[mysterious music plays]
[distant humming]
[little girl hums "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean"]
[stops humming]
[approaching engine rumble]
They're coming.
[distant cheering]
[truck horn honks]
[upbeat pop music]
Hi. Go ahead.
Take it.
-Falke, you need to give me that book now. -I haven't touched it.
Falke, I knew.
Falke, I know you still have that fucking book.
No, I want to go in.
Astrid. Hey.
It's good to see you.
Oops.
Do you want to know a secret?
It's a really big secret, so come here.
Life is a huge disappointment.
[truck horn honks]
-[woman] You understand? -[girl] Let me go!
-[woman] Do you, Ida? -[Ida] Let me go!
Ida, please don't go. You can't go.
-[Ida] You're crazy. Go away! -[woman] Ida, no. Stay!
-[woman] Ida! -I hate you!
-[knock at door] -[Ida] Go away.
I said, go away.
It's just me.
Are you upset?
No, I'm not upset, Astrid. It's the best day of my life.
Tell me, why should I be upset?
I don't know.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
-I just don't like when you're sad. -No.
[Ida sighs]
Here.
Put this on.
It suits you better.
Looks good, right?
Yeah.
It fits perfectly.
Now, go on out there.
-Hey, Astrid, is Ida inside? -Yeah.
Thanks.
[man] ...understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
I didn't come up with this. Kierkegaard did.
What do we have here?
This must be Denmark's youngest graduate.
You look great, sweetheart.
-Is it Ida's? It really suits you. -Mm-hm.
[horn honks]
Hey! You got two minutes!
Try to enjoy yourself a little. Suddenly it's over. Time goes by so fast.
You'll look back at this day as the day your life began.
I really don't think so.
Yes. You've got the world at your feet.
Now, take this.
There you go.
I'm just so proud. You are the best things in my life.
My little girls.
Hey! Look. We gotta go. We've got a schedule.
Ida. Stay here.
-Not now. -I'm begging you.
Ida, you have to listen.
-Please don't go. -[man] Lene, stop.
-Mom, don't. -Lene? Lene? Lene?
What the hell are you doing? You're suffocating her. Suffocating her.
[pop music blasts]
Bye!
Thank you for coming.
[music fades]
[labored breathing]
[cacophonous sound swells]
THE FUTURE AND FREEDOM AWAIT
[arriving vehicle]
[distant sirens blare]
[knock at the downstairs door]
[Lene] Oh, no.
[man 2] We found the graduation truck.
The driver was unconscious, students were gone.
-[Lene] No, no, no! -[man] You have to calm down, Lene.
You have to calm down.
Just calm down.
[man 2] We have police searching the area.
-[man] You don't have a time? -[man 2] We don't know exactly when.
We know that they're all gone. Seems like they went somewhere together.
[Lene] No, no, no!
[man] Please calm down.
Why the hell didn't you listen to what I told you?
[man] They've gone to a party. They're teenagers. So calm down.
They're out there somewhere, right?
It's over now. It's over.
[voices fade]
[background sound fades]
[slamming]
[theme music]
[woman 2] People used to be told a broken mirror brought you seven years
of bad luck because the mirror represents your soul.
But the explanation for this is probably based
on the fact that mirrors were very expensive at the time,
and it was a way to scare the servants into taking better care of them.
You're listening to Night Stories,
a program created by me and you, out there,
where anything can happen.
Now is the time to call in, take my hand,
and tell me how you feel about superstition.
I can see we have a caller through. Welcome.
[feedback] Yeah, hi. It's Ghita.
[reverb echo] Hi.
Hi, Ghita. You've got your radio turned on again.
Can you please turn it off when you call in?
[school bell rings]
Hi.
-[woman 2] Hi, little crab. -Hi.
Wow, that's so pretty. Is it for me? Mm.
It's not all done yet. It needs more glitter.
You have to sprinkle it all over.
I think it's perfect.
Where's the crab? [imitates crab] Here are the crab claws.
[sings] ♪ Crab, crab, crab Crab, crab, crab, crab, crab ♪
-Now the crab is ready. -Where are we going?
[both singing] ♪ Crabby, crabby, crabby Crabby, crabby, crabby ♪
[woman 2 laughs]
Come here.
-Hi, Dad. -Hey, sweetie.
Ah!
Can I play with my iPad?
Yeah, for half an hour, okay?
-Hi. Hey. -Hi. Hey.
Wow. You look nice.
-And smell good. -Well, thanks.
-Is it because you're going out, or... Okay. -Yeah, it is.
-That's great. Where are you going? -Yeah.
-Uh... Yeah, you'd like to know? -[laughs] Yeah. I would.
I-It's just because I saw you in town with, um...
your... the girl...
Uh, your... girlfriend?
-Or is it official? -No.
-No, we just had a cup of coffee. -Okay. Yeah.
It's just a very small town,
and I live here too, so if you're going to...
-Look, we just had a cup of coffee. -Yeah.
But aren't you going out tonight?
-[sighs] You moved out, what? A year ago? -Yeah.
We're not doing this, all right?
-We're... We're just not. -Why? Why not?
I miss you.
It's because I'm going out you're doing this.
That's not why.
-Yes, it is. Yes, it is. -No, that's not why.
It's not fair.
You wanted this.
I don't know what I want.
Oy...
[laughs]
I got you there.
-You're so stupid. -You're so easy.
You didn't get me. You didn't get me.
-Hey, I'm leaving Simon in charge today. -Okay.
-Are you okay with that? -Yeah.
[pop music plays]
[music fades]
And, welcome back. We've got a caller on the line.
Hi. Do you recognize the spitting over your left shoulder, or...
[man 3 staticky] That's not gonna help you.
Who am I talking to?
[voice clears] If they want you, they'll get you.
-Hello? Who am I talking to... -There's another reality.
A different reality behind the one we're in.
Um, yeah, um, the connection's not that great.
-Um, are you on speakerphone, or... -[breaks up] Can you hear me?
I was there, Astrid. I was there.
Um, I'm afraid we're going to, um...
It's going to happen again.
...have to move on to the next caller.
...there? Don't hang up. It's me, Jakob.
Jakob Skipper. It's just like the magic coin I gave you.
Nothing ever disappears completely.
-What magic coin? -Don't you remember me?
I knew your sister Ida. And I know why she disappeared.
But who am I speaking to?
What you call superstition, it's real. It's all in the book.
-We need to meet. -Who is it?
I was there. I saw them disappear.
-What do you want? -I saw what happened... [voice breaks up]
-[line beeps] -Hel... Hello? He...
No, no, get him back on.
Get-get him back on. Get him back on.
-I shouldn't have cut him off? -No, no, no, call him back.
What the fuck? Call him back.
Call him. Get him back on!
Why the fuck?
-I don't know his name. -Why didn't you write down his number?
-I don't know. I don't know. -Who was the caller? What's his name?
-Fucking amateur! -Astrid! What's going on? Are you okay?
[Astrid cries]
[hyperventilating]
[TV clicks on]
[TV announcer] Let's bring in the new mystery challenger.
[applause]
Well, hello.
And your name is?
[breathes deeply]
And where are you from, dear?
[laughs] Isn't that wonderful?
[breathes steadily]
[mumbles indistinctly]
And we can see that she is very serious.
[intense music]
THREE GRADUATES FOUND BUT WHERE ARE THE REST?
JAKOB SKIPPER, AMELIA GEISLER AND FALKE GRAVESEN
21 GRADUATES STILL MISSING
[man] What are you thinking, sweetheart?
I don't think Ida's coming back.
[man] I miss her too.
I mi-- I miss her all the time.
But nobody's given up, right?
[machine beeps]
[knock at the door]
-Hey. What's going on? -Hey.
Um, thanks for coming. Is Vera with you?
-Yeah, she's in the car. -Okay, can we, um...
-Can we go for a walk? -Yeah.
Thanks.
I need to find out what happened, when Ida disappeared.
[man 4] Okay.
[Astrid] So I've decided to create a radio program about it,
and I'm going back to Copenhagen.
[man 4] You never talked about your sister.
Now you're going to Copenhagen to make a show about her?
[Astrid] Yeah, look, I have to do it.
-It's only gonna take a few weeks. -Yeah? And what about Vera?
I'll be coming back.
[Lene sobs in background]
I'm sad for Mom.
I feel bad for all of us.
[Lene continues sobbing]
[man] Now go to sleep.
[Lene sobs]
[Lene screams]
LOCKSMITH
[man 5] There you go. Here's the keys to the city. See you.
-Hey there. -Hi. Is this 106?
Yeah. How can I help you?
Um...
Are you Jakob Skipper?
It's me, Astrid. I, uh, I believe you tried to contact me.
No.
-So, you're not Jakob? -No.
Okay. Uh...
-It's just because I found his address. -Well, he just uses this address.
Okay.
Do you know where I can find him?
Nope. I have no idea.
It's because I'm making a show about...
Look, I don't want to be in it. Take your things and leave.
Okay, but he tried to call me a few days ago, and I--
What did he want?
I don't know.
My sister's one of those who disappeared.
-Which one? -Ida.
-They were, uh, dating. -Yeah.
I remember her.
Kevin?
-Can you watch the store for a moment? -Yeah.
Let's go in the back.
Jakob is my brother.
This is just his care-of address. So I don't think I can help you.
-I haven't seen him in ages. -But do you know where he could be?
Could be anywhere.
Jakob's a seeker.
Of... of what?
Yeah.
What did he say when he called you?
Well, he, uh... He said that he saw them disappear.
He didn't see shit. I guarantee you. Don't believe everything he says.
-Why not? -They ruined him.
The rumors. The press.
They pinned it on him and the two other survivors.
Amelia and Falke. Did they stay in touch?
I don't think so.
When did you last see him?
Eight years ago.
I'm sorry.
Okay, if you hear anything or he, uh, shows up,
would you do me a favor and just call me?
Yes.
[tears off piece of paper]
-And what was your name? -I'm Mathias.
-Thanks. -Of course.
Bye.
[Astrid] Hi.
Hi, Buster.
-[man] Hi, honey. -[Astrid] Hey.
-Hi, Dad. Aw. -[Dad] Hi.
Come on in. Come in.
-[woman 2] Hi, Buster, hey. -[Dad] Come on up.
-[woman 2] Hey. How nice. -[Astrid] Hey. It's good to see you.
[woman 2] Well, come in.
[Dad] I've always been told that Bornholm is the sunny island,
but every time I've visited, it's been so rainy.
-Yeah. Yeah. -[Dad] Pouring down.
Now we've actually had one day of snow.
-You did? We didn't hear that. -[Astrid] A single day, yeah.
Then we built a snowman for Vera with a carrot nose and everything.
-[Dad] Really? -Yeah.
[woman 2 laughs]
[Dad] The dialect? Bornholmian?
-Did you fix that? -You say that every time.
[Dad] Bornholmian is the strangest dialect.
-I'm sorry, but it's weird. It is. -Come on, Dennis.
I have a granddaughter who speaks Bornholmian.
She doesn't speak Bornholmian, Dad.
[Dennis] I spoke to her on the phone the other day.
She doesn't speak Bornholmian.
[Dennis mimics Bornholmian] "I'm going to town now."
-[woman 2 laughs] -[Dennis] She said that.
That is Bornholmian.
She was joking.
So, you think it's cute, but I think it's strange.
Well, how long are you gonna be in Copenhagen?
Um, I don't know yet.
-It's so nice you're here. -Yeah, I'm so happy I can stay here.
-We're glad as well. -Is it work, or...
-It's... Yeah, it's that too. Yeah. -[woman 2] Mm. What will you be doing?
Um, I'm working on this sort of show.
About what?
About back then.
What?
I'd like to try to, um...
try to figure out what really happened.
I need to try to, uh... understand, um...
I-I... I thought I could maybe contact Amelia.
-The friend of Ida's who... -No, no, no. No, don't do that.
You need to stop that. Stop that right now.
But, Dad, it's my choice.
No, don't you... You stop that right now.
Don't go digging up the past.
You have no idea what you're stirring up.
-No, but I have to try. -[Dennis] No.
I don't want that. And I want you to stop.
Yeah, but it's my decision.
You don't get to decide. That case is closed.
Well, have they found Ida?
WHAT ARE THEY HIDING? THE THREE GRADUATES WHO DIDN'T DISAPPEAR
IT IS UNLIKELY THEY DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING,
SAYS INVESTIGATOR HARALD BIRCH
[taps keys]
[Harald] I was on the force for many years and got through a lot of cases,
but I never saw one like this.
A whole class of students disappear.
-And then these three show up. -Jakob?
Yeah, and Amelia and Falke. Those three were my only leads.
I mean, 21 students don't just disappear into thin air without a trace.
I kept insisting that they had to know something,
that they'd seen something, but there was-- You can sit there--
There was something they weren't telling me.
-Yeah. -But we never got that far.
-But why did you stop the investigation? -The hell I did.
I was taken off the case.
They said that I lost track,
that I'd become obsessed and that I didn't see things clearly,
but that was bullshit.
So I... I copied all the tapes and left.
I can't do it again. It's over. I'm done. You can have all of this.
And this conversation...
is off the record.
-Of course. -It's important.
Yeah.
[Harald] I know it's been a really long day,
and you've been here a long time, Jakob,
but, uh, could you just explain from the beginning one more time?
We drove, the truck stopped, and then the others were gone.
-[Harald] What did you do then? -[Jakob] We left.
[Harald] You left the scene of an accident?
Listen. We were in shock. We didn't know what the hell to do.
[Harald] I wonder why you didn't consider calling the police.
[Jakob] It was chaos. We didn't think that far.
Why don't you believe what I'm saying?
[Harald] It all sounds a little unbelievable.
I fell down. I hit my head. [voice fades] I fainted. I don't know what the hell...
He had no marks or scratches.
-He didn't hit his head. -[Astrid] Do you think he's lying?
[Harald] I think he was forced to lie.
If he was in on it or they had something on him,
I couldn't say.
But he's not innocent.
Here you can see Amelia Geisler. This is right after the accident.
[tape plays]
I was in the back. Near the end.
[Harald] Mm-hm.
And I felt really sick. I had to throw up.
[Harald] And then what happened?
And then suddenly the truck stopped hard,
-and... -[Harald] Yes?
[Amelia] And I was on the floor and I thought I was gonna die.
[Harald] And one of those who disappeared was your best friend, right? Ida?
[Amelia] Yes.
[Harald] Do you remember what you did right after the truck stopped?
Yeah, then I looked up, and, um... then Ida was gone.
They-they-they were all gone.
[Harald] Yes, well, except you three, right?
I don't know why. We don't know anything. We haven't done anything.
-[Harald] But why did you run? -[Astrid] She seems genuinely upset.
-[Amelia] We panicked. We ran. -Yeah. Upset is one way to put it.
Repentant is another.
And here we have Falke Gravesen.
[Falke] We got scared.
[Harald] Why were you scared? What had you done?
Nothing.
[Harald] Look. You can tell me.
I know that you didn't have anything to do with this.
But Jakob? Did Jakob have something to do with this?
-[Falke] He was the one who started it. -[Harald] Started what?
-Everything. He took us out there. -[Harald] Jakob?
He... he persuaded us.
-[Harald] All of you? -[Falke] Yeah.
But mostly Ida.
-[Harald] Ida? -[Falke] Yeah. Ida Agerskov.
Who... who disappeared.
She wouldn't go. And... and I wouldn't go.
-But they just said I had to. -[Harald] You had to what, Falke?
[Falke] I don't know how it's all connected.
[Harald] Did he kill them?
-[Falke] Who? -[Harald] Your classmates.
-But it was just the four of us. -[Harald] Who?
[Falke] Ida, Jakob, Amelia, and me.
-[Harald] What about the others? -But they weren't there.
[Harald] Weren't they in the truck?
Yeah, but it's the island I'm talking about.
[Harald] What island is that, Falke?
-[Falke] The one from the book. -[Harald] What book?
[Falke] Well, Jakob's book.
[Harald] So your classmates are on this island now?
No, it was just us.
[Harald] Falke, I don't understand where you're going with this.
What are we talking about?
[Falke] I have no clue.
I don't get it either, but I think we did something wrong there.
-[Harald] What did you do wrong? -We ruined it.
Everything went bad after that.
What's he talking about? Which island?
We, uh, investigated it.
We found the island he was talking about,
but no sign of the ones who vanished.
This is a case where you pretty much can't find any theory.
Were they killed, buried? Run off with a cult or kidnapped?
Or whatever happened?
The only thing I'm convinced of is that they know something.
[woman 3] That won't get you anywhere.
I'm looking for a Lars Geisler. Doesn't he live here?
Try Tove's.
-Tove's? -Tove's bar.
Just down the street.
Okay. Thanks.
[indistinct chatter]
[gaming machine beeps]
Lars Geisler. Does he hang out here?
-Lars? Doesn't ring a bell. -Lars? No?
-No, I don't know him. -Okay.
-Sorry. -You're looking for Laden?
He's down there.
Laden? You have company.
-Could I have one more beer? Thanks. -Sure.
-No glass for that either? All right. -No, thanks.
[Laden taps gaming machine buttons]
[gaming machine beeps]
Excuse me, are you Amelia's father?
You want a beer?
I don't know if you remember. I'm Astrid. I'm Ida's sister.
I'd really like to, um...
-talk to Amelia, if that's possible. -She's not here.
-She disappeared. -Oh, I didn't... I-I thought...
I thought she was one of the ones who returned.
[taps buttons]
[gaming machine beeps]
Do you know where she is?
-Don't you understand what I'm saying? -I'm asking...
Don't you understand what I'm saying?
She's not here.
Is she dead?
Well, that's one way to put it.
You wanna know a secret?
She had it coming.
-[Lene] You've always been overprotective. -[Dennis] Oh, come on.
She doesn't eat. She doesn't sleep. You can't think this is normal.
That's not Astrid.
-[Lene] She wants attention. -[Dennis] No, she doesn't.
She's not herself, and she's not doing well.
She needs help.
[Lene] She's not going to be examined, and there's nothing wrong with her.
[Dennis] What a crazy thing to say.
[Lene] Oh, so I'm crazy too?
[Dennis] Oh, stop that nonsense.
How could it hurt for her to speak to someone?
[voices fade]
[mysterious voice] Astrid.
Astrid.
[animal squeals]
Astrid.
Astrid!
You're sleepwalking. Astrid, wake up.
You're dreaming.
Wake up, sweetheart.
[pants]
Come on home.
Come.
[young Astrid] I saw them.
Who did you see?
In the darkness.
It was a scary place.
[Dennis] It's called a panic attack.
-When you get a really-- -[young Astrid] But it was real.
Yeah, but it probably feels real,
but that's how it is when you miss someone.
And I'll take care of you. I promise you.
I'm right here by your side.
Always.
It's taken us all a really long time to move past this.
And it hasn't been easy. Not for you either, right?
Yeah.
Are things difficult with you and David?
But it doesn't really have anything to do with that.
I get that it can't be easy with a small child.
Dad, Jakob Skipper, he called me.
Oh, I understand that.
He called me on the radio, live,
and said that he saw them disappear.
I'm sorry to tell you, but Jakob Skipper is sick.
-Something's wrong... -Yeah.
Something was wrong even back then.
Yeah, but it can't be a coincidence that he calls me now, Dad,
and says he knows something.
I just watched the interrogation tapes and it's clear...
It's clear he knows something that he's not saying.
-Let me tell you something. -I can see it on him.
Honey, listen to me. I know how you're feeling.
-Yeah, but... -Hey, now, I know how you're feeling.
I've fallen into that hole too, so many times.
Right?
But you have to understand
that nobody really knows what happened back then.
Yeah.
And we have to live with that.
Right?
Come here.
Astrid.
SEE YOU TONIGHT! DAD
[Buster barks]
[Buster barks louder]
Buster?
Hey. What's up?
What's up?
[menacing music]
No, no, no!
[breathes heavily]
Remember your boxes.
You can go now.
Astrid?
Astrid, class is over.
[phone beeps and buzzes]
-It's Astrid. -[Mathias] What did he say when he called?
Who is it?
What did Jakob say when he called?
-Tell me. -Mathias, is that you?
You said my brother called you, but what did he say?
Well, he said... He said, um...
-He said what? -Um...
It doesn't matter. He's dead. He killed himself.
-What? -He jumped.
-What? -My little brother's dead.
When did this happen?
[cries] It doesn't matter.
-You can stop looking for him. -When...
[line beeps]
Alive.
[water runs in the distance]
[screams]
[closing theme music playing]