be a bit late." "You can say good night" "Tell them good night from daddy." "OK That's fine Bye-bye." "Where have you been?" "I had to send an email" "Are you angry?" "No, I'm pissed off!" "I thought you'd left without saying good bye" "Why did you take your bag?" "I happened to need some papers" "I think you need some sugar." "I had a nightmare." "What was it about?" "I don't remember, but then you weren't here" "Hi." "I'd like to order two portions of icecream" "What have you got?" "Chocolate and vanilla" "Cioccolato o vaniglia?" "Si" "Cioccolato?" "Si" "Two." "No, make that four portions." "Thanks Bye" "That's what you get!" "You got me where you wanted" "Yes Down there." "Help me up!" "Help me!" "I had a nightmare" "So what do you think?" "What do you think?" "I think we have changed" "Yeah..." "We've grown a bit older." "A bit more beautiful." "Have we?" "You have." "But deep down, we are exactly the same." "People don't change deep down." "You're just like before And I'm just like before" "People do change." "You're not at all the same, and neither am I." "And I don't like that I'd much rather be like I used to be." "I liked myself a lot more back then." "Mikael..." "Don't you think life is too short to not make those important decisions?" "Where you make a choice." "To really settle on something and just do it, make it your priority." "Win or lose It's not possible to do everything, you have to choose" "I don't...understand what you're saying." "You always wanted this to be more Haven't you?" "Sometimes" "Haven't you?" "Yes, but." "We're talking about you." "You have felt that once a year wasn't enough." "That's right." "So?" "Have you fallen in love again?" "You and your husband?" "Are you in love, all of a sudden?" "No..." "Mikael." "Yes, what?" "What business would it be of yours?" "Have you started having sex?" "Stop it!" "Calm down, Mikael" "I am calm, I just want to..." "Take it easy I'm just trying to talk about us, you and me Our relationship." "I happened to say "maybe"." "You've said it many a time" "What did you think of the pictures?" "I actually bought the house" "It's mine" "What are you telling me?" "I bought it." "I have built the veranda and it's..." "It's so lovely!" "This is exactly what I mean about you." "This is what..." "I don't know what to say." "You always get things done." "You have all these great ideas, and you just do it" "It's not fair." "Are you jealous?" "Yes, I'm jealous!" "You want to talk about unfairness?" "No, absolutely not." "Let's pop that champagne cork" "It's time to celebrate." "A house in France!" "I'll get some ice" "Let's drink it as it is" "It won't take a minute." "Did you open it?" "It went a bit too fast" "Cheers." "Cheers." "Congratulations" "I love the way you smell." "I'll always love it." "Well." "Are you sad or something?" "Yes..." "No" "What's up?" "Are you crying?" "I don't even know why I'm crying But it doesn't matter" "You can cry as much as you like." "I've had a hellish time." "But it's over now." "I still don't understand why you didn't call me." "I don't get it." "Huh?" "What don't you understand?" "You had a hard time, why didn't you call?" "I didn't want to drag you into it It was my..." "I." "...had to deal with it" "This is how I feel." "You mean a lot to me, Mikael" "And you don't get in touch, when you have a hard time" "So that must mean that I mean nothing to you, right?" "No." "That's not what it means." "Listen to me, Maria." "I'm going to sell off the company" "I'll invest my money so I don't have to work myself half to death like before" "The fact that we have met up over the past 30 years." "That has to mean something" "That's what I said." "I want you to move down there with me." "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." "Wake up with you in the mornings, go to bed with you at night" "Close to me" "I want.us two." "...to be together." "Not once a year, but for the rest of our lives" "Live together, dream together" "Wake up in the morning together." "Go for walks together." "Make love." "Come on Let's move We'll move down there together." "What do you think?" "Are you sad again?" "What are you doing?" "Hang on." "Please..." "Talk to me" "Tell me." "Was it something I said?" "What have I done?" "You can't do this I've waited time and again." "Explain to me What's this?" "Maria!" "Don't do this." "If I have one regret, it's that I never learnt an instrument" "I just watched as the guys played" "Why don't you lie down on top of the piano, like they do in films?" "Why don't you do it?" "You can be Barbra Streisand and I'll be Kris Kristofferson." "Play along with me." "Come on" "Just look at this" "What have we become?" "What's the matter, Maria?" "Gravity is not kind to women" "It's no fun" "Check this out" "Did you see it?" "It gets bigger with each passing day" "Full moon." "I still can't help thinking about it." "Stop it That I could be someone else." "I could." "...look different or at least have a different haircut" "You are who you are -"You are who you are"" "And are you happy with that?" "You had all these dreams and plans." "I had them, too." "I was going to be a journalist, a writer or a politician." "You could never be a good politician" "And why is that?" "You've got a big mouth You can't shut up." "You just keep going." "You're all wet It's lucky we never became a couple." "You couldn't take a woman with my big mouth." "Just look at it" "Maybe it would be fucking great We would have had beautiful children." "I knew you were going to say that." "Really?" "When are we meeting up next?" "We'll have to sort that out." "Week 30 Wednesday." "That's after Lina's birthday" "Would week 28 work?" "No, no, no." "Do you want week 30?" "Yes Can you make it?" "Then that's settled" "I'm in a rush now." "I really am in a rush." "No." "We don't have time Stop it." "Stop it." "I really don't have time." "I don't have time" "Mikael..." "What would you say if I..." "If I asked you to marry me?" "I was only kidding." "Week 30 it is" "You are so stupid, Mikael" "We've ruined the whole thing now" "Have you ever felt that you love me?" "Yes." "You know I have" "Have you ever... .felt that you." "...wanted to live with me?" "Be with me Within me Have you?" "No." "Not in a real way" "More like a sort of fantasy" "Besides, I always thought you wanted to see me for the sex" "I've accepted that." "Oops!" "Oh dear!" "What's so damned funny?" "Have you ever?" "I've got a razor" "You should dye your hair, too." "Men do that these days" "I could do it, if you like." "Right now?" "I can't come back home with my hair dyed Don't you get that?" ""Hello, everyone." "I went to a conference and dyed my hair"" "Shaving kiss." "Isn't it the same for you?" "As it is for me?" "All these rooms." "They intermingle and." "I don't know" "They all blend into one." "When I close my eyes, it's as if." "I can see first of all your hands, touching my body..." "Undressing me..." "Then everything gets blurred." "I can't even walk into a hotel without seeing you sat or stood there." "You are everywhere You're like a ghost" "Have I become a ghost?" "Huh?" "You're sitting in the lobby You're in the lift with me." "You lie there in bed, laughing, waiting for me to brush my teeth" "You are everywhere, Mikael Always" "I feel the same You are everywhere." "You should know that" "You are everywhere" "I'm so sorry I just left like that" "You have to forgive me I got such a shock." "When you said you wanted to." ".live with me." "That you wanted us to move in together" "Mikael..." "That's not our pact" "We've agreed not to talk about each other as if we were a real possibility." "It came out of the blue." "I split in two, do you understand?" "I couldn't take it" "And do you know why?" "No." "Because it's too late" "What is too late?" "Mikael, it's too late." "I've met someone else" "Another man." "He's not at all like you" "No one is like you, Mikael" "But he is different and he." "...is young" "He's made me realise that there is precious little time." "I have to live my dream and do what I want with my life." "I can't move to some house in France." "I can't enter into some other marriage." "I want to live in my own way." "And I want to be free" "And just because of that." "I can't." "I wanted this to be the last time we saw each other." "I wasn't going to tell you all this" "I wanted to enjoy you and say goodbye, then." "Walk into my own, free life and now you've confused me." "I don't know what I want anymore." "Damn you for doing that Damn you." "Shall we decide when we're meeting again?" "Maybe in spring?" "Yeah..." "I'm not quite sure" "You don't know which town or you don't know whether you can make it all?" "Do you see other men?" "What?" "You're being funny." "Are you jealous?" "I'm just asking." "Me neither." "You're not seeing other men?" "No." "No." "I..." "Well." "Once I met someone Sometimes it's hard to resist" "But it wasn't much fun." "Did you meet someone?" "I met someone once, and it wasn't much fun" "So..." "I met someone, too" "But only once And that was two years ago" "And that didn't go too well either I kept thinking of you." "And?" "What was he like?" "A shag" "We didn't have sex." "What did you have?" "I don't know." "Tell me." "Was he any good?" "We didn't have sex" "So what did he do?" "I don't know." "Did he do this?" "Hey?" "No" "What did you do, if you didn't have sex?" "We talked" "I too can talk" "I know that." "I didn't have sex with him and we had nothing to talk about." "But you just said that you two talked" "You kept at me." "You can't leave me like this." "Are you tired?" "Yes I'm really tired" "Do you want something to drink?" "Or eat?" "Something without alcohol" "Oh, dear" "There's the Swede in you." "We were supposed to go out for dinner." "Are you hungry?" "Yes." "Shall I order some food?" "Yes, please" "What would you like?" "I don't know." "You'll have to make up your mind Make up your mind" "Yes, I know." "Let's forget about everything" "What are we to..?" "If you order some food, we can think." "What does your children say?" "The children." "What could they say?" "They are all grown up now" "Nicholas is always travelling He might just as well visit me there" "Everything feels good now." "These are the best days of our lives." "So you're going to start speaking French?" "If I've managed to learn Swedish," "I think I should manage French, too Am I right?" "They will call you "Madame"." "Comment ça va aujourd'hui, Madame?" "Maria..." "This is it" "And what would I do there?" "All those long, hot days?" "I honestly don't know what I'd do." "You can do whatever you want" "You could teach,just like you do here." "You could write a book." "You can grow vegetables." "Get involved in Greenpeace" "Stop it!" "Or the Red Army" "Cut it out!" "Why?" "Are you angry now?" "I know you'll sit on the veranda... .smoking cigarillos all day long, but that's not my style." "You know that" "What's up with you?" "Huh?" "I don't know You've become all Swedish." "Who has?" "You." "Have I?" "Are you serious?" "France..." "Yes, so what?" "Don't you ever miss Greece?" "Sometimes." "But.I think I'm looking for something new" "Do you remember when we were young?" "How little we needed in order to have enough?" "Remember when we stayed at your friend's?" "Slept on the kitchen floor... .next to the dog bowls?" "Yes" "We needed so little" "Everything was enough A hot dog was enough" "So?" "Now we seem to need so much." "A house in France and..." "I don't know" "Does it make you feel guilty to have nice things?" "Do you have to live like a proletarian in order to appreciate life?" "You are misinterpreting me." "That's what it sounds like." "I just tried to talk about when we were young." "I wonder what we would have done if we were young now." "What are you trying to say?" "Wouldn't we have lived as if each second was the very last one?" "You mean we're not doing that?" "Not at all in the same way" "Where are you?" "Are you not here?" "Yes" "Where do you want to be?" "Huh?" "Do you want to be somewhere else?" "No, but..." "I could do with a joint" "I can get that" "You can?" "I'll go and check in reception" "I've got some cigarillos." "Yes, let's have those." "But I've given up smoking" "Decide for yourself what you're doing" "Silly Mikael!" "That's so nice." "I need a drink" "OK" "What?" "But." "Are you nuts?" "Give me that!" "Make it stop!" "Stamp on it!" "I am doing that!" "Listen..." "You know when I moved in." "...when I was young" "You still are" "Back then when I, you know." "...moved in with him, I had this." "...bamboo sofa" "I thought it was so perfect, because it was light and easy to carry" "I kept thinking that it didn't matter, who I lived with if I had that sofa" "I can bring that with me if it ends" "Then it ended up." ".in the attic." "Then there was lots of new furniture Heavy sofas." "...kitchen sideboards and I don't know what." "I don't understand how it happened." "All that weight." "What happened to the sofa?" "I don't even know where it is" "Have you ever seen the midnight sun?" "Have I been to Norrland, you mean?" "Yes" "No, I haven't." "I have many trips left to do, too." "You can take them with me." "As a...30th anniversary" "It's about time that we." "delivered our pregnancy." "Pregnancy!" "What would you call it?" "I view it more as a." "A little house you built as a child" "Like a dog house?" "No." "More like a tree house." "With a long rope ladder." "A tree house that you loved with all your heart, and when you go there now you don't fit anymore." "You can't even get in" "However hard you try." "So you might have to build a new house" "Did you build tree houses as a child?" "Yes, I think so..." "I was a real.tree house builder." "Good morning" "Good morning" "I'll just go downstairs and see if there's any breakfast" "Before they clear it away" "You're not running away from me, are you?" "No." "I'll be back I promise." "It was closed I just got some coffee." "Thanks." "One sugar Just as you like it." "Are you cold?" "No" "You've put all your clothes on" "Yes, I have." "That means you're cold." "I have to go." "Hello?" "Hi, sweetheart" "Yes, I can talk No, I'm not at home" "In town?" "Sure" "I can call you when I'm home." "Of course I want to See you later." "I'll call you Kisses." "You are brave, Mikael." "Doing what you do." "I admire you for that" "Why do you say that?" "It's not the last time, is it?" "I have to get ready." "I look terrible" "You are very beautiful." "Why do you say that?" "I have to get ready Stop it." "Hello!" "Hello." "Get away" "There are so many things I'd like to do So many things left undone" "And you've already done so much." "You want to retire and enjoy life I feel I've got so much left" "There's so much I want to do." "What's that?" "I want to work, develop myself" "I want to travel." "So do I." "Yes." "Are we talking about the same journey?" "I've done some thinking" "I think we should do what you said This should not be the last time" "We should see more of each other." "More frequently" "Lots of times." "See if we can...manage the everyday." "Shall we do that?" "I don't want to lose you" "Have a look" "Have a look when you're free." "October?" "Do you want to?" "Of course, I can see you every day" "I'm free on 26th of October" "Hang on." "This feels as if..." "This feels increasingly unreal." "As if we've been here many times before" "Am I right?" "I want it to be you and me." "And this is it, right now Not tomorrow" "It's either now or never" "Do you understand?" "Either all or nothing" "Wait a minute..." "I don't understand." "What don't you understand?" "You're telling me it's all or nothing." "We've always told each other that..." "Are you giving me an ultimatum?" "How can I put this?" "We have a pact We agree on the rules and follow them" "Neither of us is in charge of the other one, right?" "So what do you mean?" "I don't think I..." "can take doing this any longer" "Meet every now and then It doesn't work for me anymore" "You're so unfair." "What is unfair?" "That you're giving me an ultimatum, forcing me to choose" "Remember when I got down on my knees and begged for it to me you and me?" "You and me, just you and me" "I was prepared to leave my husband, but you didn't want to" "I accepted that." "I've never said anything about that." "I don't understand this demand" "Why now?" "Because you're lonely?" "You're deserted, so I'm good enough?" "I suggested getting to know each other, for real." "One bit at a time." "We've been meeting up for 30 years" "How long does it take before we get to know each other?" "30 years..." "We've seen each other for 30 days." "Why didn't we become a couple, from the start?" "I don't know We were so young" "My God, we were 18." "Lovely, naive..." "You were so beautiful" "You still are" "I don't recall how we decided to meet once a year" "It must have been your idea." "Right?" "I guess we didn't want to become like our parents." "It was this we didn't want." "Right?" "We wanted to do everything differently Don't you remember?" "That time when I didn't show up..." "It was because she found me out" "And..." "I wasn't ill" "Why weren't you honest?" "I guess I was scared." "I wanted to keep the family together." "Do you remember that time when I came to you." ".and begged you that it could be us two?" "I was actually pregnant at the time" "It was your child" "We could have had a child together." "Stop it." "Stop it." "Stop it, for fuck's sake!" "You fucking bastard!" "You never told me that you were pregnant." "I didn't want to put pressure on you, make you come to me because of that." "I wanted you to come to me out of love" "You've already made your choice, Mikael You've said no to me." "And I've said no to you" "Mikael..." "Come on" "I have to take this call" "Hello?" "Can I call you back in a minute?"