Last Stop (2002) - full transcript
Directed by
?laf Sveinsson
Hello, Hlemmur Bus
Terminal here.
Did they tell you that
the Hofdabakki route
is being closed down?
Yes, it's supposed to
close at six o'clock.
My name is Bj?rgvin Ragnar
?orbj?rnsson.
I'm a busdriver.
I'm divorced. It's been
nearly eight years now.
I have one son.
He's a grown man now.
I haven't heard anything from
him since 1991 or 1992
and that was on the phone.
I lead a very ordinary life,
no stress, no strain.
Things are a lot better
than they used to be.
I bought myself an apartment
near the bus station.
It's within walking distance.
I come here a lot.
I meet people I know and
like to chat to.
I keep up with who's around
and what's going on.
A lot of it is very depressing.
I think I've come to terms
with myself.
I'm fairly pleased with
my life as it is now.
I mean, comparing what I
am now with what I used to be.
But it took me twenty years
in and out of rehabilitation
before I realised how easy
it was.
All I had to do was come to
terms with myself.
I used to drink anything
I could lay my hands on once.
Didn't matter what it was.
Spirits, beer, anything.
I drank quite a lot of
cardamom essence.
I even remember drinking
after-shave.
I can't say it all tasted good
but it all had the desired effect.
But I drank spirits most
of the time.
When I was living like that,
I owed money all over town.
I used to sneak about, mainly down
side streets,
always ready to jump down
an alley or behind the houses
if I saw someone I owed money to.
That makes forty five.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty...
Six, seven, eight, and that
Thank you my dear.
I'll sit by the rubbish bin.
You are closer to it.
Here's the top.
You have to turn it upside down.
Didn't win anything.
That's just on Coke bottles.
Oh, Coke, yes.
Couldn't have waited much
longer.
It's just because he knew we
had some cash.
He was quick enough then:
Got it, got it he said.
My name is J?sef Sumarli?ason.
I was born in Keflav?k in 1949
and brought up in Hafnarfjord.
I was one of eight children.
Actually, there were 25
of us all together
if I include my 14 half-brothers and sisters.
I moved to Reykjavik in 1969.
I've had a lot of different
jobs in my time.
But in recent years
I've suffered from depression.
And I haven't been able
to work very much.
I come here to the bus station
with the first bus.
And I'm here from 7 in the morning
till about 8:30 - 8:45.
Then I go down to the Vin,
shelter at Hverfisgata 47.
I have a bit of lunch there,
then come back here to Hlemmur
where they let me take a look
at the newspapers
and then I go back to the shelter
and have a cup of coffee.
Sometimes I go to the
Samhjalp, have a coffee
and a bite to eat there
and then I go home.
Aren't the days a little long?
Yes, very long.
Long and boring days.
Not to mention the weekends.
They're even worse.
Let's get going then.
Or you'll get beaten up again.
Come on.
I'll come later.
You'll come right now.
We've got a cab, come on.
Stop that.
Hey lads, stop it.
Omar, you stay out of this
O.K. I will.
You have to keep to your part
Yes, I know.
How much was it?
You know how much.
I can't remember.
70,000 crowns.
I haven't got it.
If you don't keep to what
you said yesterday
when I gave you a good hiding
then I'll finish you off now.
You have to pay what you owe.
Not my face, please.
Look.
You have to settle your debt.
He hit me yesterday.
Yes, he hit you yesterday.
I can see that by the state
of your face.
I know exactly what happened.
Where's that pack
of cigarettes?
What kind of trouble are
you in, Hannes?
None.
I don't owe that guy a penny.
What's this 70,000 crowns he's
going on about, then?
Borgthor's a loose canon...
He's got his principles
but if you cheat him
he can be very dangerous.
Your biggest problem,
?lafur Kalman Hafsteinsson,
is that you've never learned
how to keep your mouth shut.
I spent the whole night
on the bathroom floor,
kicking at the door.
I was in serious danger.
There was blood everywhere,
all over the apartment
and there were bodies lying
in heaps.
I wasn't armed...
and I couldn't get out
through the window.
It was too small.
And I remember it well.
It was a terrible experience
And then I realized that I
was in my bed all the time.
The whole thing just took
Place in my mind.
You learn from that kind of thing
and you stop being scared of it.
At times I thought I was going
absolutely crazy.
That was no way to live.
It was pure hell.
I was on the binge regularly
for the last ten to fifteen years.
Couldn't see a way out.
I just drank until I couldn't
stand up any longer...
drank myself paralytic.
And for the last ten years
I never ate anything when I drank.
So I was suffering from
malnutrition too.
I saw on the scales that I'd,
lost 10, 12, 14 lbs
after a long binge.
Not a dieting method
I'd recommend.
That was some mates from my home
village of Borgarfjord.
They were asking whether
I was going to stop this
bloody stupid nonsense.
I said yes, I was going
to try to stop.
Let's see what tomorrow has
in store.
Hannes!
Thanks for helping me out
with this, mate.
You do everything for me.
- Yes.
You look out for me
so I don't have to do it.
The only thing I know is
you're my mate
and I'd do anything for you.
Hannes, come here.
I'm at peace with God and
my fellow men these days.
And I feel good, very good.
Has faith helped you?
It's done an enormous amount
for me.
The Heavenly father and I talk
every single night.
It's a wonderful time.
I never forget to pray.
God also works through other
people.
I witness that almost every day.
There aren't many people
From my part of the country
who can enjoy themselves
just being alive like me.
Even though I'm well into
my sixties.
Sorry, driver, I'm not
having a go at you.
No, I know you're not.
Can I see your face?
Is it Villi? - It's him.
Do you know, I managed to
You what?
Three years sober.
Why did you start again?
What, you want an answer just
like that, one, two, three?
I just got drunk, Villi,
there was no stopping it.
But I'll sober again.
You mark my words.
I'm just asking you to get
me a bottle, that's all.
I'm just teasing you a bit.
Oh, I see.
I'm not drunk.
Right, out you go, my friend.
What's the problem?
We're not allowed to serve
drunk people.
I am not in the least bit
drunk.
Well, that's the law...
The law?
Don't you talk to me like that
or you'll be on the losing end.
It's not a good idea to argue
with a man when he's drunk.
We're here.
Are you going to pick me up?
It's too late.
Can't do it.
You haven't had to pick me
My loved ones?
That's a sad tale.
I had a wonderful wife,
a really wonderful wife.
S?lveig Margr?t ?skarsd?ttir.
We had 4 children together,
Twin girls and two boys.
But, unfortunately, it all
disappeared into thin air -
thin air -
Eight grandchildren.
Don't you think it hurts not
being a part of that any more?
Of course it hurts.
I often feel the pain and it
makes me cry.
Then night comes.
The sadness goes when the sun
shines in the morning.
Then some bastard came here
and stole my blanket.
I kept it under that tree.
What was it like in the winter
under the tree?
It was a bit cold sometimes.
A bit cold sometimes.
When there was a snowstorm
blowing,
It was a bit cold then.
But I didn't whine about it.
Just woke up, had 3 or 4
bottles of cardamom essence
with me -
that sorted me out, got the
old circulation going again
It's often been hard, mate.
When I had to get up out of
the snow, that was really hard.
Didn't happen often, but it
happened every now and again.
As far as my depression is
concerned
and all the problems it
caused.
It all started up quite
suddenly around 1970,
even though I wasn't really
aware what was happening
at that time.
It wasn't until 1979 that
I sought help and went
to see a psychiatrist.
He found a solution, a temporary
solution, to my depression.
I was able to carry on working.
I started living with someone
in 1978.
We had two sons,
Actually I met her earlier
in 1976.
So we have two sons. They're
23 and 19 years old now.
And they're doing very well,
my sons.
We broke up in 1982, the same
year I stopped working.
In 1983, I was admitted
to a day-care programme
at the Kleppur psychiatric
hospital and I remained
on that programme through
1983, 1984 and 1985.
Withdrawal is dreadful,
Absolutely terrible.
That's why you keep drinking?
Yes, that's why I keep drinking
That's why I don't stop.
Withdrawal is no joke.
It's takes so much out of you,
my young friend,
it's such a struggle that
It's like hell itself,
if there is such a place
as hell.
Why?
Feeling really bad.
The guilt, the tremors.
And all the things you see
that aren't there.
Rats crawling up the walls
and... and... and...
Can I have some brennivin?
Want to buy some?
Try to buy it. Want to know
how much it costs?
It costs a lot.
Look at the woman, the child
and the trees.
I always come home
to sit under my tree and
be next to my fair roses.
Right, now I'm going to stop.
Right, we're closing up now.
We always close at twenty past.
?li, come on now, we're closing.
Come along.
Out you go, I said.
No.
You don't want me to have
you removed, do you?
No.
Outside.
What's gotten into you?
Want a thump?
Come on, out you go.
Where were we arrested
yesterday?
We didn't ask for somewhere
to spend the night?
No, no.
I can't remember where we were
nicked. Klambrat?n Fields?
Yes, we were sitting on a bench
there...
...remember? We were on the
Longuhl?d side.
Remember the bench?
It was when you left to
buy a bottle and I
waited there the whole time.
I came back at least.
Yes, that's where we
were arrested.
Were we arrested there?
Yes, on the bench.
All my money's gone.
That's a bit strange too.
Did you go to the bank
yesterday?
You let me have 500 crowns.
Five hundred? It was a lot
more than that, mate.
You gave me 500 crowns.
No, 6,000!
And you went and bought
the booze while I waited
up at Klambratun.
We hadn't had more than a few
swigs when the cops came.
I can't remember what time
it was.
Did I get a bottle of Smirnoff
bootleg?
Yes, I let you have a 5,000
and two 500 notes.
I let you have 6,000 crowns.
What about the Baccardi then?
I don't usually buy that.
No, hold on a minute.
We met... I met Sigr?n
at Bjarkaras.
Then we got to know each other
And we've been together now
for about ten years.
Are you married?
No, just engaged.
If we got married we'd lose
out big time.
It would take a chunk out of
our disability pensions
if we did that.
There's enough taken off us
as it is.
That's why we're not going to.
Anyway, there's no need to get
married.
Being engaged is fine.
I mean, a lot of people do, then
get divorced and land
in all kinds of trouble,
dividing up their property,
selling their cars, splitting
everything in two,
and maybe you get a bigger share
and maybe a smaller share.
That's not for me.
It's much better for us like this.
No messing about.
That's the thing, yes mate.
Yes it is.
So, you're happy together with
things as they are?
Yes, we get along very well.
That's important.
Life's no bed of roses for
some people.
Some people have a very hard
time and are really miserable.
Where did you go?
I don't know.
I saw you go into Eskihl?d.
Then you told me, when you got
back, that you made some
phone call at some woman's
place or somewhere.
I called a cab to get to the
off-license.
That can't be, the off-license
was closed by then.
Six o'clock?
Yes, yeh... no, it might
have been before 6 o'clock.
Yes.
I think I ordered a taxi to go
a get a bottle for me.
That's the bottle you bought.
But what about the Baccardi?
We never got to drink more than
that.
But what about the Baccardi?
I haven't got a clue where you
got that from.
Well, I don't know. It's not
what I usually buy.
You must have just found it.
You only bought the Smirnoff.
Yes, but I don't usually buy
Smirnoff either.
I always buy Tinda vodka.
Then you bought this
under the counter.
I do very little.
Nothing at all, really.
Just hanging about,
as I like to say.
Haven't done a stroke of
work for seven years.
I get a good disability pension
from Sweden because
that's where I became disabled.
That's where I earned the right
to a pension.
I get 72,000 crowns
a month from Sweden
and 41,000 crowns here.
In Iceland
I have it good.
I don't get a lot of pleasure
out of life other than
watching the days go by.
And I do that mainly riding on
the buses
because it costs so little,
no more than 30 crowns a time.
But I'm at full pace while
I'm on the bus,
at least between bus-stops.
It all fits together
very nicely.
You have a lot of friends here
at the bus station.
All my new friends are
alcoholics.
I have no contact with my
old friends.
I keep a very
low profile.
I have no contact with my
old friends.
Isn't that what you wanted
yourself?
Yes. It'll all be fine.
It will all be fine.
All will be well.
I will have contact with my
old friends again.
Oh, yes, we get very good
benefits.
I have nothing to complain
about in that area.
It's boring to listen to people
complaining all the time.
It gets you down. I don't
want any part of that.
You want to enjoy life.
Enjoy life, yes, like anyone
else.
That's the attitude. Otherwise
life's no fun.
No, that's what it's
all about, my friend.
This is a good place.
The food here is very good.
And the people are good.
They've helped me a lot.
We have an apartment on
Reynimel - number 80.
It' owned by the Reykjav?k
Council and we just rent it.
It's better living alone.
You're not independent
if you live in a shelter.
You have to do what you're told
there and let someone know
what time you want to leave the
house or come home.
And they take charge of your
money, too.
We didn't like that.
It's much better for us to
have our own apartment,
live together and rent rather than
live with lots of other people.
I was very shy as a teenager,
withdrew into my own shell,
I was exceptionally shy then
but I'm not any more.
That's all changed now?
Yes, yes. I'm very decisive
without being at all bossy.
Full of self-confidence without
being arrogant.
A lot of people around here
have told me that you're
quite a wit.
Yes, I suppose I am.
No one's been able to
outtalk me so far
and I'm not sure they
ever will.
Nothing wrong with what I've
got between my ears
even though I have the physical
symptoms of my illness.
The best thing...
today, no, not tomorrow...
It's Monday today and if it was
tomorrow,
the most enjoyable thing
would be acting.
Acting is just great. Best thing
in the world.
Do you act a lot?
We act at schools and factories,
various types of entertainment.
One of the plays we do
is called The Last Flower.
And then there's another called
- The Carnival.
Then, there's a play called
Comedy.
It's a new one with
some mime in it.
I have been drinking since
February 1st last year
after I was given a permanent
disability benefit.
I think I'd been working on a
trawler for about 10 years
until that time, and like the
doctor said to me,
he said, if you want to
destroy yourself completely
just keep working on the boats.
Then I spent 31 months
in prison.
After that I pulled myself
together.
I cleaned up my act and stopped
acting liking a lunatic.
I have three children.
I have a son
who is 18,
another son who is 10
and a 3-year-old girl.
None of them is registered as mine.
I'm not bitter about life.
I have my whole life ahead of me.
My whole life ahead of me.
I could have killed myself
ages ago if I'd wanted to.
Even so, I hope every
single night
that I won't wake up the next day.
Then it would all be over.
But it never seems to happen.
I always wake up.
One psychiatrist suggested that
there was a mental defect
in my family.
But I haven't followed it up
with any other psychiatrist
I've been to or the one I see
once a month these days.
What is your relationship with
your sons like?
Not so bad.
Not so bad.
I haven't had any contact with
them, though, for quite
a few months now.
But when we do meet up I enjoy
the time we spend together.
On a day-to-day basis, I don? T
really give it much thought.
Every day has enough troubles
of its own.
How did your relationship
with your wife end?
She met another man.
I didn't do a very good job
of providing for her and the boys.
That was the main reason we
broke up.
That must have been painful
and difficult to accept
at the time?
It was difficult to
accept, very difficult.
It was she who broke it up.
I wanted to keep it going
as long as possible
but it didn't work out.
She'd got herself a new bloke
before I knew what day it was.
I was in and out of work at
the time.
I couldn't really look after
them properly.
So, it was bound to
end sometime
and that's what happened.
The place is still
full of rubbish.
But it was an absolute
tip when I moved in.
I've painted in here and I'll
just have to see how things go
and what I can afford to do
at the moment.
Come on into the
living room.
It was really dreadful in here
when I came.
Piles of boxes, bags, sacks
and mattresses all over the floor.
The crowd who lived here before
weren't worth a toss.
But there's been quite a few
changes since then.
I feel good here.
Alright, let's continue
through.
This is the bedroom.
It's taking shape now, getting
to look the way I want it to.
This apartment is my
resurrection,
if I can put it like that.
I've been renting for nearly
eight years.
And it's even more recently
that I got myself
straightened out.
The future looks bright.
The main thing is never to
give up.
There'll always
be difficulties.
But you can overcome them if
you try.
He'll be tired by the time
he gets to Reykjav?k.
Who is Hannes Stub-finger?
You know Hannes Stub-finger.
Oh, yes, him.
He'll be tired all right.
What did he do with the 500
crowns you gave him?
That I gave him?
Well, he stole it
of course.
Then he stole 10,000 from me
plus a whole bottle of booze
and 3 litres of Coke and
2 packs of Lucky Strike.
And I had to pay for a cab
for him up to Borgarfjord.
I was so angry when
I found out
that I took hold of him and
threw him out of the cab
and into the water
at Rau?avatn.
I don't give a shit whether he
made it back to land or not.
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon, Raggi.
I'll have three bottles of
medicine or so.
There you go.
Thanks.
Well, hello there.
I have 4 children, two
of them grown up now.
My wife lives in Sweden.
There was an advert in
the Morgunblad newspaper
for paramedics needed at a
hospital in Sweden.
It was in Lund in Sweden that
hospital.
So we went out there and she
got a job.
Sweden was going through a
boom at the time
and I got a job too.
So, that's how we came to be
in Sweden.
They advertised for paramedics
in Sweden and I went along
as part of the deal.
Were the children
born there?
No, we already had two
and the third was
born in Sweden.
She was born there, my daughter
Monika.
What sort of a relationship do
you have with your kids?
Almost none - on account of
my illness.
I don't see the children very
much at all.
So this illness has had a major
impact on your life?
Yes, it has.
And for the worse, very much
for the worse.
My wife divorced me because I
had changed so much
from the man I once was.
My wife got a divorce.
I wanted us to stay together
but it was out of my hands.
Concerning your illness - do
they know what caused it?
No, not really.
All mental illnesses.
Depression, for example, is
a result of a chemical
imbalance in the brain.
That's how
depression starts.
I haven't read much about
manic depression
or how it works.
When my problem first appeared
I was pig-headed about
going through the
appropriate tests
but I knew there was nothing
dangerous about them and
did them in the end.
I was diagnosed
as being sick.
It was an explanation that had
simply not occurred to me
because I didn't
feel bad at all.
In fact I felt just fine.
If there was anything I
could do, my greatest
wish is to be
healthy again.
Do you have any help other
than medical help?
No.
I take the only medication
available for this illness.
I take in regularly as
I said earlier.
Everything takes time
I will get better.
I'm absolutely sure of that.
I am the wind.
I am the wind.
I am the wind.
The sun is the greatest power.
Weren't the apes in the trees
covered in hair?
Yes, and they still are.
And they still are, yes.
Now, there's one less ape in
the jungle.
It has to be the
same both sides.
That's what happens when you
don't go for a haircut.
I usually go to the barber's
once a month.
You should try to keep that up.
Increase your self-esteem.
Look at your ears.
Fine on this side.
I have to trim a little more
on this side.
Damn right you do.
But leave your head on.
I reckon it could
be taken off.
Great, I've finally gotten rid
of it.
How long's it taken - eighteen
months?
No, I've only had it a week.
No way.
Maybe a fortnight.
Not fibbing.
Maybe a fortnight.
Maybe a fortnight.
I started drinking on
February 1st last year.
1982 was the year I was last
out on the general job market.
Went to work then at Bergidja
inside the Kleppur Hospital
in a protected
working environment
and I stayed there until 1993.
I have never thought about
whether it was fair or not,
finding myself in this
position in life.
I've never given
it a thought.
This is just the way it is.
You have to accept reality.
I wouldn't lie to you.
I might lie to everyone else
but I don't lie to you.
I've told you, both hungover
and sober,
that you are the only friend
I have outside this circle.
I've told you
so many times.
Yes, you've often said that.
I just hope it's sunk in.
But I don't like the fact that
you're always getting beaten up.
That's their problem.
What?
That's their problem.
No, you are part
of the problem.
No I don't.
The only problem I have is that
my mother gave birth to me.
Never say that.
That's the only problem I have,
you see.
My mother brought me into this
world, that's the problem.
That's not a problem. You
are the problem.
I'm not the problem.
The only problem I...
Never say that.
Jon Petur, Barbara and
Ingimundur, Kristjan T.
Hjortur, Hafrun,
Hjortur Egils, Arni Pals.
Everyone's here then.
I'm going to read the word
of God, from St. Luke.
The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16,
from verse 14.
And the Pharisees also who
were covetous,
heard all these things
and derided him
And He said unto them
ye are they which justify
yourselves before men
but God knoweth your hearts
For that which is highly
esteemed among men
is abomination in the
sight of God?
Last Christmas I got here
late on Boxing Day afternoon.
I had a very hard time
turning up.
I'd been sober for about
two days.
That was only because it
was Christmas
and I couldn't get hold
of a drink and I was broke.
I slept outside the whole time
and it was very cold indeed.
I was up at Klambrat?n
under what I call my tree.
Yes, I was there.
I had very little to eat both
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
A few tins of sardines which I got
on December 23rd.
I was really in a state when they
came to fetch up.
They'd heard what sort of state
I was in and invited me
to come directly here,
which I did.
I was quite surprised how
quickly I pulled myself round.
They gave me an amazing welcome
here.
Everyone rejoiced the fact
that I had come.
And that helped me quite
a bit.
That meant I didn't get a
chance to feel sorry for myself.
Things have changed quite
a bit since last summer
so I decided just recently to
try occupational therapy
and I've started that now.
That was quite a setback
in 1993
when I couldn't even bring
myself to work half a day
at Bergi?jan.
So, this is quite a jump
for me now.
But I'm feeling confident
about it.
Do you feel better about life?
A great deal better.
Nothing special has happened
except I still feel good
and things are improving all
the time.
I've handed in my notice.
I wanted a change
and moved closer to my
home grounds.
I didn't see much point in
dragging myself out of bed
at 5 a.m. To do the morning
shift or in coming home
at 1:30 in the morning after
doing the night shift.
That will all change when
I get a job around here
and I have a few other ideas
up my sleeve too.
Naturally, I feel very lonely
sometimes.
I wish I had a wife waiting
for me at home,
someone to talk to when times
are good,
someone who enjoyed sharing
her life with me,
a person who took part in
everything with me.
But when you reach my age
there's not that many women
who are interested.
I've thought about it.
If I were to put myself on the
marriage market, as it were,
I realize that most women
my age will have one, two,
maybe even three marriages
behind them.
They'll have kids, debts and problems
that I have no interest in
taking on my shoulders
at this moment in time.
Now, I've just sorted out
my own problems,
I'm not going to burden
myself with someone else's.
It's as simple as that.
But there are plenty of
other options open to me.
I've been taking a look around.
For example, at some marriages
of guys I know to Asian women.
Asian women seem to be very
good-tempered and sweet.
And I've come to know a few
of them personally
and could well imagine settling
down with one of them.
Preferably someone of about 35.
I well believe it might work out.
I've seen couples where there's
an age difference of 30 years
and it's worked out just fine.
So, why not?
It would be wonderful to watch
a child grow up
now I'm in good health again.
Nothing wrong with that at all.
I think it would be wonderful
if I could do just that.
It's cold out now.
Hello, my dear friend.
Now you're with your Heavenly
Father and feel well.
I will always remember you
my dear Hannes,
and pray everyday that you
receive the Lord's blessings.
I miss you, my brother, but
I know you are safe now.
We'll meet again, sometime.
God bless you.
You see they've
taken my bench away.
And there's nowhere for us to
sit anymore.
So, we don't have a home.
They're gone, Halfdan Ingi,
my friend Hannes, and Elmar.
I find it very hard to roll
of the names.
It's so terrible that I'd
rather try to forget it.
Seven or eight of them,
maybe more have gone.
That's how it is.
It's a miserable business.
I have quite a few debts
on my back.
But I'm trying to make regular
monthly payments.
But I can't see things sorting
themselves out for a few years.
It's been thirteen years.
I thought I'd clear things up
over one or two years
and pay them off but things
haven't worked out at all well.
I've tried to do what I could
to have some of them cancelled.
But that didn't work either.
Hopeless actually.
How are things with you and
your sons?
Can you give them anything?
Not a single penny.
I haven't been able to for many
years.
Although I did manage sometimes
to give them a little something
especially at Christmas.
But that's all over now.
What's more, my relationship
with the boys is very limited,
and has been for many years.
Ever since their mother and I
split up in 1982.
I've had so many emotional
traumas.
When the wife left me, I loved
her and the children
and my home and my company.
But I lost them all, of course.
Then I started living
with someone, got married again,
and we had a little boy.
He died very young and very
suddenly on New Year's Day.
That finished me off.
That was in 1976.
I went to a doctor and lied to
him, said I couldn't sleep
that I was going crazy
from lack of sleep.
It was a complete lie.
But I got some sleeping
tablets from him.
I ground them down, bought
a bottle of vodka
and took a cab.
Out to Rau?avatn
There's some protected
woodlands there.
I left the car there,
went into the woods, took all
the pills then drank the vodka.
I remember it so very well.
It was spring.
Really beautiful weather,
a beautiful evening.
There was a ewe in the woods,
giving birth to a lamb.
I remember when the lamb tried
to stand up.
That's the last
thing I remember.
Except that someone had seen
the sheep and contacted
the official who is in charge
of livestock within
the Reykjavik area.
He came to fetch this sheep
and found me with my pills
and bottle of vodka beside
me.
I was blue all the way up
to my waist.
And he called an ambulance
and they gave me a stomach pump
and I was taken to jail.
That's where I woke up.
And when I woke up I was
crying my eyes out.
Yes, I can say with conviction
that I approve of National Socialism.
I'm fully admit it. I
think it's a sound philosophy.
I have no faith in any of the
parties here in Iceland.
And certainly not in those
who are in the government.
That's my opinion.
Would you perhaps show me
your mobile?
My phone? Of course.
This is what it's like.
That's a beautiful symbol.
I have always been an admirer
of Nazi philosophy.
And it will take root here just
as it has in other places.
I don't think there's
any stopping it.
I've heard it's
already started.
We are a small nation.
All sorts of people have
flooded in here.
The streets are filled
with blacks.
I have no idea where they come
from, what they're doing here,
or what's behind it all.
I don't know whether anyone is
even keeping an eye
on them or what they bring into
the country with them.
Before long there'll
be serious crime here,
And then there'll
be murders.
You murders.
And that's one of the first
things you hear.
And as soon as you mention
the subject you get a response.
That's very revealing.
That's how things are.
It's a fact that I feel very
attached to Rockville
because when I came here,
like I said earlier,
this was just
a ghost town.
I started here with just a 40 watt
light bulb in a caravan
and there was no running water
and no lavatory.
I just went out on the balcony
and washed myself in the snow.
And there was no shortage of
snow when I first came here.
Yes, I feel I've made this place
my own.
But deep down inside, I don't
feel I want to spend the rest
of my life here, slaving away
from morning to night.
I've worked
without wages
At the same time, I get free
meals and accommodation.
But I feel I want to do
something more demanding
because I'm in great shape,
considering my age
and what I've been through.
Great shape.
I want to go home to
my own place
and I'm working on that
right now.
Come on boy, sit down,
That's it, sit down.
Translation:
Alfaith_is_lost and monzack.
Synchronization:
Tarkovsky
?laf Sveinsson
Hello, Hlemmur Bus
Terminal here.
Did they tell you that
the Hofdabakki route
is being closed down?
Yes, it's supposed to
close at six o'clock.
My name is Bj?rgvin Ragnar
?orbj?rnsson.
I'm a busdriver.
I'm divorced. It's been
nearly eight years now.
I have one son.
He's a grown man now.
I haven't heard anything from
him since 1991 or 1992
and that was on the phone.
I lead a very ordinary life,
no stress, no strain.
Things are a lot better
than they used to be.
I bought myself an apartment
near the bus station.
It's within walking distance.
I come here a lot.
I meet people I know and
like to chat to.
I keep up with who's around
and what's going on.
A lot of it is very depressing.
I think I've come to terms
with myself.
I'm fairly pleased with
my life as it is now.
I mean, comparing what I
am now with what I used to be.
But it took me twenty years
in and out of rehabilitation
before I realised how easy
it was.
All I had to do was come to
terms with myself.
I used to drink anything
I could lay my hands on once.
Didn't matter what it was.
Spirits, beer, anything.
I drank quite a lot of
cardamom essence.
I even remember drinking
after-shave.
I can't say it all tasted good
but it all had the desired effect.
But I drank spirits most
of the time.
When I was living like that,
I owed money all over town.
I used to sneak about, mainly down
side streets,
always ready to jump down
an alley or behind the houses
if I saw someone I owed money to.
That makes forty five.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty...
Six, seven, eight, and that
Thank you my dear.
I'll sit by the rubbish bin.
You are closer to it.
Here's the top.
You have to turn it upside down.
Didn't win anything.
That's just on Coke bottles.
Oh, Coke, yes.
Couldn't have waited much
longer.
It's just because he knew we
had some cash.
He was quick enough then:
Got it, got it he said.
My name is J?sef Sumarli?ason.
I was born in Keflav?k in 1949
and brought up in Hafnarfjord.
I was one of eight children.
Actually, there were 25
of us all together
if I include my 14 half-brothers and sisters.
I moved to Reykjavik in 1969.
I've had a lot of different
jobs in my time.
But in recent years
I've suffered from depression.
And I haven't been able
to work very much.
I come here to the bus station
with the first bus.
And I'm here from 7 in the morning
till about 8:30 - 8:45.
Then I go down to the Vin,
shelter at Hverfisgata 47.
I have a bit of lunch there,
then come back here to Hlemmur
where they let me take a look
at the newspapers
and then I go back to the shelter
and have a cup of coffee.
Sometimes I go to the
Samhjalp, have a coffee
and a bite to eat there
and then I go home.
Aren't the days a little long?
Yes, very long.
Long and boring days.
Not to mention the weekends.
They're even worse.
Let's get going then.
Or you'll get beaten up again.
Come on.
I'll come later.
You'll come right now.
We've got a cab, come on.
Stop that.
Hey lads, stop it.
Omar, you stay out of this
O.K. I will.
You have to keep to your part
Yes, I know.
How much was it?
You know how much.
I can't remember.
70,000 crowns.
I haven't got it.
If you don't keep to what
you said yesterday
when I gave you a good hiding
then I'll finish you off now.
You have to pay what you owe.
Not my face, please.
Look.
You have to settle your debt.
He hit me yesterday.
Yes, he hit you yesterday.
I can see that by the state
of your face.
I know exactly what happened.
Where's that pack
of cigarettes?
What kind of trouble are
you in, Hannes?
None.
I don't owe that guy a penny.
What's this 70,000 crowns he's
going on about, then?
Borgthor's a loose canon...
He's got his principles
but if you cheat him
he can be very dangerous.
Your biggest problem,
?lafur Kalman Hafsteinsson,
is that you've never learned
how to keep your mouth shut.
I spent the whole night
on the bathroom floor,
kicking at the door.
I was in serious danger.
There was blood everywhere,
all over the apartment
and there were bodies lying
in heaps.
I wasn't armed...
and I couldn't get out
through the window.
It was too small.
And I remember it well.
It was a terrible experience
And then I realized that I
was in my bed all the time.
The whole thing just took
Place in my mind.
You learn from that kind of thing
and you stop being scared of it.
At times I thought I was going
absolutely crazy.
That was no way to live.
It was pure hell.
I was on the binge regularly
for the last ten to fifteen years.
Couldn't see a way out.
I just drank until I couldn't
stand up any longer...
drank myself paralytic.
And for the last ten years
I never ate anything when I drank.
So I was suffering from
malnutrition too.
I saw on the scales that I'd,
lost 10, 12, 14 lbs
after a long binge.
Not a dieting method
I'd recommend.
That was some mates from my home
village of Borgarfjord.
They were asking whether
I was going to stop this
bloody stupid nonsense.
I said yes, I was going
to try to stop.
Let's see what tomorrow has
in store.
Hannes!
Thanks for helping me out
with this, mate.
You do everything for me.
- Yes.
You look out for me
so I don't have to do it.
The only thing I know is
you're my mate
and I'd do anything for you.
Hannes, come here.
I'm at peace with God and
my fellow men these days.
And I feel good, very good.
Has faith helped you?
It's done an enormous amount
for me.
The Heavenly father and I talk
every single night.
It's a wonderful time.
I never forget to pray.
God also works through other
people.
I witness that almost every day.
There aren't many people
From my part of the country
who can enjoy themselves
just being alive like me.
Even though I'm well into
my sixties.
Sorry, driver, I'm not
having a go at you.
No, I know you're not.
Can I see your face?
Is it Villi? - It's him.
Do you know, I managed to
You what?
Three years sober.
Why did you start again?
What, you want an answer just
like that, one, two, three?
I just got drunk, Villi,
there was no stopping it.
But I'll sober again.
You mark my words.
I'm just asking you to get
me a bottle, that's all.
I'm just teasing you a bit.
Oh, I see.
I'm not drunk.
Right, out you go, my friend.
What's the problem?
We're not allowed to serve
drunk people.
I am not in the least bit
drunk.
Well, that's the law...
The law?
Don't you talk to me like that
or you'll be on the losing end.
It's not a good idea to argue
with a man when he's drunk.
We're here.
Are you going to pick me up?
It's too late.
Can't do it.
You haven't had to pick me
My loved ones?
That's a sad tale.
I had a wonderful wife,
a really wonderful wife.
S?lveig Margr?t ?skarsd?ttir.
We had 4 children together,
Twin girls and two boys.
But, unfortunately, it all
disappeared into thin air -
thin air -
Eight grandchildren.
Don't you think it hurts not
being a part of that any more?
Of course it hurts.
I often feel the pain and it
makes me cry.
Then night comes.
The sadness goes when the sun
shines in the morning.
Then some bastard came here
and stole my blanket.
I kept it under that tree.
What was it like in the winter
under the tree?
It was a bit cold sometimes.
A bit cold sometimes.
When there was a snowstorm
blowing,
It was a bit cold then.
But I didn't whine about it.
Just woke up, had 3 or 4
bottles of cardamom essence
with me -
that sorted me out, got the
old circulation going again
It's often been hard, mate.
When I had to get up out of
the snow, that was really hard.
Didn't happen often, but it
happened every now and again.
As far as my depression is
concerned
and all the problems it
caused.
It all started up quite
suddenly around 1970,
even though I wasn't really
aware what was happening
at that time.
It wasn't until 1979 that
I sought help and went
to see a psychiatrist.
He found a solution, a temporary
solution, to my depression.
I was able to carry on working.
I started living with someone
in 1978.
We had two sons,
Actually I met her earlier
in 1976.
So we have two sons. They're
23 and 19 years old now.
And they're doing very well,
my sons.
We broke up in 1982, the same
year I stopped working.
In 1983, I was admitted
to a day-care programme
at the Kleppur psychiatric
hospital and I remained
on that programme through
1983, 1984 and 1985.
Withdrawal is dreadful,
Absolutely terrible.
That's why you keep drinking?
Yes, that's why I keep drinking
That's why I don't stop.
Withdrawal is no joke.
It's takes so much out of you,
my young friend,
it's such a struggle that
It's like hell itself,
if there is such a place
as hell.
Why?
Feeling really bad.
The guilt, the tremors.
And all the things you see
that aren't there.
Rats crawling up the walls
and... and... and...
Can I have some brennivin?
Want to buy some?
Try to buy it. Want to know
how much it costs?
It costs a lot.
Look at the woman, the child
and the trees.
I always come home
to sit under my tree and
be next to my fair roses.
Right, now I'm going to stop.
Right, we're closing up now.
We always close at twenty past.
?li, come on now, we're closing.
Come along.
Out you go, I said.
No.
You don't want me to have
you removed, do you?
No.
Outside.
What's gotten into you?
Want a thump?
Come on, out you go.
Where were we arrested
yesterday?
We didn't ask for somewhere
to spend the night?
No, no.
I can't remember where we were
nicked. Klambrat?n Fields?
Yes, we were sitting on a bench
there...
...remember? We were on the
Longuhl?d side.
Remember the bench?
It was when you left to
buy a bottle and I
waited there the whole time.
I came back at least.
Yes, that's where we
were arrested.
Were we arrested there?
Yes, on the bench.
All my money's gone.
That's a bit strange too.
Did you go to the bank
yesterday?
You let me have 500 crowns.
Five hundred? It was a lot
more than that, mate.
You gave me 500 crowns.
No, 6,000!
And you went and bought
the booze while I waited
up at Klambratun.
We hadn't had more than a few
swigs when the cops came.
I can't remember what time
it was.
Did I get a bottle of Smirnoff
bootleg?
Yes, I let you have a 5,000
and two 500 notes.
I let you have 6,000 crowns.
What about the Baccardi then?
I don't usually buy that.
No, hold on a minute.
We met... I met Sigr?n
at Bjarkaras.
Then we got to know each other
And we've been together now
for about ten years.
Are you married?
No, just engaged.
If we got married we'd lose
out big time.
It would take a chunk out of
our disability pensions
if we did that.
There's enough taken off us
as it is.
That's why we're not going to.
Anyway, there's no need to get
married.
Being engaged is fine.
I mean, a lot of people do, then
get divorced and land
in all kinds of trouble,
dividing up their property,
selling their cars, splitting
everything in two,
and maybe you get a bigger share
and maybe a smaller share.
That's not for me.
It's much better for us like this.
No messing about.
That's the thing, yes mate.
Yes it is.
So, you're happy together with
things as they are?
Yes, we get along very well.
That's important.
Life's no bed of roses for
some people.
Some people have a very hard
time and are really miserable.
Where did you go?
I don't know.
I saw you go into Eskihl?d.
Then you told me, when you got
back, that you made some
phone call at some woman's
place or somewhere.
I called a cab to get to the
off-license.
That can't be, the off-license
was closed by then.
Six o'clock?
Yes, yeh... no, it might
have been before 6 o'clock.
Yes.
I think I ordered a taxi to go
a get a bottle for me.
That's the bottle you bought.
But what about the Baccardi?
We never got to drink more than
that.
But what about the Baccardi?
I haven't got a clue where you
got that from.
Well, I don't know. It's not
what I usually buy.
You must have just found it.
You only bought the Smirnoff.
Yes, but I don't usually buy
Smirnoff either.
I always buy Tinda vodka.
Then you bought this
under the counter.
I do very little.
Nothing at all, really.
Just hanging about,
as I like to say.
Haven't done a stroke of
work for seven years.
I get a good disability pension
from Sweden because
that's where I became disabled.
That's where I earned the right
to a pension.
I get 72,000 crowns
a month from Sweden
and 41,000 crowns here.
In Iceland
I have it good.
I don't get a lot of pleasure
out of life other than
watching the days go by.
And I do that mainly riding on
the buses
because it costs so little,
no more than 30 crowns a time.
But I'm at full pace while
I'm on the bus,
at least between bus-stops.
It all fits together
very nicely.
You have a lot of friends here
at the bus station.
All my new friends are
alcoholics.
I have no contact with my
old friends.
I keep a very
low profile.
I have no contact with my
old friends.
Isn't that what you wanted
yourself?
Yes. It'll all be fine.
It will all be fine.
All will be well.
I will have contact with my
old friends again.
Oh, yes, we get very good
benefits.
I have nothing to complain
about in that area.
It's boring to listen to people
complaining all the time.
It gets you down. I don't
want any part of that.
You want to enjoy life.
Enjoy life, yes, like anyone
else.
That's the attitude. Otherwise
life's no fun.
No, that's what it's
all about, my friend.
This is a good place.
The food here is very good.
And the people are good.
They've helped me a lot.
We have an apartment on
Reynimel - number 80.
It' owned by the Reykjav?k
Council and we just rent it.
It's better living alone.
You're not independent
if you live in a shelter.
You have to do what you're told
there and let someone know
what time you want to leave the
house or come home.
And they take charge of your
money, too.
We didn't like that.
It's much better for us to
have our own apartment,
live together and rent rather than
live with lots of other people.
I was very shy as a teenager,
withdrew into my own shell,
I was exceptionally shy then
but I'm not any more.
That's all changed now?
Yes, yes. I'm very decisive
without being at all bossy.
Full of self-confidence without
being arrogant.
A lot of people around here
have told me that you're
quite a wit.
Yes, I suppose I am.
No one's been able to
outtalk me so far
and I'm not sure they
ever will.
Nothing wrong with what I've
got between my ears
even though I have the physical
symptoms of my illness.
The best thing...
today, no, not tomorrow...
It's Monday today and if it was
tomorrow,
the most enjoyable thing
would be acting.
Acting is just great. Best thing
in the world.
Do you act a lot?
We act at schools and factories,
various types of entertainment.
One of the plays we do
is called The Last Flower.
And then there's another called
- The Carnival.
Then, there's a play called
Comedy.
It's a new one with
some mime in it.
I have been drinking since
February 1st last year
after I was given a permanent
disability benefit.
I think I'd been working on a
trawler for about 10 years
until that time, and like the
doctor said to me,
he said, if you want to
destroy yourself completely
just keep working on the boats.
Then I spent 31 months
in prison.
After that I pulled myself
together.
I cleaned up my act and stopped
acting liking a lunatic.
I have three children.
I have a son
who is 18,
another son who is 10
and a 3-year-old girl.
None of them is registered as mine.
I'm not bitter about life.
I have my whole life ahead of me.
My whole life ahead of me.
I could have killed myself
ages ago if I'd wanted to.
Even so, I hope every
single night
that I won't wake up the next day.
Then it would all be over.
But it never seems to happen.
I always wake up.
One psychiatrist suggested that
there was a mental defect
in my family.
But I haven't followed it up
with any other psychiatrist
I've been to or the one I see
once a month these days.
What is your relationship with
your sons like?
Not so bad.
Not so bad.
I haven't had any contact with
them, though, for quite
a few months now.
But when we do meet up I enjoy
the time we spend together.
On a day-to-day basis, I don? T
really give it much thought.
Every day has enough troubles
of its own.
How did your relationship
with your wife end?
She met another man.
I didn't do a very good job
of providing for her and the boys.
That was the main reason we
broke up.
That must have been painful
and difficult to accept
at the time?
It was difficult to
accept, very difficult.
It was she who broke it up.
I wanted to keep it going
as long as possible
but it didn't work out.
She'd got herself a new bloke
before I knew what day it was.
I was in and out of work at
the time.
I couldn't really look after
them properly.
So, it was bound to
end sometime
and that's what happened.
The place is still
full of rubbish.
But it was an absolute
tip when I moved in.
I've painted in here and I'll
just have to see how things go
and what I can afford to do
at the moment.
Come on into the
living room.
It was really dreadful in here
when I came.
Piles of boxes, bags, sacks
and mattresses all over the floor.
The crowd who lived here before
weren't worth a toss.
But there's been quite a few
changes since then.
I feel good here.
Alright, let's continue
through.
This is the bedroom.
It's taking shape now, getting
to look the way I want it to.
This apartment is my
resurrection,
if I can put it like that.
I've been renting for nearly
eight years.
And it's even more recently
that I got myself
straightened out.
The future looks bright.
The main thing is never to
give up.
There'll always
be difficulties.
But you can overcome them if
you try.
He'll be tired by the time
he gets to Reykjav?k.
Who is Hannes Stub-finger?
You know Hannes Stub-finger.
Oh, yes, him.
He'll be tired all right.
What did he do with the 500
crowns you gave him?
That I gave him?
Well, he stole it
of course.
Then he stole 10,000 from me
plus a whole bottle of booze
and 3 litres of Coke and
2 packs of Lucky Strike.
And I had to pay for a cab
for him up to Borgarfjord.
I was so angry when
I found out
that I took hold of him and
threw him out of the cab
and into the water
at Rau?avatn.
I don't give a shit whether he
made it back to land or not.
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon, Raggi.
I'll have three bottles of
medicine or so.
There you go.
Thanks.
Well, hello there.
I have 4 children, two
of them grown up now.
My wife lives in Sweden.
There was an advert in
the Morgunblad newspaper
for paramedics needed at a
hospital in Sweden.
It was in Lund in Sweden that
hospital.
So we went out there and she
got a job.
Sweden was going through a
boom at the time
and I got a job too.
So, that's how we came to be
in Sweden.
They advertised for paramedics
in Sweden and I went along
as part of the deal.
Were the children
born there?
No, we already had two
and the third was
born in Sweden.
She was born there, my daughter
Monika.
What sort of a relationship do
you have with your kids?
Almost none - on account of
my illness.
I don't see the children very
much at all.
So this illness has had a major
impact on your life?
Yes, it has.
And for the worse, very much
for the worse.
My wife divorced me because I
had changed so much
from the man I once was.
My wife got a divorce.
I wanted us to stay together
but it was out of my hands.
Concerning your illness - do
they know what caused it?
No, not really.
All mental illnesses.
Depression, for example, is
a result of a chemical
imbalance in the brain.
That's how
depression starts.
I haven't read much about
manic depression
or how it works.
When my problem first appeared
I was pig-headed about
going through the
appropriate tests
but I knew there was nothing
dangerous about them and
did them in the end.
I was diagnosed
as being sick.
It was an explanation that had
simply not occurred to me
because I didn't
feel bad at all.
In fact I felt just fine.
If there was anything I
could do, my greatest
wish is to be
healthy again.
Do you have any help other
than medical help?
No.
I take the only medication
available for this illness.
I take in regularly as
I said earlier.
Everything takes time
I will get better.
I'm absolutely sure of that.
I am the wind.
I am the wind.
I am the wind.
The sun is the greatest power.
Weren't the apes in the trees
covered in hair?
Yes, and they still are.
And they still are, yes.
Now, there's one less ape in
the jungle.
It has to be the
same both sides.
That's what happens when you
don't go for a haircut.
I usually go to the barber's
once a month.
You should try to keep that up.
Increase your self-esteem.
Look at your ears.
Fine on this side.
I have to trim a little more
on this side.
Damn right you do.
But leave your head on.
I reckon it could
be taken off.
Great, I've finally gotten rid
of it.
How long's it taken - eighteen
months?
No, I've only had it a week.
No way.
Maybe a fortnight.
Not fibbing.
Maybe a fortnight.
Maybe a fortnight.
I started drinking on
February 1st last year.
1982 was the year I was last
out on the general job market.
Went to work then at Bergidja
inside the Kleppur Hospital
in a protected
working environment
and I stayed there until 1993.
I have never thought about
whether it was fair or not,
finding myself in this
position in life.
I've never given
it a thought.
This is just the way it is.
You have to accept reality.
I wouldn't lie to you.
I might lie to everyone else
but I don't lie to you.
I've told you, both hungover
and sober,
that you are the only friend
I have outside this circle.
I've told you
so many times.
Yes, you've often said that.
I just hope it's sunk in.
But I don't like the fact that
you're always getting beaten up.
That's their problem.
What?
That's their problem.
No, you are part
of the problem.
No I don't.
The only problem I have is that
my mother gave birth to me.
Never say that.
That's the only problem I have,
you see.
My mother brought me into this
world, that's the problem.
That's not a problem. You
are the problem.
I'm not the problem.
The only problem I...
Never say that.
Jon Petur, Barbara and
Ingimundur, Kristjan T.
Hjortur, Hafrun,
Hjortur Egils, Arni Pals.
Everyone's here then.
I'm going to read the word
of God, from St. Luke.
The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16,
from verse 14.
And the Pharisees also who
were covetous,
heard all these things
and derided him
And He said unto them
ye are they which justify
yourselves before men
but God knoweth your hearts
For that which is highly
esteemed among men
is abomination in the
sight of God?
Last Christmas I got here
late on Boxing Day afternoon.
I had a very hard time
turning up.
I'd been sober for about
two days.
That was only because it
was Christmas
and I couldn't get hold
of a drink and I was broke.
I slept outside the whole time
and it was very cold indeed.
I was up at Klambrat?n
under what I call my tree.
Yes, I was there.
I had very little to eat both
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
A few tins of sardines which I got
on December 23rd.
I was really in a state when they
came to fetch up.
They'd heard what sort of state
I was in and invited me
to come directly here,
which I did.
I was quite surprised how
quickly I pulled myself round.
They gave me an amazing welcome
here.
Everyone rejoiced the fact
that I had come.
And that helped me quite
a bit.
That meant I didn't get a
chance to feel sorry for myself.
Things have changed quite
a bit since last summer
so I decided just recently to
try occupational therapy
and I've started that now.
That was quite a setback
in 1993
when I couldn't even bring
myself to work half a day
at Bergi?jan.
So, this is quite a jump
for me now.
But I'm feeling confident
about it.
Do you feel better about life?
A great deal better.
Nothing special has happened
except I still feel good
and things are improving all
the time.
I've handed in my notice.
I wanted a change
and moved closer to my
home grounds.
I didn't see much point in
dragging myself out of bed
at 5 a.m. To do the morning
shift or in coming home
at 1:30 in the morning after
doing the night shift.
That will all change when
I get a job around here
and I have a few other ideas
up my sleeve too.
Naturally, I feel very lonely
sometimes.
I wish I had a wife waiting
for me at home,
someone to talk to when times
are good,
someone who enjoyed sharing
her life with me,
a person who took part in
everything with me.
But when you reach my age
there's not that many women
who are interested.
I've thought about it.
If I were to put myself on the
marriage market, as it were,
I realize that most women
my age will have one, two,
maybe even three marriages
behind them.
They'll have kids, debts and problems
that I have no interest in
taking on my shoulders
at this moment in time.
Now, I've just sorted out
my own problems,
I'm not going to burden
myself with someone else's.
It's as simple as that.
But there are plenty of
other options open to me.
I've been taking a look around.
For example, at some marriages
of guys I know to Asian women.
Asian women seem to be very
good-tempered and sweet.
And I've come to know a few
of them personally
and could well imagine settling
down with one of them.
Preferably someone of about 35.
I well believe it might work out.
I've seen couples where there's
an age difference of 30 years
and it's worked out just fine.
So, why not?
It would be wonderful to watch
a child grow up
now I'm in good health again.
Nothing wrong with that at all.
I think it would be wonderful
if I could do just that.
It's cold out now.
Hello, my dear friend.
Now you're with your Heavenly
Father and feel well.
I will always remember you
my dear Hannes,
and pray everyday that you
receive the Lord's blessings.
I miss you, my brother, but
I know you are safe now.
We'll meet again, sometime.
God bless you.
You see they've
taken my bench away.
And there's nowhere for us to
sit anymore.
So, we don't have a home.
They're gone, Halfdan Ingi,
my friend Hannes, and Elmar.
I find it very hard to roll
of the names.
It's so terrible that I'd
rather try to forget it.
Seven or eight of them,
maybe more have gone.
That's how it is.
It's a miserable business.
I have quite a few debts
on my back.
But I'm trying to make regular
monthly payments.
But I can't see things sorting
themselves out for a few years.
It's been thirteen years.
I thought I'd clear things up
over one or two years
and pay them off but things
haven't worked out at all well.
I've tried to do what I could
to have some of them cancelled.
But that didn't work either.
Hopeless actually.
How are things with you and
your sons?
Can you give them anything?
Not a single penny.
I haven't been able to for many
years.
Although I did manage sometimes
to give them a little something
especially at Christmas.
But that's all over now.
What's more, my relationship
with the boys is very limited,
and has been for many years.
Ever since their mother and I
split up in 1982.
I've had so many emotional
traumas.
When the wife left me, I loved
her and the children
and my home and my company.
But I lost them all, of course.
Then I started living
with someone, got married again,
and we had a little boy.
He died very young and very
suddenly on New Year's Day.
That finished me off.
That was in 1976.
I went to a doctor and lied to
him, said I couldn't sleep
that I was going crazy
from lack of sleep.
It was a complete lie.
But I got some sleeping
tablets from him.
I ground them down, bought
a bottle of vodka
and took a cab.
Out to Rau?avatn
There's some protected
woodlands there.
I left the car there,
went into the woods, took all
the pills then drank the vodka.
I remember it so very well.
It was spring.
Really beautiful weather,
a beautiful evening.
There was a ewe in the woods,
giving birth to a lamb.
I remember when the lamb tried
to stand up.
That's the last
thing I remember.
Except that someone had seen
the sheep and contacted
the official who is in charge
of livestock within
the Reykjavik area.
He came to fetch this sheep
and found me with my pills
and bottle of vodka beside
me.
I was blue all the way up
to my waist.
And he called an ambulance
and they gave me a stomach pump
and I was taken to jail.
That's where I woke up.
And when I woke up I was
crying my eyes out.
Yes, I can say with conviction
that I approve of National Socialism.
I'm fully admit it. I
think it's a sound philosophy.
I have no faith in any of the
parties here in Iceland.
And certainly not in those
who are in the government.
That's my opinion.
Would you perhaps show me
your mobile?
My phone? Of course.
This is what it's like.
That's a beautiful symbol.
I have always been an admirer
of Nazi philosophy.
And it will take root here just
as it has in other places.
I don't think there's
any stopping it.
I've heard it's
already started.
We are a small nation.
All sorts of people have
flooded in here.
The streets are filled
with blacks.
I have no idea where they come
from, what they're doing here,
or what's behind it all.
I don't know whether anyone is
even keeping an eye
on them or what they bring into
the country with them.
Before long there'll
be serious crime here,
And then there'll
be murders.
You murders.
And that's one of the first
things you hear.
And as soon as you mention
the subject you get a response.
That's very revealing.
That's how things are.
It's a fact that I feel very
attached to Rockville
because when I came here,
like I said earlier,
this was just
a ghost town.
I started here with just a 40 watt
light bulb in a caravan
and there was no running water
and no lavatory.
I just went out on the balcony
and washed myself in the snow.
And there was no shortage of
snow when I first came here.
Yes, I feel I've made this place
my own.
But deep down inside, I don't
feel I want to spend the rest
of my life here, slaving away
from morning to night.
I've worked
without wages
At the same time, I get free
meals and accommodation.
But I feel I want to do
something more demanding
because I'm in great shape,
considering my age
and what I've been through.
Great shape.
I want to go home to
my own place
and I'm working on that
right now.
Come on boy, sit down,
That's it, sit down.
Translation:
Alfaith_is_lost and monzack.
Synchronization:
Tarkovsky