Fårö Document (1970) - full transcript

DIGITALLY RESTORED IN 2017

A few hundred miles
from the North Pole lies Gotland,

amid the Baltic Sea,
a bit closer to Sweden than to Russia.

Immediately northeast of Gotland...
SPRING 1969

lies the island of Fårö,

with an area of 40 square miles.

DEDICATED
TO THE RESIDENTS OF FÅRÖ

The island consists of bare hills...

small, shallow lakes,
sparse pine forest,

shifting sands,

and cultivated land.



The residential population
in spring of 1969

was 754.

Forty years earlier,
it was around 1, 100.

FERRY

I don't think people here
have it worse

than other rural inhabitants
in the industrialized welfare state.

Unemployment is negligible
at the moment.

Many people have cars or tractors.

Families have TV and freezers.

Still, there's something alarming
about these people's situation.

Gotland has the same
relationship to Sweden

as Fårö has to Gotland.

And that really bothers us a lot...

because we're all Gotlanders
to some extent,



even if we're often
not considered as such,

because we're a breed apart.

Outlying areas
around a larger urban area

will naturally be a bit neglected.

MAYOR

- What's this municipality called?
- It's not that large.

What does it consist of?

It's a combination
of the old municipalities

of Bunge, Fårö,
Fleringe, and Rute.

How many people live
in the municipality?

About 3,700.

- How many on Fårö itself?
- 900.

How much money does
a municipality like this have?

A few million kronor.

It's like nothing belongs out here.

I'd say Fårö is experiencing
a decline in population.

It's worse for those of us
who stay during the winter.

- You're a farmer.
- Yes.

Since when?

Since Dad died in '37.

That's when you took over?

Yes, though I worked
during his illness too.

FARMER

- How big is your farm?
- I suppose around 25 acres.

How many animals do you have?

Now we have three cows
and five horses.

I think that's it.

But there's also
that huge pig I saw!

- That's a sow.
- And other small pigs?

We sold them.
We only have two now.

My sister died

from cancer in '57.

That was hard.
Per was just three years old.

And the others?

Malin was 14
and Jan was eight.

And they moved in with you?

No, they've always lived here.
We lived together.

That wasn't really a problem.

They didn't have to move,
which was a good thing.

What's your daily routine like?

I don't really have a daily routine.

I do whatever I like. I'm free.

That's what's so nice.

What time do you get up?

I have to do the milking,
so I get up at 6:00.

And then what?

I take the milk in,
and then I make coffee.

And feed the animals,
of course.

I make coffee,
and then I milk the cows.

And then?

The pigs need food,
and the cows need water.

Then I start cooking.
Per gets up and helps me.

- When does he start his morning?
- 8:00.

He's young and needs his sleep.
He works so hard.

- How old is he now?
- Fifteen.

Then we work in the forest.
We work during the winter.

We hired a neighbor
with a chainsaw

to fell trees for us.

We just have to take the bark off.

We strip the branches off
and saw the trees into boards.

- When is lunch?
- From noon to 1:00.

And we water
and feed the animals.

Then we have our coffee.
- And then?

Then it's back to work
until around 4:30.

Then I start cooking,
and Per works in the barn.

Nighttime is when I bake
and tidy up and wash.

I'm always working my own shifts,
you might say.

Do you worry about the future?

I don't know.

Things will get nationalized.

That's a worry.
That's no comfort.

- It's not?
- That's what's hard.

- You mean it will ruin you?
- Yes, and everyone else.

It's not better for us.

It'll be for farmers like it was...

It's like that already.

There are some owners,
and the rest are slaves.

It's not so remarkable
here in Sweden,

not for those who have less.

Money loses its value.

You can't profit
from what you produce.

It was the same with forestry.
The pay wasn't good.

It should be better.

If the state doesn't take it over.
That's the question.

What's the biggest problem
with being a farmer?

The politics, I suppose.

The worst thing is
we're practically excluded nowadays.

What do you mean by excluded?

We small farmers
can't participate.

Especially dairy farmers.

I don't think large municipalities
are such a good idea.

That's when people fall
through the cracks.

It's that way with everything.
School too.

With fewer people,
you take better care of the individual.

It's not good
for everything to be large.

People are forgotten.

Do you feel isolated here?

No, I like being alone.
That's what's so nice.

Better to have
few friends than many.

I don't have a quarrel with anyone.
I'm friends with everyone.

I like everyone. I like everything.

You shouldn't hate anything.

I try to teach my children
you shouldn't trust other people.

You can trust horses!

You can never really trust people.

You never know
what they're really after.

Are your horses your hobby?

They're more like my drug.

People don't understand
that I need them.

Or I might as well
have a different job.

They're so beautiful
and considerate,

more than people ever are.

And reliable.
People are never that reliable.

- Are you religious?
- Yes, I believe...

like my forefathers believed.

The God of my childhood.

That's all that holds up
when times are bad.

In good times,
we don't need our Lord.

But I think hard times are easier
to bear than good times.

I asked to go to a dance once,
and my father said...

"Yes, you may go.
It's no sin to dance.

But you should dance like a child."

SLAUGHTERING SHEEP

Where is your slaughtering done
when it's not for household needs?

Then it goes to the butcher.

How many slaughterhouses
are there on Gotland?

One.

Is there some kind of union?
How is it organized?

I guess it would be called
a farmers' union.

But the way I see it...

farmers are being taken
to the slaughterhouse today

and not the sheep.

How many sheep
are you responsible for?

1,020.

Which slaughterhouse
do you send the sheep to?

I send mine
to the Enskede slaughterhouse.

Isn't there a slaughterhouse
here on Gotland too?

Gotland has
its own butchers' union.

Why don't you send
your sheep there?

SHEEP FARMER - ENGINEER

Gotlanders earn less
for all their meat...

than mainland producers,
for example.

Why do you think that is?

We're dependent
on Gotland's other butchers.

We have no other way
to process our products,

so we have to take
what they offer us.

So you feel it's a monopoly?

Yes, that's how I see it.

SWIMMING PARADISE

- So all the mail comes here?
- Right.

I sort it and give it to Hans.

He sorts it further,

according to how he'll put it
in their mailboxes.

Then he comes back
with the mail he's collected,

and I take it from there.

I count it and handle
the certified mail and so on.

Is this house you live in
paid for by the government?

- It's my own house.
- It's your house?

It's my house.

I rent it to the post office
for the enormous sum

of 75 kronor a month,

including electricity and heat.

POSTMASTER

I've heard rumors
it will be shut down.

That's right.
In fact, all the post offices will.

We're one of the few
left in Gotland.

They'll vanish in the next round.

How will mail be handled then?

It will be handled in Fårösund.

People with business
to take care of by mail

will have to travel over there?

Either we go meet the mailman,
or we go to Fårösund.

What time of year
do you like best?

Summer, of course,
though it brings a lot of work.

Late summer,
like it was last year.

September was beautiful.

Summer visitors have gone,
and there's peace and quiet.

That's the loveliest time.

I want Fårö to be
like it's always been.

You have no electricity
or telephone?

No, I don't.

But it's fine.

You've never moved
away from here?

No, I haven't.

Of course, I've left to go fishing

out on the Baltic Sea

and down to Poland
and the Russian coast.

I got in some fixes,
both storms and doldrums.

My father was a fisherman

and sailed with mail
and provisions to Sandön,

as I did for ten years after him.

But we stopped that in 1943.

The knight's castle behind you...

Oh, that!

I made that as a boy.

When I'd get home from school,

the saw would go full blast

long into the nights.

How is the fishing these days?

Fishing is going downhill.

It's like that all over Sweden.

Not just here?

It's rock-bottom right now,
and not just here.

There's always work
if you want to work.

And if you can work.

So that's not a problem.

And you have
to take care of your tools.

They should be fixed
and in order for the next season.

So there's always work to do.

But if you're not
out on the water or near it,

then you're through.

To live in a city or larger town...

that would be the end.

You couldn't survive.

People need their freedom.

Who decides what books
should be here?

That's decided in Fårösund.

This is just a branch

of the municipal library
in Fårösund.

Can you put in requests?

Yes, if someone here asks
for a book we don't have,

I can order it from Fårösund.

They'll get it and send it out.

LIBRARIAN

What's the most
borrowed book here?

We had that book
about smugglers...

Which one?

By Kjell Holgersson.

That was checked out a lot.

On Saint Matthew's day in 1603,

fifteen men from Fårö set out
on the ice to hunt seals.

There was Jacob, Christopher,
Eskil, and Michel Nors.

In addition
there was Thomas Butlek...

Anders Austers,
Stefan and Hans Gåsemor,

Rasmus and Hans Simons,
Rasmus Ringvid,

Peder and Bottel Sudergård,
as well as Jörgen and Hans Mor.

Success eluded them.

The block of ice
they were on broke loose,

and through no fault of their own,

the 15 men
were carried out to sea.

They ate seal meat

and slaked their thirst
with seal blood.

After two weeks
they were still alive.

Finally, God came to their aid

by steering
the ice back home to Sweden,

and they landed near Nyköping.

On the Feast of the Annunciation,
they returned to their Fårö,

to their wives, children, and homes.

These artists had Visborg's canons

fire a salute celebrating
the successful rescue.

On April 20, 1618...

this painting was finished

in thanksgiving to God
for this act of mercy.

Someone who lives on Fårö...

has lived in a little cabin,
on a small piece of land,

with potatoes, rye,
a pig, some lambs,

and eggs
they've exchanged at the store

for coffee and sugar and such.

And so it continued
until the 1950s.

Then there started to be
bigger and bigger boats,

more scientific methods
and tools.

And as a result,
those who were younger,

who should have been
engaged and interested,

weren't anymore.

They went off to the labor market
in large numbers.

There was a need
for labor after the war,

and it was safer, more secure work
in terms of pay and such,

so no one said anything.

Today it's big ships

with modern equipment.

Not just fishing equipment,
but equipment of every kind.

Fishing boats that go
for half a million.

And when it's impossible to sell,

you realize it's a disaster.

And not just here.

The west coast
has felt it strongly too.

Tourism is important for Fårö.

It may not be reflected
on tax returns,

but you can see it
in the general well-being.

People earn money
selling to tourists

and have it a bit easier.

If you keep bringing
crowds of people here

during the summer months...

naturally it'll be both
stressful for the residents

and uncomfortable
for the so-called tourists,

even those
with their own summerhouses.

No one will enjoy it here.

A vanäset is now endangered,

where they're going
to build bit by bit.

As a boy I'd pick
lingonberries there to sell.

Those times aren't coming back,

but I'll never forget
how it looked up there.

The tall columns of trees
and the heather.

If that gets annexed

and 6, 000 people move in,

what will be left?

If the vegetation disappears,

it will be a desert with trees,

an unnatural environment
for Fårö.

For years I've wanted to spend

an entire day at sea on a boat.

I got to experience that last year

when I traveled
on the Finnhansa to Helsinki.

It was a wonderful day

that I'd looked forward to
for many years.

What about the possible bridge
over Fårö Sound?

That should have been built
a hundred years ago.

I made a presentation

to the Fårö
municipal authorities in 1943.

They called me "the bridge builder."
They thought I was nuts.

The earlier they'd started on that,
the better it would have been.

Accessibility is
more of a problem for Fårö...

than for us on Gotland.

It would be great.

That would be wonderful.

We catch the ferry at 6:00 a.m.

to get to the farm by 7:00,
and it's just nine miles.

Yes, emergency vehicles
sometimes have problems.

Yes, I've often wished
we had a bridge there,

especially when I wait
a long time for a ferry.

I'd have a permanent,
year-round connection

that wouldn't cost
the municipality a single cent.

LAMBING
MARCH 15 - APRIL 10

Were you the eldest?

No, I had an older sister.

She was born
in February of 1865,

and I was born
in December of '66.

I also had a sister
named Josefina.

She was born in '69.

One brother went to America.
He was born in 1872.

Another brother,
Viktor Ekman, was born in 1873.

My grandfather

mostly burned trees for tar,

for himself and others.

He felt the worst thing
he ever did was agreeing

to dig up the stumps,
transport them,

cut them up, and burn them.

He'd get half the tar,

which wasn't much
for a day's work.

Traveling between the islands
was probably difficult then.

There was a plain little rowboat,

and there was a larger ferry

that could carry horses
as well as a wagon.

They could row or sail

wherever the wind
would take them.

Of course, in bad weather
they couldn't go anywhere.

How was sea rescue
organized back then?

There was a rowboat...

the old boat that's up
in Ekeviken now.

It's going into some museum.

When a ship ran aground
and was reported,

the boat would go out
and help them to shore

if they wanted,

and if not,
they would stay there.

It worked well quite often,

but there were accidents
now and then.

If we transported a crew,

we earned five kronor

for that trip.

We also had extra drills

twice a year.

We earned 1.5 kronor
for each of those.

How else did people earn money?

I don't know.

In my case...

as I got a bit older,

I tried my hand

at building houses, doing carpentry,
and being a blacksmith.

So I've been a blacksmith
and a carpenter.

If someone came asking me
to do some work...

if I accepted it and did the job,

it was a 50-öre coin
or a kronor.

One kronor was a day's pay.

The women wove fabric
from wool and cotton...

but some of that money
went for thread and such.

It was like that
for hundreds of years.

I've remained in the church
all along, of course,

and I want to continue belonging
to the Church of Sweden.

I want to do that.

Wasn't it hard getting
to church in bad weather?

The weather could do
whatever it liked,

but once you'd decided
to go to church, you went.

One Christmas morning,

I had sanded the roads
here in Salvorev.

The question was if anyone on Fårö
wanted to work on Christmas Day.

Of course, no one wanted to.

So they asked people
from Fårösund and Bunge.

They were supposed to come.

But then the northeaster set in
with winds and a snowstorm,

so when we got
to just outside Gåsmora,

they'd been overturned
by the snow.

But we continued on to church,
and it was fine.

GHOST FARMS

How many years
have you been on Fårö?

I'll have served here
seven years as of June 1.

Have you been well-received?
ASSISTANT VICAR

Yes, I certainly have.

I mentioned before that
attendance is good at services,

as well as
at other church gatherings.

And when you go out
to the cottages and farms

and talk with people...

especially the elderly,
naturally...

you see that there's so much

deep and genuine faith.

I confess
that I have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed...

and I know that if you were
to judge me according to my sins,

I should be cast from your sight.

But you have promised,
Heavenly Father,

to meet with gentleness and grace
every repentant sinner

who turns to you...

and, trusting in our Savior,
Jesus Christ,

flies to your fatherly mercy.

You will be devoted to those
who have sinned against you...

and never again judge their sins.

Therein I place my trust,

poor sinner that I am,

and beseech you
to keep your promise

and forgive me all of my sins.

In your holy name...

amen.

The body of Christ, broken for you.

The blood of Christ, shed for you.

Does the religious indifference
of today's youth worry you?

No, it really doesn't.

But of course
you wonder sometimes...

how it will be in the future.

Do you plan to move to Visby?

Yes. There's no work
for preschool teachers here.

Maybe move into town.

I'm going to move away.

- Do you like Fårö?
- Sure.

Sure, in the summertime.

- Not during the winter?
- No, it's boring here.

- How do you like Fårö?
- It's nice.

- I'm going to move away.
- Why?

There are no jobs here
and nothing to do.

I'm planning to move
to the mainland fairly soon.

Will you stay
here on Fårö or leave?

I'm not sure.

- Do you plan to stay?
- No.

Why not?

There's nothing to do,

and there aren't any jobs.

- What are your plans?
- I don't know.

I couldn't leave this place.

Growing up on an island,
you want to be near the sea.

It would be strange
not seeing the water.

- How do you like it here?
- It's nice.

I think I'll probably leave.

It's no fun.
There's nothing to do.

What's the nightlife like?

That's just it.
There's nothing to do.

We're looking into building
a youth center here in Fårösund.

The municipal roads
are pretty slippery,

because they have no sand.

Shouldn't the municipality
take care of that?

Yes, we've brought several motions
before the school board...

but nothing's been done.
- What's their reasoning?

They say it's important, but it will
probably take a big accident.

Then they'll look
for who's to blame.

Alpha looks like this,

and little alpha looks like this.

Big beta looks exactly
like our regular B,

but little beta
looks a bit different.

Then we have this letter.

What's it called? Ronny?

D.

Yes, just like our D.
What's it called in Greek?

Lars?
- Delta.

Aina, what would you like
for the school?

Not a lot, actually.

I think things are good
for the most part.

But more funding for field trips
and excursions would be good

for us out here in the sticks

so that we could go on more trips,

like to the city...

or to the Bunge Museum in Gotland.

Of course we have some outings,

but we can only take
a longer trip once a year.

TEACHER

Many kids have only been
to the city once,

and then it's for the doctor
or dentist or department store.

They don't get to see

the things worth seeing.

This old school is...

There's something in the walls.

It's an atmosphere
you can't get at a new school.

I'd say the Östra Skolan
is on its last legs.

It will be gone
in a few more years.

The schools
will be centralized in Fårösund.

I guess that's fine,

but there are
so many children from here,

the Fårösund school wouldn't have
enough students otherwise.

- You don't want to leave here?
- No.

DEAD FOREST

We'd only been married

for 3 1/2 years when he died,
and I had to take my children...

- How many did you have?
- Two boys.

Nils, who lives here,
was just a month old,

so he was baptized when
we held the memorial for his father.

Exactly one month later.

I had work up there.

His name was Albert
I had work and lodgings there.

I had both children with me.

I earned ten kronor a year,

and I made it last
through Christmas.

Sometimes it was barely enough,
and I had to ask him...

What about clothes
for the boys and such?

I could buy a little
here and there,

and I could sew,
so that helped.

And then you broke your leg?

It happened like this:
It was getting dark.

It was the day I turned 36.

It was Hilarymas Day.

It was dark...

and I couldn't afford
a light for my bike.

I rode on the left, just in case.

But as I passed by Fridgårds...

where Mrs. Broström lived,

two cars approached,
and one came right at me.

I was riding on the left.

It was Gunnar Verkelin
who drove right into me.

I went flying into a ditch,
and the bike landed on my leg.

They took me
to Mrs. Broström's,

then they drove me home
and set me in a chair,

and I had to manage
the best I could.

Then my son Manne came home.

Not the one who's here now.
That's Nils.

Manne's my older boy.

He ran over and got the Smiths,
and they helped me into bed.

So I lay there with a broken leg
for two months with no help.

Where did you
and the boys live then?

The boys slept inside,

and I lay in the kitchen
with a snowdrift over me.

- A what?
- A snowdrift.

Not really...

but the place was in bad repair
when we moved in.

- So the snow got in?
- Yes.

The weather was terrible at night.

Mrs. Broström brought the doctor,
who said it was just dislocated.

I told them it was broken.

Both bones were broken
and the heel was cracked.

That must have hurt a lot.

It really did.

And it was terribly cold.

I was bundled up
in so many layers for the cold.

So I lay there for a day.
RETIREE

Then I propped my knee up
on a chair and started working.

It's incredible, but it's true.

And Ebba Ringbom was there.

She was there at first,

but she was supposed
to start school.

So she went off to school.

So no one was there.

How did you end up
at the hospital?

The bone never really healed.

Oskar Karlsson came and said
it looked deformed.

It had twisted to the left.

He said it wasn't going to heal.

I couldn't even walk in shoes.

I'd stuff my galoshes
full of paper

so that I could get around

and milk the cows.

Albert had never been sick,

so he couldn't really understand.

So then I went to the hospital.

How did that go?

They drove me there...

I didn't see the doctor
until March 15.

He scolded me
for not coming in earlier.

Why did they amputate?

It had gotten infected.

The toes had gone all crooked,

and some tendons
had contracted.

Who took care of the boys?

They were big by then.

Manne, the oldest, was 15,

and Nils was 12.

He was working for the Smiths.

Manne had to stay home
and work for Albert.

He had to cook,
but he turned strange after that,

so he went
to the mental institution.

When did things get better?

With my leg?
The first thing, once I got...

I had to pay for it myself...
228 kronor.

I'd been clever enough
to save a man at sea,

and for that I got some money,
the Carnegie Award.

I shouldn't be bragging,

but in any case
I could buy this leg.

Not the one I have now.
The one before this.

What was that like?

At first I tried to dance,

and I collapsed
on the kitchen floor.

I wanted to try dancing.

After a few days,

the stump swelled up
and turned black-and-blue.

This Albert that you worked for,

do you feel
any bitterness toward him?

No, I didn't have
anywhere else to go.

We stayed
with my brother a while,

and he went half crazy
having me and my boys there.

So I was just happy
I had somewhere to live.

As for work,
a young person can manage.

And we had food,
so we didn't starve.

People died of hunger
back then, you know?

Albert had plenty of money.
He just didn't want to spend it.

- So he was a bit stingy?
- Yes.

When did you marry?

January 4.

Had you been engaged long?

Almost three years.

When did you two decide
to get married?

It hadn't really been long.

And now a baby's coming?

- Yes.
- You want a boy or a girl?

- It doesn't matter.
- We want a boy.

It doesn't matter to me,
but Ove wants a boy.

Why a boy, Ove?

It's always good to have a son.

He's thinking he can help out.

You go fishing...

You have company
when they're a bit older.

It's hard with the school situation.

The little one will
probably go to Fårösund.

And it's hard if you want
to go on working.

There's nowhere
to leave the baby.

There's no daycare center here
like in cities.

You plan to go back to work?

I'm thinking about it.
Part-time, anyway.

If I have somewhere
to leave the little one.

What do you say, Ove?

As long as it works
for the little one.

May I ask who you vote for?

Who I vote for?

Yes, politically.

I've always been
a Social Democrat myself.

Are you interested
in getting involved

in local politics
and decision making?

No.

Why not?

That wouldn't be a good idea.

You're a fellow
with strong opinions, aren't you?

Couldn't it be interesting?

No, I don't think so.

With a baby on the way,

won't you feel isolated out here?

No, I don't think
we'll feel isolated.

Some days I'm at home,

but there's the car
if I want to go somewhere.

And Ove's here
on the weekends.

So I don't think so.

But if they move the road,
it could feel lonely.

Now you see
all the cars drive past...

but if the road's moved,
it could feel isolated.

GERT GUSTAVSSON, 4 MONTHS

Democracy is said to be equality.

The people of Fårö can hardly
interpret the word in that sense.

Along with other rural communities,

they're deprived
of many fundamental rights

that are self-evident
for urban residents.

Democratic socialism
for Fårö would mean

Ingrid Ekman could run
her small farm without worry.

Artur Johansson
could live off his fishing.

Aina Larsson's school budget
would allow her students to see

their own country.

There'd be enough sand
on the roads so that Erik Ekström

wouldn't risk driving
the school bus into a ditch.

Fårö's youth would have
a proper gathering place

right on Fårö,
not over in Fårösund

There'd be daycare
for Birgitta's little boy

so she could return to work
if and when she wanted.

Verner Larsson could earn
a proper price for his products

and not be exploited
by a monopoly.

Residents here could keep
their post office

and enjoy regular bus connections
with Visby again.

Arvid Andersson could finally get
his bridge over Fårö Sound.

Rural communities
are poorly organized

and not especially skilled
at speaking up for themselves.

In a highly industrialized
welfare society,

their work is often underappreciated
by the urban masses...

and measures taken
to help them are often stuck

at the "investigative committee" stage.

That is hardly democracy or equality.