Gritt (2021) - full transcript

I'm working on an idea.

It's kind of a collage
where I play different roles.

A bit like "Orlando".
Did you see the film with Tilda Swinton?

It's about breaking
loose from the roles we

enter and allow
ourselves to get trapped in.

Especially as a woman.

It's a ritual. You enter the roles,
cleanse yourself of them,

and transcend to a higher level
with more freedom,

where you're not as trapped
by these stereotypes.

I'm working on a musical.

- Do you remember?
- Mm.



Yeah, you mentioned that.
Is it being made now?

- No, we're still in the idea phase.
- Right.

The idea is making a musical
about miners on Svalbard.

- A musical about miners on Svalbard?
- Yes. It sounds so cool.

Yes, really cool.
I've never heard of anything like it.

Anyhow,
I also want the extras to be filming.

The movie will be based on them
and the miners, played by actors.

Sort of.

You have one film set
with extras filming actors playing miners?

Right, but also the miners.

- Kind of meta?
- Yes, to put it mildly.

But eventually, the miners

start talking to the extras,

to find out which world
they're actually living in.



At which point they go on strike.

Because they want to talk
to the actual director, played by me.

Well, of course!

When I walk in,
they're surprised

by me having Down's syndrome,
and in a political sense...

- That's the idea, anyway.
- In which way is this political?

Because someone like me, with Down's
syndrome, can make a movie this good.

Cool.

Eventually, there's a jacuzzi scene
where I walk in, arm in arm with these...

You end up arm in arm
with the actors, in the jacuzzi?

We eventually finish the movie,
but then the actors want to...

They make intrigue
because they're falling for me.

- They all fall for you?
- Yes, which leads to a lot of intrigue.

Just make sure it doesn't end up
more self-centered than political.

- Yes, I want it mostly political.
- I agree.

Excuse me.

I'm looking after a cat.

And I've become a little allergic.

Like when those Syrian refugees
came to Norway.

For two weeks,
it's all the rage on Facebook.

People wear yellow vests and celebrities
cook for them. Two weeks later, it's over.

- Right. Are we ready?
- Yes.

Torvald! Torvald!

- Let's get moving.
- Lots of people?

Not bad. Could be more, though.
Fine-looking audience.

- All Norwegian?
- No, no.

- This will be nice, don't you think?
- I hope so.

There we are. You're almost up.

- I have to get it done...
- There we are.

Welcome back to day two of the
Norwegian American Culture Festival.

I'm proud to introduce
"Three Colors of Ibsen".

We would like to thank
the Embassy of Norway,

Visit Norway and
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Peer, you are lying!

No, I am not.

Political change through hair, fluids,
skin, weight, smell, orifices

and nooks,
not to mention oral communication.

Our lips flutter.

A clear conceptual mentality flows
through humanity like a wildfire.

And there truly is a fire.

And something in the air suggests change,
awakening, or Armageddon.

There is something deceased about it.

Reminds me of ball flowers
the day after.

- Hi. Lars.
- Gritt.

Are you also in the program?

I went to school
with some of the people on stage now.

- I see. You're an actor?
- Not in that sense.

I see.

- What do you do?
- You don't know who I am?

Just kidding. I'm a rapper.

- I make music.
- Right.

Sometimes I just read my lyrics aloud.

I've been living abroad for a while.
I guess that's why...

That's fine. Do you live here?

No. I live in Oslo now.

So I'm just here as
the undercover support person for her.

You should not laugh at that.

I mean, of course, when Torvald is
no longer as devoted to me as he is now.

When my dancing no longer brings him joy.

There are new diversity criteria
for cultural exchange.

So she was brought along
as an alibi of sorts for the theatre.

What does
an "undercover support person" do?

She, or Marte, that's her name, has
published a number of books, two books,

with the same publisher
as Karl Ove Knausgård.

She's very capable, so she doesn't accept
that she needs a support person.

The theatre thinks so,
but they can't formally require it of her.

We need to clear this space
for the next guest.

- Sorry...
- Anders, can I get you a coffee?

- That'd be great. Hi, Anders.
- Lars. A pleasure.

I watched your YouTube series...

- That went great!
- Hi, Anders!

- So good to see you.
- You too. Well done!

- Hi there!
- Fancy meeting you here!

Can I get you anything?

- You made a movie?
- An adaptation of Spring.

- Have you met Marte?
- Hi! Anders T. Andersen. A pleasure.

- Marte was just on stage.
- Hi there!

- Mattis Hermann Nyquist!
- How are you?

- Petronella! I'll say.
- Straight from LA?

We've actually been in LA...
We take an associative approach, so we...

Crazy to give himself
the leading part.

Is that a personality
trait that's not quite...

I did so many test shoots in those days.
I remember our talks, you said:

"Stop caring about what you believe
the casting agent wants. Do your thing!"

I said that?

He's gotten old.
Still handsome, though.

- Pity he's not staying in our hotel.
- Do you know where he's staying?

I actually prefer Jo Nesbø.
He's so rough and rugged.

- And his books are so cool.
- Right.

Karl-Ove is more a man of today,
in my opinion.

Lars Vaular has written a commission work:
"The Lord's Henchmen".

Look into your innermost self.
Don't search. Just find.

Let the right come in.
Whatever it is, it will turn out to be.

We are difficult to love.

- No more spray.
- Just a little. Get your crew cut going.

- Aren't you going out?
- I'm cool enough as I am.

I guess you'll be hanging out with Mattis
and those guys again tonight?

I thought I'd give you some time off,
and have a look around

while you're hanging
out with the actors.

Sounds good. We'll text later.

So what you're saying,
is that having money is good. Why film?

I read an early essay
by Knausgård where he

claims that literature
is the only medium

with the potential of accurately
describing the processes of the soul.

And I wanted to challenge that.

We have to also be mindful
of not becoming too navlebeskuende.

Of becoming too egocentric
about ourselves as creators.

- Did you ever had your cards read before?
- No.

Don't be scared.

This looks bad, and...

It is, and it isn't.
Essentially the Tower...

With the way I like to interpret
this card, is that it means that

you have needed to make a big decision
in your life that you're ignoring.

Which means, you know... If the Tower's
on fire, people have to jump out.

You don't have a choice
any more. You have

to move forward
whether you like it or not.

This is clearly how you feel about it,
which is very trapped.

You're not able to see the way out.

You need to pay
attention to what you really

want, who you are,
to get through this.

Because this is gonna happen whether you
like it or not. It's already happening.

Pull three pieces out of here.

It's a crow's foot. It's about omens,
about paying attention to messages.

Your foremothers are trying to give you
messages, and you're not paying attention.

Stand over here with
your arms stretched out.

This is sage. It's used
to remove negativity

out of the space
and off the person.

For those of you who haven't done it,
maybe watch the pairs that have.

If you guys line up this way...
And be careful for... Just watch for now.

- Can you face this way, Fabian?
- Yeah.

Now you are the shooter, J.P.
Bang!

Follow him all the way down.

Come here!

Will you help me stop this?

Sure.

And switch.

Holy hand.

Holy heart.

Holy face.

- Okay, good! Thank you!
- Hi.

- Thank you for happening to be here.
- Thank you.

As you can see, we hope that somebody
helps us stop this violent cycle.

- It's the whole point of the piece.
- Yeah. Right.

That gives a lot of meaning.

It's very serendipitous that you're here. We
need to rehearse with actual participants.

Yeah, that's cool.

Our company is called
"The Living Theatre".

- Really?
- Yeah. We're a very old theatre company.

- Like the old Living Theatre? That's you?
- That's us. It's still living!

This piece here
is called "Apokatastasis".

We're rehearsing to
go to this festival this summer

called "Burning Man"
out in the desert.

Okay! Burning Man? Cool.

I was 21 and looking
at the section "gigs".

I've been to the
gigs section as well.

They're mostly porn,
adult film, auditions.

I was scrolling through, and saw something
that said "The Living Theatre".

Really shitty porn production company
name, so it must be a real theatre.

It brought me to this
essay that Judith had

written with red letters
on black background:

"There are structures in our mind
that create the systems in society."

"And it's our job as artists
to break the structures of the mind

- to break the systems in society."
- Wow. That's so profound.

THE WHITE INFLAMMATION

What are you up to now, Gry-Jeanette?
Or Gritt?

Now I'm working on a ritual.

The aim is to give
the paradigm shift we're facing a boost.

To bury the patriarchy and capitalism.
And it will culminate in

a human chain around the Oslofjord,
everybody dressed in white, holding hands.

I want to visualize
the inflammation in our society.

The Arts Council is processing
my application right now, so...

That's nice.

As I was going down impassive Rivers,

I no longer felt myself guided by haulers:

Yelping redskins had taken them as targets

And had nailed them naked
to colored stakes

The bearer of Flemish wheat
or English cottons,

I was indifferent to all crews

When with my haulers
this uproar stopped

The Rivers let me go where I wanted

To Rimbaud, art was but a means. He wanted
to access something far more violent:

The poem that is life itself.

Most are content
with being artists and

cultural workers - life
in that comfort zone.

But I think Rimbaud wanted out, and into
something far more dangerous: life itself.

There you are!
Hi there, Peaches!

- Hi there!
- She's been staying at a hotel.

- This looks so cool.
- Yeah, it's really nice.

Many have heard about it, but it's
too small for most. The body is so short.

Want to go out on the balcony?

Unknown material released
when a majority of imaginations meet

and conjure up something more.

A third voice or body.

I wonder if one,
as an individual, only has

access to the unknown
through intuition.

Which, as we know,
is rarely used these days.

Simply because no one knows
how to deal with an almost liquid notion.

Those cherries...
Were they discontinued?

I think so, if we don't have them.

- I think I'm in a fiction in my life.
- You're in a fiction?

I think I'm in a fiction.
Alone in my fear.

I hurt alone. Not good.

- Want it?
- No, go ahead.

But you see, I can't really...

GRANT LIST Ministry of Culture

- The Arts Council, hello.
- Hello. My name is Gritt Dahl.

I sent in an application
for the performance

project "The White
Inflammation".

Could you give me the
grounds for rejection?

- Would you like to submit a complaint?
- No. Just the grounds.

That can be done,
but you will have to file

an application. Please
state your name.

Gry-Jeanette Dahl.- Dahl...

- Oh, but there was no rejection.
- What?

- The application was not accepted.
- What?

Let's see. Looking at your CV now.
Formal education is not a requirement,

but must be compensated for
by adequate production experience.

But...

Sorry, I have to...

I'm not looking to get huge muscles.

Just strength, in general.

You're in safe hands.

Strength...

Kick upwards. One, two...

This is easy enough.

Push them together.

- How many kilos?
- Just four.

Mental health is a big part of it.

I see that in all the people
I have trained for years.

- That you grow stronger mentally?
- Let me show you.

It's that part.

What do you do?

I'm an artist.
I work on developing rituals.

Right now I have a
pretty big project. It'll

be a collective ritual
for the whole city.

If that's what you enjoy doing,
then that's great.

Is it going ok?

My support network is somewhat lacking.

You have to file applications
to the Arts Council.

The thing is,
they didn't accept my application.

They told me
I did not qualify as an applicant.

- So you were rejected?
- In a way, yes.

But, dear... There are...

There are much worse fates.

So you got one rejection.
So what?

We live in the best country in the world.

Yes.

I'm not the one saying that.
The UN says that. Don't give up!

They're so rigid.
It's all about pigeonholing people.

- The Ministry of Culture...
- Such a shitty department.

You need to go knocking on their door.

Maybe it was a bit too ambitious.
It was a massive project.

With a large budget.
Maybe they...

That chapter ends now.
Let's work out and strengthen you,

- both physically and mentally.
- All right.

Listen, life is fleeting.

It will come to an end.
Why spend time being disappointed?

Right, and what he sings about
is exactly what happened to you.

Hi. I've come to see Lars Øyno,
at the Theatre of Cruelty.

Hi! I was recently in New York.

I saw The Living Theatre.
Brad says hi.

- Brad Burgess. Do you have a moment?
- Sure.

Thank you so much.

I saw Amazonas here a few days ago,
and I must say, that was very inspiring.

I especially liked
the plastic bag being folded.

- Right. The lady in the opening scene.
- Yeah.

The way that sequence lingered. The
estrangement of something so trivial...

It's from Poland.

The piece is about Poland
after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Before 1990, before the fall,

elderly women often sold plastic bags
from the West on the black markets.

They sat there folding them
to make them look nice enough to sell.

We throw plastic bags away.
They're worthless to us.

But she gives it focus, and cares about
that which we throw away.

Suddenly a plastic
bag turns into something

very... People
get to see what is.

- Or see what isn't.
- Yeah?

It's alchemy.

That's some of the reason
why I'm here now.

I'm a performance artist myself,

but I never went to the arts academy,
like most do.

I went from Romerike drama school to LA,
and stayed there for a while.

Then I made some contacts in Berlin,
and went a bit back and forth.

But for the most part I've worked with
an independent theater group in Aalborg.

- They worked more devised. You know.
- Right.

And what I'm doing now, in few words,

is a project that is more like a ritual.
Which in a way...

I use this expression that I've coined
"The White Inflammation".

Which I believe
covers Scandinavia like a veil.

Like a numbness. A drug, almost.

An apathy, an inability to act,
a comfort that...

In Artaud's book
"The Theatre and its Double", he tells us

that to Asians, the color white
is synonymous with decomposition.

- Right!
- Plague.

Plague.
Well, that makes perfect sense.

The paradigm shift we're currently facing,
the inevitable change, can be...

We may experience an instinctive fear
and aversion, but what if we rather...

I attempt to create
a ritual through which

we instead embrace it,
and enter it together.

And that's what brought me here.

Maybe that's something
you could be interested in producing?

Sorry, but I don't produce for others.
I have more than enough with my own.

I totally get that,
but most of the work is done.

It's purely a formality,
with regards to the Arts Council.

I will do all the work,
but they're a bit rigid with formalities.

For that matter,
it could also be worthwhile to me

to get insight into your processes,
and how you...

So if you need help with anything here,
I could always...

Guys, this is Gritt. She's a performance
artist with ties to The Living.

She'll be helping us
throughout the play period.

THE CRUELTY

- We've got it now.
- Wine? That's rare!

- Was it that good?
- Not that it was that good...

- Oh. Thank you!
- To you too.

How nice of you.

We don't need to be so quiet
by the plastic bag.

It's almost like the actor
is overcome with the silence.

Like they feel the need
to work quietly with the bag.

That's not necessary. You can counteract
the silence by folding the bag vigorously.

You can mix it up.
Meticulous at first, but then...

This is anonymous.
No actors are on display.

We need to check
if there even are any actors down here.

And that is interesting.
Such plays are rare indeed,

where you must actively look
to see if this is an actual act.

Normally, the actors would display
themselves. But that's not the case here.

People wonder
why they keep doing this.

The sheer infantility
will wear the audience out.

It seems so fucking awful
that it becomes kind of a...

But when it goes over the edge,
it may get interesting.

Because you don't see adults
do those things.

Oh God.

Hi there.

Oh!

- Hi.
- Hi.

- You've been traveling all night?
- 21 hours in total.

Everything went well.
I put him out here.

- Hi there, Peaches!
- Look who's home!

- You're allergic to Peaches!
- No, no. It's just...

- Yes. You're a bit red.
- I have a cold coming on.

If everything goes according to plan,

there will be a Waldorf school
in Senegal by next year.

- Then it'll be there.
- Right. That's fantastic.

Yes! That thing with you and the
Theatre of Cruelty is fantastic too.

Yes? It's just one
of many things right now.

But I do think Lars is great.

We share so many... Well, what he's doing
is much more uncompromising.

- But I am familiar with...
- Oh right, I have something in my bag.

- Oh! What?
- Here you go!

An eight-year-old boy made it.
Listen, there's this grainy sound.

- Yeah, I hear it.
- So that it won't sound too pretty.

So it's kind of like
a stone in your shoe...

I guess I should get going.

I'll pack this down.

- Thank you so much!
- No, thank you. This is win-win.

- And you'll be going back...
- You know... Week 50 or so.

If you need some time to yourself,
the cabin is just standing there.

Right!

Let me just...

Goodbye, then.

So long,
and good luck on your final exam!

- Hi! Nice to see you.
- Yes.

- Very nice.
- You're coming from...

- Both guitar and ...?
- Ukulele and acoustic guitar.

Lots of luggage?
Want a hand with that?

No, that's all right.
Just a few costumes, and...

- Want to see what my place is like?
- Yes.

Who are you considering for your cast?

I've been considering Mikkel Gaup.
He's one of my favorites.

Henrik Mestad. Thorbjørn Harr.
Kristofer Hivju.

Wouldn't it be nice to have someone
with more feminine sides?

Maybe Lars Vaular, or...

- They're supposed to be miners.
- What about Trine Wiggen?

Trine Wiggen is part
of another project of mine.

I'm so sick
of how society just sees...

my syndrome, and not what I'm capable of.
I'd like to see a therapist.

I've never gone to a therapist before.

So why not see a therapist on stage,
to mirror society?

That's what I was thinking, anyway.
Vent out all my frustration.

Then it will look like
you see a therapist to...

They want to label me, in a way.

Just like they do with cows.

They get ear tags,
I got mine when I was born.

I couldn't agree more.

But why should the responsibility,
or the blame, be placed on the individual?

- Society is scared.
- Right!

That's what my "White Inflammation"
is all about too.

Hello?

Hi.

Cool! I'm so on board.

Yes, we will. Bye.

I thought it was the fire alarm.

I want to become less scared of the fire
alarm. So I'm practicing with my phone.

Smart! Who was that?

That was Anders T. Andersen.
He wants to help me with my miner play.

But...
Where do you know him from?

I met him in NYC,
when we were there together.

He knows what I'm capable of,
to put it that way.

- Which is not the case with everybody.
- Do you trust him enough to...

Yes, I do.

It's just so important to pick someone
with the right outlook on humanity.

- To have good values when you...
- I get that.

- What about royalties?
- What does that mean?

You know... Rights.

Not the best view on women...

What do you mean by that?

- No female drivers, for instance.
- It's just a movie.

Fine, it's entertainment,
but this is just so...

far out! You're usually
so politically aware, Marte.

I'm just trying to enjoy this movie.

Oh well...

Sorry.

- I didn't mean it like that.
- Good.

I'll go brush my teeth.

A will to replace or redefine the role

of body and art
in social, cultural and political life.

And a will to imagine and manage change
as a profound potential,

based on a corporeal perspective.

We need singular voices who remind us
of the strangeness of being alive.

Profound, beautiful and hideous

and food and the earth we keep beneath us,
or rise above.

Because there are questions
we are born to struggle with.

Questions involving "why" and "for what".

Back by the watering hole stands a body,

observing something else,
as the aftermath of a past fire.

It wonders how to unite all of this.

- Would you like some help with that?
- Do you need a ticket?

- To get in? Yes.
- Okay.

Oh, sorry!

Did it go well?

Gritt?
Let's have a coffee up here.

Okay.

Are you living in the theatre, Gritt?

What? If I'm living here?

I lived at my aunt's place
while she was in Senegal.

She came back early,
and I didn't have the time to...

I couldn't find another place,
or didn't have the time...

She's going back, so then...

I do have other options.
This was just the most convenient.

That's all right, Gritt.
But you need to tell me.

Of course. I'm sorry.

I have a proposition.

You stay here, and I will get you some
work, to help you get back on your feet.

My next project is about the abject.

That which is cast aside. I'm in touch
with a refugee center for research.

If you could help them film their
everyday life, that would be a great help.

Like art?

I want to collect
a group of people from here.

- Like us, for example?
- For example.

And...

Hi, Ragnhild!
Ragnhild is an artist and volunteer.

- Gritt Dahl. Hi.
- Hi.

I'm coming from the Theatre of Cruelty.
We have a project about the castaways.

What kind of contribution
did you have in mind for this place?

Well, this is more like research
for a play.

My plan was to gather a group,
and let them

- film their everyday life.
- Wow! Did you hear?

- Many here dream of becoming actors.
- Right?

Our main goal is
getting a visual insight.

Hollywood next!

- Such a nice project!
- It's very nice.

You're not sure?
Who lives in here?

Nobody? Oh, that's a window?

Now you can get into the house.
That's good.

- Look at that! You're at it too!
- Yeah...

Jéro Yun and I
had never heard of each other

before being brought together
by Copenhagen LAB.

There we were curated together
based on our resumes.

We agreed that we didn't want to meet
halfway between fiction and documentary.

He would film his breakfast,
and I would film mine.

We didn't have much
in the way of thematics

before we started. It
came from the material.

MY DEAR PEACHES
PASSED AWAY LAST NIGHT.

Peaches...

WHO SHOULD I USE TO SELL MY FLAT?
AFRICALOVE, HERE I COME!

Auntie Rakel... What's going on?

Oh no...

The burden of living through history.

Maybe through eternity,
and the love for the Earth itself.

It can be hard to cling on to
what we perceive as real.

Tables and chairs
with friends or acquaintances.

It's hard to not just float away,

instead of staying on in this world
among concepts and melancholy

without falling into nihilism or apathy.

Right, let's...

Are the others coming?

Nour is at the
Directorate of Immigration.

Okay?

And he doesn't know about Serwan.

A couple of the others
are getting sent back to Germany.

- He said that I'm filming a lot.
- Yes. That's great.

"How to connect to ..."

- It's working.
- Yeah.

- Wood... No.
- Flower?

Wood flower?

No, wood anemone!

Then I don't know where resources
and perfect life would be.

Is it acknowledgment
in terms of "I get paid

for what I can",
or is it getting respected?

Maybe perfect life is the complete harmony
of everything. It's in the center.

Something like self-development
is about my thoughts and me personally.

Same thing about my passion
and my life experience.

Maybe life experience
is somewhere in between.

- Where are you headed?
- Where's my bike?

- He said: "That's our life."
- Yes.

How did you say it?

These moments fall
upon us where through

unusual happenings
we suddenly share vision.

Something clicks into place.
It's an almost physical sensation.

It's not just a metaphor.

It's an actual sensation, like falling
down the stairs or dropping a mug,

that we somehow refuse to...

Hey! Excuse me!

Food waste goes in the other trash can.

- Oh, it's not... Never mind.
- This?

Normally, we put it in the other can.
But I can't see it right now.

- Oh, okay.
- I guess you can just throw it in there.

Yeah, I guess so.

It's a mix of the given
things in nature...

The rain.

The rain, the wind...

Nature, and that which...

A third voice or entity,

where two playful, frolicsome humans
through deep listening

manage to share enough of themselves
to build something new.

You raise a building.
The material is complex, yet open enough

for an almost
new place to be localized.

THE ABJECT
That which is cast aside

Give them to Gritt,
so that she can give it to Thomas.

So that Thomas has them
by the make-up table.

You need to be there two hours
before departure. What do you think?

- No more than 20.
- No more than 22?

- No, 16-18. Won't you bring the posters?
- We'll leave them here.

- Do you have more in Tokyo?
- We'll get them made.

- You'll be staying here, then?
- Yes.

This is a good room to stay in.

I feel like this room has the right
atmosphere for our stories to be shared.

Lars Øyno, of course,
has his project.

But this is something else.

We will make this play rather fast.

And the result
does not have to resemble

any classical play
you could watch at our national theatre.

This will be authentic,
documentary...

This will be you.

Which is Lars' focus too,
with his theme The Abject,

which in turn was the basis for this.

What I thought we'd focus on,
is that feeling

of what it does to a person
to be in this kind of situation

To be in a country
where you don't truly belong.

I'm from a village in the north of Syria.

My family they love football.

In my village we had one football.

My football.

Why could you not just keep on
playing football and living your life?

I was shot.

- Isis.
- Did they gun down the entire village?

Yes.

They stole my dream...

My girlfriend...

I didn't want to join the army.

I had almost...

I was so scared when I crossed the border.

The Turkish soldiers would start firing
if we didn't stop.

They would fire at will, anywhere.

I had to run to the other side.

All of you have voices that fit well.

With theatre, it's important that your
voice reach all the way to the back rows.

He had just finished
his teacher training.

He was about to start teaching,
but what happened?

He had to move to Turkey
since he didn't want to join the army.

And now we're here.

All right.

I worked with this phrase
called "The White Inflammation".

That focuses on kind of a poison

that lays all over Scandinavia,
maybe all over the West.

Those "tunnels" - job, family...

I feel we have to...
And there is...

That's where we come in
with our play.

- Please take off your shoes.
- Oh. Sorry.

- That's fine.
- Are you actors now?

Nearly.

I'm going to give you
words to work on.

As a base for your physical work.

Asal, I thought of the word
"overwhelmed".

And the sentence I want to give you, is:
"I'm overwhelmed by what I have to carry."

- When it just becomes too much.
- So I carry many things?

You can also look upon it as a picture.

Like:
"You've got a lot to carry, as a person."

You've got a lot of loss and sorrow
and responsibility on your shoulders.

I'm so overwhelmed that I fall.

And...

I'm dead.

I'm a whale that's being hunted.

- Do you know what a whale is?
- It's a big, big, giant fish.

- It's not actually a fish, it's...
- It's a big fish!

Okay? I'm a whale being hunted.

It would be a good idea
to write down a project description.

- What it's about.
- Sure.

And describe what they will get out of it,
regarding what they're a part of here.

It will of course be rewarding for them,
but also so important to the audience.

To hear their stories. Right.

The center is also
concerned with in what

way taking part in this
benefits these guys.

I think it would be a good idea
to include that.

In addition
to the importance of the story told.

- Cool shirt!
- Thank you.

I didn't know about the connection

between "fitness" and "witch"
until this summer.

Right, I see.

- How could I not see that for so long?
- A flame has been kindled.

Yes. The flame burns.

We went to this refugee center...

I'm just checking that you do things
the way I taught them to you.

Or I'd be a lousy teacher.
Or you a lousy student. One of the two.

Just keep it up
while I work a little with Sigrid.

- Around three, was it?
- Shoukat?

And then it just keeps snowballing.
We've maxed out on the refugee grants.

The activity grants, that is.
And I have access to a theatre.

Go to the next exercise. Do the next set,
then we'll talk some more.

- We can't just chat.
- Chatting is strictly forbidden here.

I can start challenging myself now.

Or try other exercises,
so I don't stay on the same level forever.

- Here you are.
- Thank you so much.

- See you the day after tomorrow.
- Yes.

- Yeah?
- Could this be something?

I don't know what, exactly,
but this does feel like...

- This stuff is perfect.
- Both symbolic and practical.

- For the faceless ones.
- Right, the faceless ones.

- It certainly removes the...
- Identity.

This feels so grounded.

There's so much noise in the art world.

"Who got grants,
which awards have you won", and so on.

It becomes so elitist,
and overshadows what we have to offer.

It's pretty ridiculous
how so many things fall from above.

I have a project I've been using
to liberate amateurish ecstasy.

- "Amateurish ecstasy"?
- Yeah.

I use it when I enter a new room,
to take in the room.

The point is to become more present
and more sensitive.

I have a YouTube video here.

This is an autistic doppelganger.

She communicates with objects in nature
through movement, touch and sounds.

This is her language.
This is how she communicates.

The observation goes like this:
As a consequence of a willingness,

or that fires and flames simply
dig into the dance,

or the body, as a representation
of structures we see, yet don't see...

The body cannot help
but feel a little cheated.

Cheated by an overhanging dominance
of the intellect.

You're not alone

Asal?

- What is this?
- The shower.

I'm not sure if that comes across.

It was not quite what I had in mind,
but like you said, we could also...

We could simply have a sequence
where, for instance, Serwan...

goes about his life, or maybe that just
goes on in the background while we...

You live your life here.
You take a shower,

go to the bathroom,
get dressed, sleep...

- Let's see. Is this...
- For the show?

That's great! All right, cool!

Great. Keep on doing that.
How are things going here?

Great! I can do something really
cool here. Let me find the clip.

- He looks so small.
- See how well it goes with the sound?

May I take your picture?
Smile, because this is hilarious.

Asal?

- Yeah?
- We can't use that one.

- Ragnhild wanted it.
- That won't do. We can't...

I could've been clearer about it,
but we can't use anything we find here.

We were only using the backside.

That won't work.
It belongs to Lars, the owner.

- All right.
- It belongs to The Cruelty.

Do not touch anything
that we didn't bring with us here.

That will belong to the Theatre of
Cruelty, and we must respect that.

All right? Good.
Otherwise - great!

Let's try that.
But then you must tighten it up.

Oh, look at you!

It's no big deal. In a way it's a good
thing. There's a truth in that expression.

- And that one!
- All right.

- There.
- All right.

- You use that as dipping sauce?
- On the salad. With tomato and cucumber.

All right.

I think this will do.

Hi, Lars! Hi!

Yes! Yes, it was just...

It started at the refugee center.

I met some truly extraordinary people.
They had such powerful stories.

Then it snowballed a bit.
They thought it was really cool idea.

The refugee center workers thought it was
a great activity for the asylum seekers.

I was never actually...

No! No, no, no.

Yes, all right. That was a mistake,
and that should never have happened.

I can guarantee you that won't
ever happen again. It was that one time.

I've been crystal clear that anything
belonging to the theatre is off limits.

No one has... No.

No! It's not like we've...

No, you have to... If you'd met
these people, you'd understand me.

Their stories are incredible.

It's so important to share them!

But... Lars, listen to me!

You'd love these people, and if you'd
heard their stories, you'd agree...

Of course I should've called you!

I tried calling you, okay?
Your phone was switched off!

Sorry. Yes. Of course.

With regards to Artaud
and The Cruelty...

It reactualizes all of The Theatre
of Cruelty, or Artaud's ideas...

Don't you see what I mean? This is all
in line with your goals for the theatre!

No... No! Please!

- Okay... Hi.
- Hi.

- Need a hand?
- No, we're good.

I have an important message.

I just spoke to Lars.

Apparently, the municipality council
signed an agreement with Urbanium

about Vega Scene taking over Cruelty.
Lars was never in the loop.

- What?
- Yes. It's horrible.

Right, so...
This is what everybody has been dreading.

- What about...
- Not Hausmania.

- They're taking over the premises?
- According to Lars,

they have to leave
due to some sort of realignments.

- When?
- Now. We have to be out by tomorrow.

- What? That won't work, Gritt.
- It's insane! How can they do that?

But relax. I will find a way.

We have to put this on hold.

Not even on hold.
We will find a way.

We will make it happen,
but it won't be quite like we imagined.

For now, let's eat.

Then we will have to pack up,
but I will fix this.

You have the funds,
so we only need to find another place.

Lovely. Fantastic.
Did you send out invitations, Ragnhild?

Back at the watering hole stands
a body observing something else,

as the aftermath of a past fire.

It wonders how to unite all this.

- Are you okay?
- Yeah.

This body is a witch, since there's no
escaping the fact that we're all witches.

KAIROS

And I, witch, dig my heels in

against that current
which very much shuns motion as a craft,

as a profound and
time-consuming practice,

a practice unhampered
by production targets.

All my criminal sides
light the way

For the woods and fields
shall rejoice

Where wild dogs

and desert beasts convene

Where the arrow worm builds its nest
lays it eggs

dancing where the owl hatches its plans,
blinks

Lilith, Lilith

Who darkens my plan with playful words?
Who sees me when I turn away?

Purple plums! and cold diamonds

Pearls? and spasms in my image!

The demon lady
hums and spills in a cyclical blood game

- Lilith?
- Never heard of Lilith?

Three, two, one.

Hey.

I'm your power animal.

The candy crocodile that comes
with the cover version of Sweet Harmony.

I lie there like a vast landscape,
lighting up the night.

Am I your savior
from all minor evils?

I let you float in
rivers of mother's milk.

I remove you
from the slight Norwegian distaste.

You blink to clear your eyes.

You mumble to yourself eventually,
in a trance.

You can't be alone in this.
You need witnesses!

"Father", you say.
"I think I had an epiphany!"

Let's start over.
None of this ever happened.

Your great-grandfather is proud of you.
Your mother loves you.

You're listening to
"A Twin Seeks Its Pod".

- I am Gritt... Dahl.
- Who's never heard of Lilith!

In Genesis, God created male and female,
as male and female he created them.

In Jewish mythology,
Lilith was the first

woman,
made equal from the same clay as Adam.

She fled,
gave up her safety for the free

and wild,
and then this story about the rib.

She's demonized in Judaism.

According to Jewish writings,
when men have nightly emissions,

it's Lilith riding them
before stealing their sperm.

Me being here now is such serendipity.
I work with performance and rituals...

- Serendipity?
- Destined to happen.

Destined coincidences.

Like Kairos,
"the right moment for something".

Chronos is ordinary time,
while Kairos...

Kairos, right.

It's all about recognizing
the meeting of crossroads.

This is a crossroads, then.

I was just thinking,
because I had this dream first.

- I then started unravelling it.
- What dream?

The one about the White Inflammation.
You can look at it like...

Like after the Black
Death. You'd think

they'd want to save the world,
or themselves.

But they saw it as Judgement Day.

"Quit whatever you're doing,
go to town, drink and fornicate."

becoming a priest was easy-peasy,
since they were dropping like flies.

Now it feels like I'm getting closer
to the knot in the ball of yarn.

- Right now? You feel that?
- Yes, that's what I meant by serendipity.

Those who have lived here longest,
get the top floor.

I'm in a bit of a flux right now.
I have it... outdoors.

Simultaneously I seek a peaceful
and argumentative co-existence for myself,

in-between theory and practice.
The arguing regarding which theory

and how to formulate it
to encompass witches, trolls

and bodies with dreams
of profound, tangible changes.

- Hi.
- Hi. I'm sorry for...

back when we created societies
and developed civilization,

this was due to us developing reasoning
and language to be able to communicate.

Hi.

You disappeared at some point?

- Yes. Any water here?
- Water? Of course.

My nerves are so frayed right now.

HI, WHEN DO WE MEET?

- Hello!
- Hi.

- Nice to see you! How are you?
- Good.

- Do you live around here?
- No, I was at a party up there.

In the women's collective?
I'd love to go there some time.

I played Peer Gynt
for the umpteenth time last night.

I think it was women only there.

What are you up to these days?

- What's it called again? Research.
- Research? Cool.

Something new I'm working on.

- The White Infla... The castaways and...
- The white ...?

The White Inflammation,
but also about Scandinavia.

- How does one get admitted here?
- May I have your social security number?

You want to do something...
Make a contribution!

Instead I'm just drifting around,
spoiling everything I touch!

It wasn't supposed to be like that,
it just...

I should just stop,
and do something else!

But what would that be?
I don't have any education...

So you have quite a lot going on, then.

Your living situation is complicated.
What about your surroundings?

Do you have someone to talk to
about the difficult things?

- My mom is in Gran Canaria.
- What was that?

- My mom is in Gran Canaria.
- She is?

Does she live there?

Yes.

- What about your father?
- He... We're not in touch.

But have you ever experienced hearing
voices those around you can't hear?

Or seen things
those around you can't see?

Both yes and no.

Yes, because in a way
it feels like I do that all the time.

So maybe I hear things differently,
or respond differently to them?

Otherwise,
people wouldn't behave like they do.

Have you thought about
taking your own life?

Yes, sure.
But it's always been that way,

so that's nothing new.
That's just...

that it would be a
relief to let go. But I'm

sure it's like that for everyone,
at times.

What stops you?

From taking my own life?

What do you live for?

I think we're done here,
unless you have more to add?

- From the list?
- No.

Our impression of your situation,

is that you are clearly
going through a crisis.

An admission...

would probably not
be our best choice today.

What do you mean by that?

I think you can solve your issues...

out there, in your life.

You are familiar with the system,
with regards to what help you can get?

You have a number of
available social assistance options.

It's important to stress
that you're not alone in this.

Putting a kindergarten between two blocks
is an idiotic move by the politicians.

EXCITING THEATRE WORKSHOP AT THE THEATRE
OF CRUELTY WITH REFSTAD REFUGEE CENTER

REMOVE TAG

Did you use The Cruelty
without permission?

A very upset Lars
just called the center.

Hope there's a reasonable explanation,
regarding the grants and all.

HI, GRY-JEANETTE!
SO YOU'RE IN THE COUNTRY?

WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE YOU DURING HÆLMIS.

THE HARVEST FESTIVAL

- Dear God, it's been so long!
- 20 years!

- I wasn't sure if you'd come.
- I did write that I would.

- Oh, right.
- It was just a bit hard to...

Right. That circular feeling.

- Peek-a-boo! It's Gry-Jeanette!
- Gritt!

Let's get you some lasagne!
Something to drink?

Would you like beer or wine?

You may not like it.

- I brew my own beer.
- I'll say! Wow.

I'm sorry that we started without you.
The kids get so hungry.

Sorry for being so late.

Not your fault. We're
used to cold dinners.

Did you ride a bike here?
Did you take the old Moss Road?

I would, but today I came by train.
Or replacement bus.

Quite a mall they've built here.

It was like an octopus
spreading its tentacles.

It's very handy to have one of those here.

And very handy that we can drive right in.
We're often in a bit of a hurry.

Yeah, often in a hurry.

Gritt is an actor!

Are you a celebrity?

Do you go to lots of auditions and such?

Nope. Only in the very beginning,
before I found my niche.

So you gave up on the big dream?

You're no longer aspiring
to become a famous actress?

What makes you say that?

Reality catches up with most people,
and you have to adjust.

I do performance.
Two completely different worlds.

Performance? Okay.

- It's about staging an event...
- There, there.

- Can you make a living doing that?
- Gritt has done many exciting things.

- Worked abroad, and...
- But it does require...

a more moderate lifestyle.

Financially.
Less materially orientated.

You have to sort of...

- Do you have children?
- No.

No children of my own.

I simply wouldn't dare.
Considering what we're entering into.

The upheaval. The
impending catastrophe...

What catastrophe?

The climate catastrophe. The
ecological catastrophe. The apocalypse.

We're not quite there yet.

- I do get what you mean.
- We need to think outside the box more.

Yeah, bringing children into the world
is stupid when everything's going to hell.

- Sorry about putting you here, kids.
- There's a lot of research on this.

Please take Torje.

- So that we get some...
- Let's get you changed.

Sorry about that, Gry-Jeanette.

Gritt.

Why do you speak that dialect
if you're from around here?

Good question. I used to live in a place
called The Valley of Saron.

- Heard of The Valley of Saron?
- No.

It's a valley where everybody's Christian,
and they all believe in God and Jesus.

My six half-sisters and me
started a group called "Seven Sisters",

We sang in the Sunday church service.
Our father was the pastor.

That was pretty intense.

When I was 12,
my mom divorced my dad.

We moved here. Our apartment building
was called "Gøsjeblokka".

is intelligent and creative,
and grants high status.

It's about five guys courting this one
lady, and then she picks one of them.

Don't discuss all the exciting stuff
without me!

and just as I finished,

I realized I had squeezed out
a little Hitler on Mathias.

That guy.

It wasn't easy to make them laugh.

- What about him?
- I knew him a little.

Oh! Of course you know
some of those people.

I have his sperm in my freezer.

I have his sperm in my freezer.

Usually...
You should listen to this too, Vilja.

You know Eve and Adam?
There was a woman before Eve,

and her name was Lilith.

In Jewish Mythology,
it's said that Lilith...

steals the sperm
from the nightly emissions of men.

Wait, stealing?
Which also resonates well with Artaud...

Are you okay?

Yes.

- How's your love life? Anything going on?
- I gave that up.

You can't give that up!
You didn't, did you?

Being in a couple, a relationship,
isn't for everyone.

You're complicating matters for yourself
now. You've always made things hard,

but giving up love may be
what makes it hardest to be you right now.

I can tell that you're not doing so well.

I know that you're a good person,
and easy to love.

But when you don't let anyone in,
that makes it hard to fall for you.

Why do you always
have to do that? Choosing

the difficult paths
instead of just...

giving yourself some slack.
All this overthinking of yours...

THE HERMIT

Whistles

Does the dream have a father?

Adam said she was too wild

All my criminal sides
light the way

for the woods and fields
shall rejoice

And when life
flings the unexpected at us...

To belong in this extremely individualized
society ours is turning into...

Our own vanity,
and what we'd like to leave behind,

is connected to the
fact that life changes.

There is light and darkness,
pain and joy. Tenderness...

Next: The hunger issues of the world
are increasing.

The goal of abolishing extreme poverty
before 2030, has become more difficult.

The search for the
last missing person

after the Troms avalanche
will resume today.

Four skiers where taken by an avalanche
at Blueberry Hill this January.

Three were found,
but despite four weeks of

tireless searching,
the last victim was not.

Now, summer is here, and...

Cheers.

This is an elixir.
A potion I've been experimenting with.

- Exciting. Green and pretty.
- Yeah, the color is all right.

It almost looks a bit poisonous!
Exciting.

- Thank you so much.
- You're welcome.

And thank you so much
for all your... aid.

You're welcome.

Hello. Guten Tag.

Bonjour. Hola.

Salaam aleikum. Konnichi wa.

Tjänare. Hei.

When we have eradicated all biological
life as we know it, including ourselves,

something else will take over
and lust for life.

I like to think
that life itself is a thinking being.

A being spawning concepts
as a mechanism for survival.

To ensure the continuation of life.

And that
life itself has a remembrance of the past,

and that chaos takes on a shape
by recalling the past embodied in us.

In our cells. In our habits.