THE HALF BROTHER
Everything has an origin. Even my name. Barnum.
Barnum was the man who said the world wants to be deceived.
He said, "What matters is not what you see, but what you think you see."
On November 9th, 1966 my half brother Fred disappeared.
Fred was a boxer. I was a writer. I asked for trouble, he hit me.
When I woke up, he was gone. He's been gone ever since.
Fred wasn't the first family member to disappear.
Great-granddad disappeared in the ice in Greenland.
Then there was Granddad, then Fred's father, and then Fred himself.
He left before he had any kids he could screw up.
Thank God we still have our mothers.
Let's start there. With our mothers.
Liberation Day. May 8th, 1945.
Mom! Come and see. Hurry!
Can you go and get our dresses in the attic. Vera?
- You're burning Hamsun? - Aren't you taking pictures?
- Mom asked me to get the dresses. - But you're our photographer.
Mom?
Today we celebrate Victory in Europe, Norway's Liberation...
Mon, don't you want to come and see the celebrations?
- Boy, it's hot here. - I'm getting rid of Hamsun.
"We, his closest followers, bow our heads in mourning."
- Imagine writing Hitler's eulogy now! - When else?
- This is cute! - Look here! We have to have this.
Oh, the white sideboard. We could keep our booze in it.
Oh, look at this!
Oh, a chaise longue! So pretty!
- Hey, smile! - Don't. No!
Look pretty now. Look at the camera!
- Gorgeous! - You think so?
Oh, this is cute!
What is this?
Do you miss him?
Fred is dead, Vivian. It's only Mom who can't quite accept it.
I want a baby.
- Now? Here? - Yeah.
- We've got the chaise longue. - OK.
- Do you think we'll do it? - Make a baby?
What can I say? It all depends on who's in the saddle.
- What if your mother comes? - She never comes up here.
Why not?
Come on.
Oh, be careful!
Maybe a little higher. A little more.
That's good.
Wouldn't it be better to use screws? Isn't that what people usually use?
We're not going to take it down again, are we?
- It looks nice. - Beautiful.
Perfect.
- You want to do it? - Go ahead.
- Together? - Together.
It's fantastic!
- I love you. - You too.
- Where's the flag? - What?
- The flag? - I don't know!
Oh, here's another book.
And this!
I've been looking everywhere for you!
In the cistern, the laundry basket, the fuse box...
And of all the places, it's behind old August.
Shall I open it?
No, I won't drink 1936 Malaga in my underwear.
- Where's Vera? I want my dress. - I'll see what she's up to.
Don't you dare touch that before Vera and I come down.
I'll chill the glasses.
Vera!
Vera, are you here?
My God!
Vera? What happened?
Vera?
- Mom! Mom, help me! - What is it?
Vera! Vera, no!
Get the scissors!
- Careful of her hands. - Yeah, yeah, yeah!
- Vera! - Damn it!
Mom! Bring some water!
- Is Vera there? - Vera isn't feeling well.
And you're throwing stones at the wrong window. Unless you wanted me.
- Was there anyone with her? - What do you mean?
- You know what I mean. - She was alone.
Vera, you know what I thought we'd do tomorrow, on my day off?
- We'll all go to the hairdresser's. - Nonsense! Hairdresser! I'm not going.
- You shed like an old cat. - Yeah yeah.
Vera, you can put my hair up when King Håkon comes home!
- Mom, maybe the letter will help. - Do you think so?
Yes. Yes, I'll do that.
Dear God, watch over Vera.
Above all Vera. And Boletta if You have time.
You don't have to worry about me anymore.
I got this nightdress from Wilhelm not long after we met.
Imagine that, Vera, getting a nightdress before we were married.
"We had an excellent journey."
"We arrived at the uninhabited island and anchored there for two days","
"while the naturalists were ashore."
"Even before we got there, we had midnight sun."
"We were to bring back a muskox,"
"and we found a herd of oxen eating the bark off of the polar willow,"
"which is just about the only plant here."
"The Captain and I and five men went ashore to try and capture a calf."
"There was a calf, but we couldn't get close to it"
"before the other oxen saw us. There were 15 or 16 of them."
Fred and I sat under the coffee table while the Old One read that letter.
Great-granddad wrote it on his trip to Greenland for the Copenhagen Zoo.
But Great-granddad disappeared in the ice and never came home.
The Old One was young back then. She was a starlet in silent films.
That latter was the only thing she had from him. That and the nightdress.
The one he gave her before they got married.
And of course she had Boletta.
Vera?
Vera, open the door.
Vera?
What are you up to?
I'll get the caretaker to break the door.
No, no, you don't want that nosy fool seeing her in her state. Talk to her.
- Talk to your daughter! - Vera... Vera.
You know what I thought we could do tomorrow?
- We can go to the hairdresser's. - Not the hairdresser, you idiot!
Vera, it's my turn now. If you don't come out I'll have an accident!
You don't want your poor old granny to have to sit in the basin, do you?
What are you doing?
It's all over now.
There's nothing to be afraid of, Vera!
- You're going to get pneumonia. - Pull the plug. No more talking!
- Vera, say something! Anything! - Pull the plug or I'll do it myself!
Vera. Vera?
Vera, you're clean enough now. You're clean.
It's all right, Vera. It's all right now. You're clean.
Vera, you're clean enough now.
Oh hell. Can't we have a moment's peace?
Vera, come.
There.
- Ah. The guardian of the flowerbeds. - Did something happen? I heard a cry.
- Everyone heard it. - I burnt myself on the stove.
How is Vera? I heard she was ill.
- Move your foot or you'll be crying! - I'm just asking.
- A lot is happening these days. - But not house searches anymore!
In a hurry today?
I want to report a rape.
A rape?
- Have you been raped? - My granddaughter has, young man.
- Are you mocking me? - Not at all, madam.
- Have a seat. - Thank you.
- Victim's name? - Vera Jebsen.
Mom?
Where have you been?
- I have to got to work. - You go. I'll look after her.
- Get me Dr. Schultz! - One moment.
One moment, I'll transfer you.
Egede wants to talk to you.
Is everything all right with your family.
Yes.
- Your mother is an actress, no? - A long time ago.
Ah, I miss silent films. And you have a daughter. How old is she now?
She'll be 20 this summer.
- What does she plan to do? - She wants to work with photography.
You've been with us for many years.
Would you consider moving up a few floors?
- To the fourth floor? Telegraphy? - Don't look so shocked.
We need operators there. Experienced women like you.
I only have experience with the switchboard.
We have a course. It's easy.
I'll give you my answer tomorrow.
There's no hurry. Take all the time you need.
But if you accept my generous offer, we'll have a switchboard opening, no?
May I go now?
I'm sure your daughter would be well-suited to the job.
- She isn't going to marry right away? - No? She may well plan to.
Who do you think is going to marry a soiled woman?
- What are you doing home? - I got the day off.
Foreman Egede gave the day off to all staff with more than 15 years.
- That was nice of him. - So we could celebrate peace.
- You called the doctor? - Yes.
- There was someone up there. - You're sure?
I should have been there. I should have gone up myself.
Ah, yes. Peace has its consequences.
I think you're right, she's in some kind of shock.
- I'd say a psychosis. - Pychosis?
Or call it a condition, if that sounds better.
She's lost a lot of blood. She's very weak.
But I've stopped the bleeding.
It's likely that she fell and got a concussion.
Why won't she speak?
The speech center of her brain is disabled
because of the concussion.
When the pressure in her brain is relieved she'll be able to talk again.
- She's never bled like that before. - We live in extraordinary times.
Thank you.
- What about the marks on Vera's neck? - Oh yes, the marks...
- She must have bumped something. - They're finger marks!
- Have you examined her nether region? - What?
You know very well what I mean. Is she intact?
See to it that she gets plenty of fresh air.
Fresh air? Idiot!
Vera...
I was mute once. But that was in the films.
I was going to be famous, more famous than Sarah Bernhardt, Greta Garbo.
Would you like to go to the cinema again?
I can go with you, to the Palace? Or the Colosseum?
I haven't been to the cinema since the talkies began. Can you imagine that?
It was so sad when they started talking up there.
The eyes disappeared.
The eyes and the dancing disappeared and their mouths took over.
Yes, yes, yes, my little hairdresser. Everything I'm saying here,
I've said before, and I won't say anything new.
Could you fetch that Malaga bottle for me, Boletta?
It's behind Johannes V. Jensen.
It will pass.
Most things pass.
Even a world war.
- What will we do if she's pregnant? - Then we treat that baby extra well.
I need that job.
The position has been filled.
I might have something else.
Anything.
Vivian and Barnum, wed by the sign maker?
- This calls for a celebration! - Welcome.
- So, what do you think? - Nice?
That view is incredible.
- Isn't the balcony great? - Yes, it's gigantic.
And I love this unfurnished look! So, the toilet is a 4.2 kilometer walk?
- It's in there. - In there, I see.
A blue bathroom! Fabulous!
Great place. Really, incredibly great.
- Come on! - Here you are.
Seeing the two of you here together makes me really happy.
A bit more! A bit more!
Here you are, Barnum!
Time to start having kids then?
- No, I think we'll wait. - Of course.
- Eventually. - Cheers!
Bottoms up!
Hello! How nice that you could come.
Hello!
- There you are. - Hello, Barnum!
- All settled into the apartment? - Yes, it looks very nice.
- And thank you for the furniture. -It was just collecting dust up there.
- Hi, Boletta! - Great to see you, Vivian!
Come, I've opened a bottle...
- Are you well? - Fine. Look what was in the attic!
My very first camera!
- Smile! - No.
Come on, smile, Barnum.
- Is there film in this? - It must be ruined by now.
It does have film in it.
- Did you take this? - Yeah.
- In the attic. - Nice.
- What is it? - Liberation Day.
That's Fred! Did you take this?
No, it looks like he took it himself.
- Did he ever say why he left? - No, not to me, anyway.
- My God! - What is it?
That washing machine. It's the old one.
We put it up there when we got the new one. Ten years after Fred disappeared!
He's been here. Fred is alive.
Vera, breathe, breathe!
- It's coming. - Stop! Stop!
Push, Vera! Push!
Breathe!
- That's it! Come on! - Push!
- How many fingers? - He has ten perfect fingers.
Fred!
Fred, where are you?
Do you want to come up to the attic and fetch the laundry for Mama?
I'll race you!
May I help you with that heavy load, miss?
Couldn't you at least look my way?
What a fool.
I'll bet he doesn't have a license.
Or else he's a traveling salesman.
- Maybe he's out of gas? - Serves him right.
If he thinks he can soften us up with Brylcreem and a car.
Mind you, if he's selling nylons, then I suppose he could stay.
Thanks!
Pardon me, young lady. I saw you in the Majorstuen district
and I couldn't take my eyes off you. Might I offer you a ride?
This is where I live.
Well, then I'm just in time.
May I?
Thank you very much!
Thank you.
My name is Arnold Nilsen. Forgive my forwardness,
but you were too beautiful to just drive past.
I'm terribly sorry. I lost my hand in a fishing accident in my childhood.
What in heaven's name is going on here?
This is my grandmother. And this is my son, Fred, with his grandmother.
I'm pleased to meet your family. So that's no less than...
Three moms, two grannies, one great-granny, two daughters and a son.
Did you see the car outside? It has a roof for when it rains.
It starts as fast as an aeroplane and it came all the way from America.
I'll take you for a drive if your mom agrees.
- May I, Mom? - Who in God's name are you?
He was just helping me carry things. His name is Arnold Nilsen.
I brought something else from America,
which might interest you ladies.
Stockings. Nylon.
Every woman looks good in nylon.
It's true.
- Fred has been here. - Fred? When?
I don't know. Probably ten years ago. We found a picture.
- A picture? - Yes, in the old camera.
Let me see!
- Are you going to look for him? - Yeah, but where do I start?
He must've had a reason for coming here. Maybe he was meeting someone.
Fred!
For ages, Fred was all I had.
I wouldn't have survived the '60s in Fagerborg without him.
When he disappeared, I learned to get along without him,
but now that I knew he had been back, I couldn't do that anymore.
I had to find my half brother. I had to find Fred.
Translation: Jennifer Evans www.undertext.se