Inga Lindström: Fliehende Pferde in Sörmland (2022)

When Lea returns from a sailing trip, she meets her mother at the harbor. She tells her about the boat she discovered and wants to buy so that the two of them can offer trips together. Suddenly, her mother collapses unconscious. Six years later, Lea meets Jule at the harbor. She is supposed to take the boat she is traveling on to Madeira, but makes a stop to visit her mother’s grave. At the cemetery, she sees a man she believes is her father. She has only ever seen him in photos, but she is immediately sure. She and Jule follow his car. When they get closer, they can make out the name of a stud farm on the vehicle. Lea searches for it online and discovers that its owner is Ville Eklund. She sees that he has a family and children. When she happens to stop a runaway horse and its thrown rider, Mik, arrives, she gets the idea of looking for work at the stud farm so she can find out more about Ville. When he hears her name, he reacts with some surprise. But she makes a good impression, and gets the job as a stable hand. Ville discusses Lea with his wife, Katharina. She likes Lea, but he was bothered by the strange way Lea looked at him. The next morning, Katharina welcomes Lea to the stud farm and shows her where she can stay. Katharina uses a wheelchair because she has multiple sclerosis. In the house, Lea bumps into Mik, who has just been in the shower. Afterward, she tries desperately to get something of Ville’s so she can have a DNA test done, but everything she tries fails. Back in the stable, she meets Asa, Ville’s daughter. Asa quickly realizes that Lea doesn’t really know much about horse care. Since Asa has a crush on Mik, the two strike a deal: Asa will help Lea, and Lea will leave Mik alone. Over dinner, the family discusses how to surprise Ville for his 50th birthday. Lea suggests showing old photos. Asa fetches the photo albums and gives Lea one to look through, too. By chance, Lea finds a photo of her mother in it. When she asks who it is, she learns that her mother worked at the stud farm for one summer. Mik also realizes that something is wrong with Lea when she gets an electric shock after touching the electric fence. One night, unable to sleep, Lea goes for a walk and discovers a small, old sailboat on the shore of the lake. She falls asleep in it, and Katharina wakes her in the morning. Lea tries to question Katharina about Marie, but Katharina brushes her off. Later, Jule unexpectedly comes to visit Lea, and Lea tells her what she has found out so far. Mik asks Lea to ride a horse, but she proves rather clumsy. The horse bolts with her and throws her off by the lake. Mik confronts her, but she doesn’t tell him the truth; instead, she lies and says she desperately needs the job because she is broke. She promises to do anything if he won’t turn her in. When Ville returns from a business trip to Malmö, Lea hugs him and pulls out a few of his hairs. Mik witnesses this and is puzzled. He later catches Lea trying to put the hairs away, and she finally tells him the truth. The hairs disappear in a gust of wind, so Mik brings her Ville’s toothbrush. She thanks him with a kiss. Katharina argues with Ville because the main sponsor doesn’t want Mik to ride the horse. Katharina insists that Mik should ride it, since it is her horse. At a trial ride in front of the sponsor, Petterson, Mik does everything right—so well, in fact, that stud farm owner Johan Dahlberg offers him a job at his farm. Lea invites Katharina on a sailing trip, pretending that the boat belongs to Jule. Afterward, Lea meets Mik, who doesn’t know what to do anymore. They grow closer and sleep together. The next morning, Gustav lures his father, Ville, away from the farm so the women can prepare the birthday party. Everything goes wonderfully, and Gustav has also invited Jule because he likes her. Then his ex-girlfriend Estelle shows up, but Jule seizes the opportunity and kisses Gustav. After Katharina gives her birthday speech and praises her family above all else, it becomes too much for Lea, and she goes outside. At that moment, she gets the news that the DNA test has confirmed Ville is her father. Mik goes looking for Lea and is the first to learn the news. As they discuss it, Ville and Katharina also come outside and hear what Lea and Mik are saying. Mik yells at Ville to finally admit that he had an affair with Marie, but, to everyone’s astonishment, Katharina explains that Marie was with Ville and that Katharina stole him away from her. Ville didn’t know that Marie was pregnant, but Lea doesn’t believe him. She packs her things and runs off; even Mik can’t stop her. Jule has Gustav tell Ville that the test was positive and that she now intends to take the boat to Madeira. Ville goes looking for Lea and finds her at the cemetery. He asks her to stay. He explains what happened 24 years ago and why he stayed. He takes her back to the stud farm, where she learns that Mik is with Dahlberg. Her new siblings persuade her that she has to bring him back. When she tells Mik that she is staying too, he comes back.