Inga Lindström: Rosenblüten im Sand (2021)

When Catrine wakes up in the morning, her boyfriend Henrik brings her breakfast in bed, a bouquet of roses, and a marriage proposal. But confused, she turns him down because she will soon be going to Nepal, where she plans to work as a nurse. She goes to her mother, Ella, to talk it over with her. She also dreamed about Hillasund that night and does not know why, since she has never heard of the place. So she suggests they spend a few days there. Her mother is not keen on the idea, but goes along with it. When Catrine goes swimming at the beach, Ella has a panic attack and sees fragments of memories from the past. Irene meets Tomas at the harbor and tries to comfort him because it is a difficult day for him, but he pushes her away. Catrine and Ella are looking for a room and happen to find a vacancy at Irene’s hotel. The next morning, while jogging, Catrine meets Pelle at the beach kiosk. Since the coffee machine has broken down, they share the last coffee. They get talking, and Catrine suddenly feels as though she has been here before. Pelle gives her a ride back to the hotel on his bicycle. On the way, they stop at his hobby room, where Pelle plays the trumpet. She recognizes the instrument; her great-grandfather made it. When they arrive at the hotel, they meet Ella, who is not at all happy that Catrine has made friends with another man. Catrine meets Pelle at the beach and wonders why someone has scattered rose petals. When he plays something for her on the trumpet, she recognizes him as a well-known YouTuber. After Ella stands up Marc, he follows her to Hillasund so they can have the picnic they had planned. Tomas helps Irene when she runs out of hot water. When she asks him again afterward what she did wrong, he rejects her once more. That evening, Tomas runs into Ella on the beach and asks her what she is doing there. They talk about her daughter Lilli—Catrine’s first name—and what happened back then. Tomas’s wife, who was Pelle’s mother, drowned while trying to save Lilli. Catrine and Pelle go to his house and meet his father there. He acts a little strangely, then goes straight to bed. After Catrine and Pelle kiss, Pelle sees Tomas still standing on the terrace. Tomas wants to know where Pelle met Catrine. The next morning, Pelle tells Catrine that his mother died a long time ago. Back at the hotel, her mother tells her she wants to leave, but Catrine would like to stay a little longer. As she is talking to Pelle on the phone, she hears that he has had an accident at the construction site. She arranges for him to be taken immediately to her hospital in Stockholm, where a specialist operates on his broken hand. Henrik wonders whether Pelle is the reason she turned down his proposal. They run into Tomas outside Pelle’s room, and Henrik tells him that Catrine is his girlfriend and that they are going to get married soon. Catrine goes to see Pelle and talks to him, but he seems somehow distant. Henrik surprises Catrine by telling her he wants to accompany her to Nepal. After Ella has been feeling nauseous repeatedly, she goes to the doctor, who discovers that she is pregnant. She meets Marc but keeps the news from him. Catrine has decided that she does not want Hendrik to accompany her. When Pelle is discharged from hospital, his father comes to pick him up. During their conversation, he mentions that Catrine is engaged to Henrik. Pelle is surprised. Catrine visits her mother in her studio, and when Ella throws up again, she admits to her daughter that she is pregnant. Catrine is quite astonished, as she did not know her mother was in a relationship. Ella tells her she has been with Marc for over a year. But she does not want to have the baby. Catrine goes to visit Pelle in the hospital and is surprised to find that he is no longer there. They meet at the beach. Pelle wishes her all the best, and she asks what she did wrong. He confronts her with the fact that he knows about Henrik. Catrine admits that she is confused. They kiss and sleep together. Henrik looks for Catrine at Ella’s, but Ella does not know where she is. Marc now knows that Ella is pregnant. He does not want her to have an abortion. As Catrine gets dressed again, Pelle notices that she has a birthmark. He remembers that Lilli had a birthmark in the same place. All his memories come flooding back. He addresses her as Lilli. She sees the photos of his family in Pelle’s room and now remembers too. So she goes to her mother and confronts her. Ella admits to her daughter that she is not to blame, because she was not there when the accident happened. She had been fooling around with another man instead of looking after her. Catrine tries to call Pelle, but he does not answer. She tells him she had not remembered what happened. Pelle blames his father for not telling him that Catrine is Lilli. Tomas goes to Irene to apologize for having treated her so terribly. He feels guilty about his wife’s death. Irene tells him he is not to blame and that he should finally do what he enjoys. Catrine is packing, and Henrik says he will wait for her until she gets back. She admits to him that he is not the right man for her and gets into a taxi to go to the airport. Shortly afterward, Pelle arrives. When he cannot find her, he goes to Ella, who tells him Catrine is at the airport. Pelle reproaches Ella for not looking after Lilli back then, then leaves. At the airport, Catrine learns that all flights have been canceled because of a technical problem. Pelle asks his father where he was when his mother drowned. He discovers that Tomas and Ella had gone off together when it happened. Irene stops by Tomas’s place to say goodbye. She is going to Fuerteventura for three months because she is tired of waiting for him. Catrine shows up at her mother’s and asks her to forgive her and look to the future. She says she still has something to sort out. Irene meets Pelle at the cemetery and makes it clear to him that he has to look to the future. Catrine goes to Pelle, who has packed because he is going to Nepal to find the woman he loves. They set off together.