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Hey.

Hello.

There wasn’t a lot to choose from.

Mmmm, beans. Scrumptious.

But...

I have something for you.

Voila!

And...

the piéce de résistance…

Coffee!

How on earth did you get it?

Never you mind how. Just enjoy it.

Six years in, still full of surprises.

Thank you.

Someone’s got to keep you on your toes.

There, get off! The beans will burn!

I thought we were saving those!

Come on, it’s a special occasion.

(sings happy birthday)

Happy Birthday love.

Thank you my love.

[They eat]

I heard down at the docks

more refugees arrived today.

Really? Where from?

Australia.

The camps are full to bursting.

How many?

Probably close to a hundred.

Mostly women and men

but there were a few children too.

Jesus.

The temperatures are just, out of control down there

nothing’s surviving.

What isn’t already barren is being ravaged by bush fires.

I remember when we went there,

on a family trip when I was a kid.

It was a paradise.

[The young woman wearily gets up

and begins to clear the table.]

Let me. It’s my turn.

[Upon noticing she’s upset…]

(starts singing Frank Sinatra)

Idiot.

What was that?

You're an idiot.

(keeps singing)

Still got it! Never really lose it!

How did you like that birthday treat?

It was lovely.

[A playful, then intimate movement sequence]

No. [he doesn’t hear her]

Stop.

I can't.

I'm sorry.

Was I making you uncomfortable?

No. It's just —

Okay. What is it?

Just...

I don't know how to...

Did I do something?

No, no. It's not you.

Well, it is, in a way.

I'm confused.

Can you please tell me what's wrong?

I don't know how to tell you...

What's going on?

Talk to me. Love. Talk to me.

I'm pregnant.

Are you sure?

Yes.

How sure?

Certain.

Really? How do you know?

I'm two months late!

I'm never late.

You know I'm never late.

I’d pee on a stick,

but those are hard to come by these days.

But... how?

I could ask you the same question!

You were supposed to—

—I did!

I thought I did.

Great.

I need to pee.

I'll walk you down.

I’m pregnant, not incapacitated.

I can handle it.

Yes, sorry. Of course you can.

Shit.

[he’s left alone for a minute]

I'm sorry, love.

It was just a bit of a shock.

Yeah.

But, I mean...

It's amazing.

It's incredible.

Is it?

[He’s left alone]

Fuck!

This...

Is... So...

Incredible.

I never thought this would happen.

I mean, we never meant for it to happen.

It was never the plan.

But now that it's here...

I've always wanted to be a dad.

I had a great dad.

I just loved him.

He worked every hour that god gave,

my mum used to say.

but no matter how much work he had to do

he always took us fishing on the weekends.

We'd sit on the pier,

cast out our lines and settle in to wait…

We never caught anything.

Louise, my sister

couldn't last more than about ten minutes.

Then she'd get restless.

She'd get bored.

She was only five, poor thing.

But every time, without fail,

she's start wriggling.

Dad and I would give each other these knowing looks.

We'd mouth to each other how many minutes we thought it would be

until she declared

that the fish had all gone to Tasmania

and we should just stop fishing

and go get ice-cream instead.

The fish always had a new destination.

Always somewhere far from home.

That time, the Tasmania time,

was just after our holiday there.

After that trip she became absolutely obsessed with Australia.

She loved that bit at the bottom,

which dad had shown her

that it looked like someone had bit a chunk

out of a cookie.

Dad told her

that was the Great Australian Bite.

She thought that was hilarious.

We all went together.

Me, mum, dad and Louise

and it was wonderful.

I must have been around eight.

We went to Queensland, to the Great Barrier Reef.

Dad always said:

"Got to see Nature's beauties while they're here."

Mum would lather us with suncream,

she was so worried, about the UV Rays.

She'd remind us we needed to be careful here

cause the ozone is thinner here.

There's a hole in it.

Louise was absolutely mystified.

She would try to spot it in the sky,

as if it was a hole in a sock

that a toe would suddenly poke through.

I remember the day my dad said

I was old enough to go snorkelling with him.

We felt

like two intrepid explorers

going on an adventure to a magical world.

It was exactly that.

Magical.

The colours were more vivid than anything I'd ever seen.

I remember realising

that if I stayed very, very still,

these beautiful,

curious creatures

would swim up to my mask

and I could look right into their eyes.

It was like seeing into their souls.

I guess it wouldn't be anything like that now.

Just a degree higher,

and it went from a magical world

teeming with life,

to a desolate graveyard.

Just

white, ghostly corpses of coral.

It's all changed.

Everything's changed.

It's not going to be the same for me as it was for my dad.

How could I hope to provide my child

with the same sort of childhood I had?

In a world like this?

But does that mean we shouldn't try?

We've got to do better with fresh produce.

Fresh vegetables for sure

What's available is usually reserved for those that can pay,

but maybe I can explain?

Maybe I can bribe them.

And we need to get you vitamins.

I think they're still available on the black market.

I think we can get them, if we find the right person to ask.

The women's shelter! That's still by the harbor?

Maybe someone there can help.

Then we have to prepare the home!

There are so many dangerous objects around here!

This knife can’t be on the ground!

And these cans! Remember when I cut my finger on one?

This corner is too sharp!

A kid could knock themself out.

What are you doing?

We've got to start thinking about the baby.

Woah. Baby?

Are we doing this?

Aren't we?

Are we?

What is it? Is it an age thing?

It's not that.

Then what?

We can't rush into this.

Rush into this?

What's there to rush into?

It's already in there.

I know! What I'm saying is...

What?

I don't think this is a good idea.

Not only is it not a good idea,

I don't want to do this.

What do you mean?

What I said. I don't want to.

Well, what if I do?

It's my body! My decision!

I understand that,

but there's a part of me in there,

and it sounds like you've made up your mind

without even thinking about talking to me first.

I knew you'd react like this.

Like what? A human being?

Are you saying I'm inhuman because I would consider an abortion?

You know that's not what I'm saying.

You're twisting my words.

Okay. Well, tell me, explain to me what you mean.

I have feelings. I'm not a robot.

I have the right to be part of this decision!

You're not the one with it inside you.

I get that!

No.

No, you don't. How can you possibly understand?

Because I know you.

Better than anyone else on this planet.

But I won't be me anymore.

I won't have any control over my body!

I'll just be a host,

then after its out I'll be a different person!

There have been studies you know,

it's scientifically proven that mothers

are addicted to the smell of their baby.

Biologically programmed to protect it.

No free will.

You'll basically be living with a junkie!

[She accidentally knocks over their baby tomato plant]

[Movement sequence - transition into a scene from the past]

Our very own home!

We have our own hob,

shelves for your books.

Power's on the grid too—

Really?!

Yeah!

—if we need anything over quota all we have to do is hop on this

[He hops on an ancient looking exercise bike]

—and do a few kilometers!

Great exercise!

There's a bathroom down the hall.

Communal I'm afraid, but—

All this space to ourselves?

Can we afford it?

We'll manage!

If we're both working—

You ridiculous man!

I know it's not the nicest apartment—

But it's ours.

[She unpacks a book]

Mum gave me this one.

[Les Misérables]

Woah.

"Happy Birthday darling,

Keep the Revolution going!

Love, Mum."

That's quite the tome!

This is only issue #3.

How old were you?

Twelve.

Twelve?!

Wow, I couldn't even read that now.

She let me read anything!

At school there was an age restriction

on anything considered 'senior literature.'

Mum thought the whole thing was absurd!

So she wrote the librarian

saying I had her permission to borrow anything that took my fancy.

Nicely done!

Let's just say there were some raised eyebrows

when I took out Lady Chatterley's Lover at thirteen.

That's basically porn!

Your mum was a bit of a rebel.

Yeah.

[Movement sequence - transition into another scene from the past]

I found it in an old shipping container

down by the harbor.

It looks like a weed.

It isn't.

This!

This gorgeous little sprout of green

is a tomato plant.

Really?

How do you know that?

We used to have them growing up.

It must have seeded from the fruit.

Maybe one someone threw their sandwich scraps in the old container

and that tomato slice just

decayed and seeded

and sprung this.

Do you think we'll get any fruit from it?

We can try.

We'll just make sure it gets enough sunlight,

keep it by the window...

What should we name it?

Friðrik?

Friðrik Tomatoson?

Okay, well.

How about Svenni?

No! Not Svenni!

Why not?

It just reminds me of your friend Svenni!

Right! He's always so red in the face...

...when he sees you.

Get out!

How do we know it's a boy?

We don't! How about something gender neutral then?

How about Alex?

Is that neutral enough?

Yes, could be Alexander or Alexandra.

Like Alexander the Great.

Isn't that a bit too big of a name

for such a little plant?

This plant?!

No not at all.

Okay, hmm...

How about...

Blær?

Blær.

[Movement sequence - transition into another scene from the past.]

Come on you little fucker.

Why won't it work?!

Let me try.

We had one like this when I was a kid,

sometimes the connection would just need a bit...

I've already tried—

[Radio announcement: Ölfus river has burst its banks

and the tide is now at a record high.

The National Hospital is out of action

and the minister of health has declared a state of emergency

since patients are being turned away, indefinitely.

The third landslide fell in Hveragerði—]

She said this would happen.

I wonder what will happen to all the patients?

You're home late. You got some work today then?

No.

I went down to the docks first thing,

stood in that desperate throng of people,

waiting to be chosen.

They pick them one by one.

It's like a fucking game show.

"Who wants one day of work that's barely minimum wage?!!"

They didn't choose me.

They only choose men.

So I walked. All day. Nowhere in particular.

It's heavy work.

They probably think they'll get more value for money

from the men because, they're stronger.

Not you too!

No, no!

I meant they might think that.

Not me!

I know you could tackle me and pin me to the ground.

Tiny but mighty!

I think

that when it comes down to it

they'd prefer to have us rather than the men on the streets.

Women are deemed more—

Civilised?

Tractable.

I can't tell you how much it irks me not being able to work.

This is not what I imagined my life would look like.

I'm going nuts stuck in here all day.

I know. I hate it too.

I think you should be able to share your talents

get to teach, write, grow...

to let the world benefit from your talents.

Listen...

Some guy at work said there's going to be a protest

at Austurvöllur later.

A bunch of people will be there.

What do you say?

Should we go?

What's the point?

What are we even fighting for now?

Have you seen what's going on out there?

Museums, galleries, theatres.

They've shut them all down

Now it's only 'Emergency Power'

channelling government money into god knows what.

Exactly!

Yes! If we don't have the things that bring us some

fucking joy in all this mess

why bother trying so hard to cling

to a planet that can't sustain us?

Because we can't just sit here and let them take it from us.

[Grabs the protest banner]

(Speaks playful Revolutionary and nonsense French)

Alright, fine.

Let's go.

To Le Austurvöllur!

[They march out. We return to the present as they re-enter]

The planet is already over-populated.

We're like leeches—

This is just one.

We're parasites.

It's one baby.

Oh come on. Over eight billion people and everyone has just one.

Alright, I hear you.

And we thought about that we were careful,

but now this one is here.

Clearly not careful enough.

Even if you were going to get rid of it,

which I'm not saying you should,

how would you even do it?

It's not like you can rock up to a clinic these days.

There's no healthcare for people like us.

There are ways. Women have been taking care of this

themselves since the beginning of time.

You've got to be joking?

What are you saying?

You're gonna throw yourself down the stairs?

Boiling water and a rusty coat hanger?

That's nuts! That's actually crazy!

Desperate times and all that.

It's way too risky!

The alternative is pretty fucking risky too!

What will you do?

I'll use some herbs.

From where? How do you know what to use?

I'll find someone. A midwife or something.

Someone knows. You don't forget that sort of thing.

Sure.

This could be something really wonderful.

Imagine introducing a little mind

to stories and mathematics and

all the wonders of the universe.

What a privilege.

Perhaps,

we'll raise a little eco-warrior

who will continue the revolution!

She shouldn't have to!

A child.

It's our responsibility to provide them with a future.

Children have a right to a living planet when they get here.

And they also have a right to protest.

Why shouldn't children have a say?

They're the ones who'll see the future.

That's exactly my point!

Should we burden another child with that responsibility?

We still have so much we could offer her.

You mean love?

I'm sure that'll be a great comfort.

I'm trying to find a solution here!

I know what we said before

that we wanted to avoid this,

but we need to find a way to adapt!

I can't!

We don't have a choice!

Don't we? That choice is pretty fucking obvious to me!

[She jumps on the table, transitioning into a protest scene from the past]

Our human rights are being taken from us!

The Earth is not for sale!

Decisions can no longer lay with authorities

who move to stifle our rights to speak up!

They forbid us to fight for our future!

Say with me!

:,: The Earth is not for sale! :,:

Long live the revolution!

[She spots the young man]

First time?

How could you tell?

The chain.

The chain?

What's wrong with a chain?

Aren't we supposed to be attaching ourselves to the road blocks?

Yeah. And blocking all traffic!

We're going to disrupt traffic across all major roads in the city!

What about emergency services?

What happens if some poor person has a stroke

and the ambulance can't get through?

We must open for them, right?

Obviously, that would be terrible.

But, no one is going to listen to us unless

there are repercussions.

Honestly, this fight is bigger than all of us.

We're talking extinction and widespread suffering.

It just sounds a little uncaring.

We're the ones that do care!

That's why we're here.

It's those assholes in their ivory towers that don't.

They're far enough above us all

that this isn't going to touch them.

Or they're so old, they'll be dead before things get really bad.

Yes but the person who calls for help today might not be.

Might not be what?

In an ivory tower.

Every revolution has casualties.

[She diverts her attention away from him]

So...

What's wrong with a chain?

Doesn't it work just great?

Chains are for amateurs.

By all means, chain yourself to the road blocks.

The cops will just come cut them off and arrest you.

Arrest?

You really haven't done this before, have you?

Nope. Total rookie.

I don't really want a criminal record.

What about my job?

Bless. That's not going to matter if the world goes to shit.

I guess not.

How many times have you been arrested?

Seventeen times.

Seventeen times?!

First time when I was twelve. I was with my mum.

Wow. Wild.

So if chains are for amateurs,

what do you suggest?

Superglue.

The cops can't remove us easily without causing

bodily harm, otherwise we flood them with paperwork

formal complaints and that sort of thing.

It's no real problem for us,

but incredibly annoying for them.

Clever.

What do you say?

Yeah, let's do it.

You ready?

...yes.

One, two, three!

[Sirens sound in the distance.]

[Movement sequence - transition into another scene from the past]

Mind if I join you?

You came!

What's that concoction?

My own blend. It's nettle, yarrow, fennel,

raspberry leaf, orange peel and clover leaf.

Clover leaf?

Yeah, it promotes oestrogen.

And the raspberry leaf is a uterine tonic.

What about the orange peel?

It tastes nice. Want a sip?

You know...

That's a generous offer, but I think I'll decline.

Wouldn't it be a waste of good raspberry leaf

since I don't have a womb?

Suit yourself.

What's your poison?

Black coffee.

Black and bitter.

What would our friend Freud say about that?

The kitchen was out of milk.

Touché. Enjoy it.

That stuff's not going to be easy to get a hold of soon.

Yeah.

So...

My first arrest.

Terrifying.

I've never had so much as a detention in my life.

Welcome to the club comrade.

Replete with a black mark against my name.

I'd rather that and have stood for what I believe in,

than be pure as the driven fucking snow.

You're right.

You've been at this for a while.

You bet.

Isn't it, well...

exhausting?

What do you mean?

Just. All this...

passion.

Wouldn't it be easier to just

let it go and think about your own life?

Get a comfortable job,

maybe have a family if you want one.

That's not why I'm looking after the

health of my uterus.

Doesn't it feel like

too little, too late? You know?

Whether or not that's true,

and I don't believe it is,

for me it's not about doing this all on a huge global scale.

It's about doing what I can.

I might not be able to stop the ice caps melting,

but I can help make my corner better,

the world a little greener, little happier.

And if we can wake some of those

crusty legislators from their apathetic slumber

then so much the better!

What's your name?

I didn't catch it when we met.

Not telling.

Why not?!

Secret for a secret.

Oh, alright.

Secret For-A Secretdóttir.

That's a strange name.

Come on! Play my game!

Alright. But you first.

[She whispers]

You're kidding!

No.

No?

I'm sorry!

It's very beautiful.

It's your turn.

Right. Secret for a secret.

…I think I love you.

[Intimate movement sequence - Transition into the present.]

I'm going to get some air.

[Young woman is left alone]

My mother said to me once, when I was small,

not long after dad left,

that it was wrong of them to bring a child

into a marriage that was falling apart.

And now I'm contemplating bringing a child

into a world that's falling apart.

My mother was a climatologist.

She attended god knows how many committee meetings

and summits and special council to the blah, blah, blah

as the resident expert.

She couldn’t help feeling like the token sometimes.

A lady scientist always looks good on the billing.

She was on her way back from a conference that night.

Yet another talk fest where everyone laments how

the earth is going to hell in a hand basket,

but no one actually agrees to do anything.

All gesticulation, no real action.

Sometimes it frustrated her.

Other times, it devastated her.

She felt like she and all the other ordinary people

that climate change was really affecting

were just shouting into the void.

The powers that be would just schedule another meeting,

hold another summit,

and hope their successor would just take care of the mess.

Meanwhile,

the carbon footprint of all those flights

could have powered a small country.

I remember reading a quote from Victor Hugo when I was quite young:

"How sad it is, that nature speaks,

and mankind does not listen".

He wrote that in 1840.

Even back then it seems people could sense it wasn’t long

before shit went down with Mother Nature.

I try to listen.

I close my eyes and slow my breathing

and try to muffle the sound of my heartbeat…

But I can’t understand what she’s saying.

The wires are crossed, the signal scrambled.

Nature is saying one thing out there;

and something completely different in here.

The police said it was a horrible accident.

It was dusk, it was raining.

But the truck driver said he was certain

she looked right at him before she stepped out.

I think she was just tired.

Too tired to take it anymore.

[He re-enters]

I...

I'm tired.

So tired.

I know.

There's a lot going on in there.

In here?

Or in here?

Both.

Would you please tell me what you fear the most?

I don't know if I can do this.

I don't want to be programmed to provide for this baby

just because of some shared genetic coding.

What's wrong with that?

What if I'm not capable?

You've seen what's happening out there.

Life is clinging on by the fingernails,

but for how long?

What makes you think we could possibly guarantee this child a future?

Can we ever guarantee anything about the future?

That's not the point.

Mum devoted her life to fighting for this planet

and look what happened to her.

You're not your mother.

No, I'm not.

But I will be a mother.

Yes.

Yes.

And maybe it will send me doolally too?

It wasn't motherhood that did that to her.

And she wasn't just doing it for the planet.

It wasn't for everyone else.

She was doing it for you.

And in the end it got the better of her.

She gave up.

Not easily.

Also...

I think the last time someone used the word 'doolally' was in 1956.

How can I possibly live up to it all?

As a mother?

As a human being.

How can I justify bringing another life onto this

wretched, crumbling planet, knowing what she knew;

knowing how many are suffering the world over.

Humans, animals, whole ecosystems.

How can I do it?

But this is unchartered terrain.

We've never known for sure how things turn out.

Okay...

We might not know which of the disastrous scenarios it's going to be

but not one of them is pretty!

But there's still time.

We could turn this around.

I know you stepped back a long time ago,

and I respect that that's what you needed to do back then,

but maybe this is a reason to return to the fight?

Doesn't feel like there's a whole lot left to fight for.

Our protests fell on deaf ears back then.

What makes you think anything will be different this time?

Maybe this is our protest.

Maybe just by having this child,

we're rebelling against a world

that's shutting down around us?

It's like, thumbing our noses at the end of days.

“Rage, rage, against the dying of the light?”

Exactly.

Is that responsible?

Maybe not.

I'm afraid.

Why?

Because...

I'm beginning to hope.

Never lose that hope.

Yes, fear keeps us alive,

it makes us run;

but without hope, it's a paralytic.

Hope gives us something to run to.

Do you want this baby?

So much.

Then we will have this baby.

What about the 'apocalypse'?

We'll dance on the ash of the apocalypse.

Come now.

We should get some sleep.

I love you.

I love—

[Darkness. The electricity has gone out.]

Damn it! The generator.

[He hops on the bike to generate power.]

You're not going to do twenty k's at this hour for power!

Please come back to bed!

Come back to bed!

[They lay in each other’s arms]

It will be dawn soon.

[They gaze at the tiny patch of sky peeking through the window]

The stars are fading.

It's just the light.

It's a new day.

[They lie holding each other]

[End]