Inga Lindström: Sommer der Erinnerung (2011)

When Anja comes home, she catches her fiancé Erik in bed with another woman. She storms out of the house, and Erik follows her, trying to explain how it happened. But Anja has had enough and tells him clearly that she wants nothing more to do with him. When she tries to give him back the engagement ring, she can’t get it off her finger. She leaves Stockholm to look for a new job in the countryside. During the ferry crossing, she sees several people on a fishing boat mourning someone. When she arrives in Trinntorp, she introduces herself to Gunnar Svahnström, the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper. Since she plans to stay for the weekend, Gunnar recommends that she look into Maria’s guesthouse. Anja takes to Maria right away, and the two immediately hit it off. Maria lends her a bicycle so she can explore the area, but she doesn’t get far before the chain comes off. Fortunately, Alexander—Maria’s husband—comes to help her. Alexander tells her that he spent a long time at sea, so Anja tries to find out something about the scene on the fishing boat she witnessed. But Alexander stays quiet. Back at Maria’s, Anja meets the painter Arnulf Svensson. That evening, she meets Niklas, one of the people on the boat. The bench they sit on has “K + N” carved into it. Anja asks Niklas who K is, but he evades the question. So she asks Maria, who explains that K stands for Kasja, Niklas’s wife, who died two years earlier in an accident while working as a doctor for the sea rescue service. Niklas now lives with his son, Kalle, and his sister-in-law, Jessica. Jessica helps Niklas around the house and with his son. She would actually like to be more than just his sister-in-law, but Niklas sees her as a good friend. Anja researches Kasja’s case online to find out more. The next day, she goes to the newspaper office to talk to Gunnar about Kasja and suggests writing an article about her. Gunnar refuses because he wants to let the past lie. Anja goes to the harbor and meets Magnus, the man who had been at fault in the rescue operation. He tells her the story from his point of view. He also doesn’t want the story brought up again. Instead, Magnus invites her to the christening of his youngest grandchild. Back in town, Anja runs into Niklas again; by coincidence, they’ve bought the same things. During a picnic on the beach, Niklas tells her about his relationship with Jessica and what they do for a living. He’s afraid she’s trying to pump him for information for an article, but Anja assures him it’s just a private conversation. Back at the guesthouse, Alexander complains about his wife and her support for the painter Arnulf. The next morning, while jogging, Anja passes Alexander’s boathouse, and he invites her to go fishing. This time, he tells her his side of the story about Kasja’s death. He was the skipper of the rescue boat at the time. Kalle talks with his aunt Jessica about whether she wants to go back to university. She says no; she wants everything to stay as it is. Anja arrives to deliver Maria’s invitation to the crayfish party. At the party, Anja asks Maria to release her crayfish. Kalle thinks it’s a good idea and joins in. Afterwards, when Anja dances with Niklas, Jessica gets jealous and, as if by accident, spills her drink on his shirt as she walks past. In the kitchen, Niklas sees a picture of his best friend Olaf as a child, along with a small statue. Maria tells him the story behind it and says it is supposed to represent a fertility goddess. Anja talks with Kalle about his mother and tells him that everyone in the village thinks she was a hero. When they later release the crayfish, Anja falls into the water first, followed by Niklas. They grow closer and share their first kiss. While Anja is showering at Niklas’s house, Jessica slips a picture into her handbag because she wants to get back at her. Afterwards, Anja finds the statue in the online collection of the Maritime Museum in Stockholm. They decide to retrieve it and give it to Maria and Alexander. At the museum, they meet two women who became pregnant shortly after starting work there. Before returning to Trinntorp, Anja wants to pick up a few things from her apartment. As they grow closer, Niklas accidentally bumps into Anja’s bag, causing the picture to fall out. He accuses her of stealing it for a story, but she assures him she doesn’t know how it got into her bag. Back at Maria’s guesthouse, Alexander shows Anja a whole collection of paintings by Arnulf that Maria has hidden from him so everyone will think they’ve been sold. Anja surprises Alexander with the statue. Arnulf wants to paint a nude portrait of Maria, but she isn’t sure whether she should agree. Niklas confronts Jessica and sets a trap for her. She lets something slip, making him realize that Anja really had nothing to do with it. Anja persuades Kalle to talk to Magnus so that he can understand the man’s remorse. The christening gives them a chance to do so. Alexander finds a nude painting by Arnulf and thinks the woman in it is Maria. He confronts Arnulf and also tells him that Maria has bought all his paintings. Jessica goes to Anja and demands that she leave Niklas alone. Anja asks her whether she’s sure Niklas feels the same way about her as she does about him. Maria advises Anja to talk to Niklas about it, because that’s the only way she’ll find out how he feels about Jessica. When Jessica finally demands a clear answer from Niklas about their relationship, he admits that he has fallen in love with Anja. Jessica runs off and is nearly hit by a truck. Afterwards, as they walk home together and Niklas puts his arm around Jessica, Anja sees them from a distance and misunderstands what’s happening. She decides to return to Stockholm. Niklas drives after her but doesn’t catch up with her. In Stockholm, Anja meets Erik for dinner. She tells him about her dreams for the future and says she really doesn’t love him anymore. At that moment, the ring suddenly comes off. She writes the article about Kasja and sends it to Gunnar. Just then, the doorbell rings, and Niklas is standing outside. Anja returns to Trinntorp with him and, shortly afterward, is pregnant too.