Two o'clock, then.
I wonder what the birds think of us.
- Birds can't think. - They go south every winter.
That's very intelligent.
That's instinct, Jorunn. Only humans can think.
How cool to be a bird and soar and see us from above.
Do you know how big outer space is?
Infinite. It's infinite, Jorunn.
Nobody knows how big it is. There's so much we'll never know.
Soon you can buy a disc and connect it to your brain
and double your knowledge. The brain is like a computer.
Birds and computers can't think. Only people know that they exist.
Just think about it, a chip straight into your head.
- See you. - I'll be over tonight.
Bring some candles.
Who are you?
May the love reach you today
That warms every beat of my heart
Show me your soul through signs in the glass
Take me away to a place of reason
Show yourself, show yourself...
- You're moving the glass! - Open up to the unknown.
- You have to believe in magic. - And you have to believe in reality.
Turn the lights on.
Why is Jorgen wearing sunglasses indoors?
Georg asked for you today. He wants to go to the movies.
Look!
- Do you believe in... - ghosts?
Were you scared?
Would like to go to the movies?
Did you write that letter? The one that said, who are you?
- What are you talking about? - Someone sent you a letter?
Who?
No, no, no...
Sophie, I've found...
Hi, Mother.
How did it go?
- I found the book at last. - Nice... What is it?
The 1932 edition. My first Latin thesaurus.
The one I inherited...
Do you think birds can think?
Perhaps...
The boatswain's got a new tattoo.
What does it say...? His handwriting is so tiny.
- What does it say? - Terribly...
It's terribly hot here.
Qarg is just a harbor in a sea of sand. I miss you a lot.
I'll call you. A big hug from Ivar.
Qarg...
Qarg! That's where he is, Sophie. Just think about it.
Father always writes to you, never to me.
- He writes to us both. - But he signs the letters Ivar.
That's his name.
Who are you, exactly?
I don't know... I'm me.
But who are you? Or for that matter, who am I?
I'm your mother and you are Sophie.
I've got it! The song I've been looking for.
I dreamed Jacobsen tried to kill me for not writing my essay.
- Was that for today? - Forgotten your homework?
- What am I going to do? - You're frightened.
Camilla, my disc.
- I thought it was for tomorrow. - Relax, it's okay.
Syntax...
It's all about correct syntax.
For once, let me read some essays
that show that we've all been in this classroom together.
Georg!
Was it you? Who are you?
What are you talking about?
No essay?
Jacobsen will kill you.
Where were we...?
In our galaxy!
Where else...?
Or, more precisely, in our solar system.
Once it was a mystery what the dark side of the moon looked like.
Discussing the matter wouldn't give you an answer.
It was left to your imagination.
There were several myths...
- Who are you, Jorunn? - I'm me. Who else would I be?
Was that all the letter said? Didn't it say anything else?
- Who wrote it? - I don't know.
Have you thought about it?
- About what? - Who you are.
Will you be over for Mystery tonight?
I thought you looked familiar!
You could say hello to your father.
Yes, I'm on my way now.
I need the car.
Now...? I'm not through polishing it yet, dear.
Jorunn, dinner's in the microwave.
I have to keep the car...
Tell your mother she'll get a 20% discount if she buys a bed this week.
Be careful with the clutch.
Where does the world come from?
Who are you? Where does the world come from?
Who are you? Where does the world...?
Where's the iron?
Mother, is it all right if Jorunn sees Mystery here tonight?
- Who are you? - Your mother. Britt Amundsen.
- Where does the world come from? - What kind of question is that?
I just wondered.
It was probably created from an explosion of gas and rock.
Look it up in an encyclopedia.
Do you think he did it?
Maybe...
Who are you?
I'm Sophie Amundsen.
You are me and I'm you.
- Sophie, are you finished? - Soon.
I'll be late. Open up!
I'll open up when I've found out where the world comes from.
You'll be fourteen in a couple of days.
Fifteen, mother. Fifteen.
Don't forget to turn off the stove and remember your keys.
- Who are you? - The messenger.
See you.
Sophie!
- Did you see him? - Who?
Another letter?
Hello...! Do you remember me? Jorunn, your neighbor.
- He's written a letter to me. - Who?
Who are you?
The guy who wrote Who are you?
Dear Sophie, what is most important in life?
If we ask a starving person, he will answer 'food'.
Someone who is cold, will say 'warmth'.
Even if all needs are satisfied, man needs something more.
Philosophers say that we have a need to know who we are
and why we exist.
The best approach to philosophy is to ask philosophical questions.
Who am I? Where does the world come from?
You won't find the answers to these questions in 'Secrets of Spiritism'.
Sophie, come on.
In general, people don't pay attention to the philosophers.
They are too lazy.
They don't see that philosophers set out on a dangerous journey.
Will you join me, Sophie? Yours sincerely, Alberto Knox.
Alberto Knox...?
We have talked about syntax...
Georg...
Will read, What would that be in past tense?
Come on!
I must say that your essay was brief. Don't you agree?
Very brief or totally nonexistent.
Why are you here, Jorunn?
Or maybe you're not here at all.
But with Sophie, it's a completely different matter.
- Have you seen the light, Sophie? - I haven't written an essay.
- It's not... - Bring your book.
May I have your attention, please.
Sophie Amundsen The Mythic Conception of the World.
The floor is yours.
Since the dawn of time mankind has created myths
to explain the world.
There are mythical explanations to many philosophical questions.
Why the world is as it is and, not the least
where the world comes from.
Before Christianity we thought that the God Thor
traveled across the heavens in a cart drawn by a pair of goats.
And with his hammer he created thunder and lightning.
Thor was in many ways the Batman of the Viking Age.
The thunder often brought rain, which was vital for the farmers.
Thor is a mythical explanation for natural changes.
When there was a drought, people needed an explanation.
Could it be that trolls had stolen Thor's hammer...?
In this way myths explained things people didn't understand.
Nice essay.
- That was bad! - I didn't write the essay.
Who wrote it then? Did you write it in your sleep?
No!
Have you heard about automatic writing?
You write as if you are in a trance. As if someone took hold of you.
Do you swear that you didn't write that essay?
Strange...
Dear Sophie, you won't find any answers here. Alberto Knox.
No, no, no...!
This car is from 1964. You can't find that paint anymore!
- Hello, dear! - Mrs Amundsen...
Call me Britt, we are neighbors. Have you taken a day off?
- How's your wife? - She's sunbathing.
Nice shirt, by the way.
What have you got there?
- A secret letter? - It's from a friend.
It's about time now that you'll be fourteen.
- Fifteen, mother. - Fifteen...
How would you like to celebrate your birthday?
We could be in the garden and put lanterns in the trees.
And we can invite your friend.
Dear Hilde...
Sophie...?
Happy fifteenth birthday.
As you can see I would like to give you a gift that lasts.
Excuse me for sending this postcard to Sophie.
It was easier that way. Best wishes, Dad.
Hilde Maller Knag...?
That's right, Hilde Maller Knag.
I see. Thanks anyway.
Knag... Knox.
Sophie! Can you hear me?
Get rid of the dog! You know that I'm afraid of dogs!
Hurry! You know I hate dogs!
- A dog...? - Be careful.
It doesn't have a collar. I'm convinced it's a filthy stray!
Be careful.
- It's gone now, Mother. - Are you sure?
- How did it get in here? - I don't know.
- It jumped out of the window. - From the second floor?
Since I was a little girl...
Have I told you about when I was attacked by a Labrador?
- What are you doing? - Your hair looks nice.
You should always wear it like that.
It's the first compliment I've had since Ivar went away.
He's called Dad.
I thought that we should...
talk a bit about boys.
- Anything you want to know? - No, I know everything.
The guy sending you cards, who is he?
- The phone's ringing. - It's the washing-machine.
What a smell! Are you making toast?
False alarm for once. Your friend, what's he like?
I don't even know who I am.
- You are Sophie Amundsen! - And who is that?
My name is Sophie and I'm nearly fifteen.
But I must be more than a body and a name.
Don't you ever wonder who you really are?
- Or where we're coming from? - Of course I do.
The machine isn't done yet!
Honestly, I never think about it.
I am who I am, and I come from Granny and Grandpa.
- It can't be as simple as that. - Not everything is supernatural.
I have a lot to do tomorrow. Let's go to bed early.
- I think I'll go to bed right away. - Right away...?
Don't you feel well?
- Isn't that your father's shirt? - It so nice to wear.
And it smells a bit of him.
It's like he's here when I'm wearing it.
- Good night, dear. - Good night, Mother.
Do you know what? This belonged to Granny's mother.
It's over a hundred years old.
Remember to turn off the stove.
Is the tape rolling?
One, two...
Sophie, welcome to Athens.
As you probably know by now, I'm Alberto Knox.
What are we saying?
Kalimera Efharisto!
We bring you the sun! Just follow me.
We have just visited the virgin...
See you at Ole-Johan's.
No, Sophie. I think we'll do it my way instead.
See the temple? That's where the market was.
Acropolis. Athens is not just the cradle of Europe.
It's also the cradle of philosophy! This very spot may be
a spot where Socrates stood with his young disciple Plato.
Or, in the words of Plato...
Just imagine! 2,400 years ago they may have been here
discussing where the world comes from.
Turn off the video. Your mother's coming!
Hello...?
Sophie?
So it was just you, Shere Khan? You gave me a scare.
That was close.
Sophie, travel with me...
We'll travel in time!
Athens, 399 BC. The trial of Socrates.
Here they come, Socrates. And the prosecutors.
People are entering the court where Meletus will read the accusation.
Let's go inside.
Socrates is accused of introducing new divinities
and corrupting the young.
Now Socrates is going to defend himself.
For many years Socrates has been irritating people
by asking a number of critical questions.
He has attracted many disciples and some people think it's gone too far.
Plato is standing over there!
Plato will mean a lot to the history of philosophy.
He's no coward. What a man!
- Alberto...? - What do you want? Oh, I'm sorry.
Socrates would like people to think for themselves.
If they think about the consequences of their statements
they'll have to judge themselves. He's so smart, so brave!
Now he's excusing himself for not being eloquent.
He will talk simply and directly, as he does in the market.
People have slandered Socrates for many years
and he's more afraid of the gossip than all the trials in the world.
This classic Greek! I'm not getting it all.
Socrates says,
I went to a man people considered wise.
And I thought to myself, I'm even wiser than him.
Neither of us knows more than the other, but he thinks he does
even though he doesn't.
I don't know more than him, and I'm aware of the fact.
Therefore, I'm somewhat wiser than him.
Do you follow?
The jury will now decide the fate of Socrates...
Possibly the greatest thinker of all times.
Sophie, this is terrible!
They want to sentence him to death.
Just because he wanted to help people think correctly.
Now he says that he deserves to be entertained by the state...
with a dinner in his honor at the City Hall.
To kill me would do greater harm to Athens
than it would to me.
Alberto Knox...
in ancient Athens.
Right now, I'm standing outside Socrates' prison cell.
Hang on...
Socrates says that Plato must carry on the tradition.
They can kill Socrates
but they can't kill off all critical thought.
It's better to suffer wrongly, than act wrongly.
He who acts wrongly, does damage to himself.
He shows that his soul lacks clarity.
The cup of poison! Socrates must drain the cup.
The greatest thinker of all times...
It's not hard to escape death.
Every soldier knows that. You just run away.
It's much harder to escape wickedness.
It runs faster than we do.
No...!
Alberto Knox in ancient Athens.
Socrates has now been dead for a couple of years and we meet Plato.
The heir of Socrates.
Do you see the shadow?
Plato said that all things in nature are mere shadows
of the eternal ideas.
But a lot of people are content with false shadows.
They're like cave people.
They see the shadows on the wall
but don't ask themselves what created the shadows.
They don't dare leave the cave to discover the sun, or the truth.
That is Plato's famous simile of the cave.
Sophie...?
Sophie Amundsen, confidential.
Mother, no!
What's this?
On this sailing trip you can spend four days in Athens.
And you need four days in the cradle of Europe.
You need to se it all.
Do you find this exciting?
Here on Acropolis it's hot and it's cheap.
- What does it mean? - We must see the false shadows.
- False shadows...? - Yes, on TV.
We have to find insight.
Insight...?
Last night the tape was completely different from this morning.
It was about Socrates and Plato...
And what about the syntax, Sophie?
The syntax? Good.
Dear Sophie, do you want to know more?
As your philosophy teacher, I ask you
to hand a sugar cube in a pink envelope to my messenger.
He will be at your gate in the morning.
Yours sincerely, Alberto Knox.
- Hi, Johnsen! - Christmas cards in the summer?
Hi, Sophie!
Not at all like Gudbrandsdalen, Roses from Vestlandet.
Hi, Sophie! Where's my daughter today?
She's has to take care of herself.
- Why is she so wild? - Maybe she's trying to find herself.
The meaning of life.
Looking for something in particular? You're going to write love letters!
You've got a flat tire.
- Are you writing love letters? - Not to you, anyway.
There was no flat tire.
Have you got any more books on rose painting?
Vibeke, have we got any more books on rose painting?
Tough essay...
Myths and stuff.
- What are you doing? - I'm studying philosophy.
Hello...?
Is anybody here?
Plato.
Immanuel Kant.
Hilde Maller Knag.
Hilde Maller Knag...?
- Where have you been? - In the woods.
- With your friend? - No.
I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk in the woods, and got lost.
- I found a cabin by the lake. - It's been abandoned for years.
I saw a girl in the cottage.
In a mirror. She looked like me. I put my hand through the mirror!
I know what it's like at your age.
There was a girl in the mirror, and the mirror was electrified.
You've got the same hairline as Aunt Astrid.
When I was your age, I thought people could read my mind.
So I tried not to think about anything in particular.
- Are you like that? - Yes.
You take after me.
- Maybe a bit after Ivar, too. - Dad!
Dad Amundsen.
Have I told you about when Ivar and I were in France?
We met a little man in a street corner who talked and talked.
I tried to figure out what language he spoke, and thought it was Latin.
- I tried to listen to him... - I'll take a nap.
- Have I told you this before? - Yes.
Dear Sophie, are you interested in art?
- Art...? - Art and philosophy are linked.
Take a trip to 8 Syrinvejen. You have nothing to fear.
There's a reason for everything. Yours sincerely, Alberto Knox.
Sophie, that mysterious dog is here again.
- Where are you going? - Out.
I'm going to look at art.
Art...?
But I thought that we could do something together.
I hope Ivar will be home soon.
A young girl is visiting a sculptor.
The sculptor is leaning over a large block of marble.
What are you looking for, asks the girl.
Just wait and see, says the sculptor.
A few weeks later the girl is back
and the sculptor has formed a human body out of the marble.
How did you know that it was hidden in there?
There was a Greek philosopher by the name of Aristotle.
He was a student at the Academy of Plato's.
Alberto...?
Hello...?
Do you remember Plato?
The man with the shadows. The simile of the cave.
Exactly.
And just like sculpture inside the marble
Aristotle meant that all things in nature
have the potential to assume a certain form.
Aristotle divided the world into different substances
Dead things...
and living things...
Why do you hide?
Plants, animals and human beings...
Different substances...
Think about the flowers. First they're buds, and then they wither.
Animals can feel hunger and thirst, but only man can...
- Philosophize...? - That's right!
Think, reflect on things...
That's what makes you human, Sophie.
You philosophize.
- How can you see that? - I see what the stone contains.
The stone contains a beautiful woman and her name is... Sophie.
Did you see her in the stone? Did you see me in the stone?
- Can anybody see things that way? - Yes, if they want to.
The artist dedicates his life to that which is not yet real
but that dwells inside the matter.
- And the philosopher? - He's the artist's brother.
- Or sister. - Yes.
Alberto...? Where are you?
Okay, Shere Khan. Aristotelian order.
The stone on the table is the simplest form.
Then we have the plant, then you, and on top we have me.
Jorunn called and asked if you felt like coming over.
You do remember Jorunn...? And I'm your mother.
And what do you contain...? The world's smallest sculpture?
You know Aristotle...
He meant that all things in nature have a potential possibility
to assume a certain form.
Sorry, but I don't know Latin.
The difference between a stone, a plant, an animal, and man is...
Just a moment, Liss.
- Have you seen the hairdryer? - Ask Johnsen.
Jorgen called. You're supposed to meet him at a quarter past.
I'm back...
Have you decided to meet them without asking me?
I've said it five times, Sophie. You're nuts.
Take an unforgettable journey, a journey in time and space.
Alberto!
Are you tired of everyday stress?
Follow me on a journey through the history of philosophy.
Yes, you heard correctly. Through the history of philosophy.
A world full of surprises, exciting thoughts and ideas.
Order today. Our number is 9000...
Quick, hand me a pen!
See you.
Excuse me...
- Excuse me. - Where are you going?
- Alberto? - Hi, Sophie!
- How did you like the artist? - It was you!
- How do you do it? - Do what?
Everything. The tape from Athens, the essay, the mirror...?
You've got to be patient. You'll understand it, eventually.
It works.
- Is the dog yours? - Well...
In a way.
It spies on me.
Let's say that it keeps an eye on you.
After Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, a new era in history starts.
- Where are you? - Don't think about that now.
Where were we...? The Greek language and culture
came to dominate the world for 600 years, the Hellenistic Age.
Just a sec. Hang on.
Come here...
Sophie, have you heard about the Cynics?
- The Cynics...? - Watch the film.
Hello...? Alberto?
Keep quiet!
You can't be standing there laughing.
Sophie...?
Where are you going?
Hi, Mother!
- How was the film? - It was informative, different.
- What was it about? - Two funny cynics.
- Do you find cynics funny? - Yeah, they don't need much.
A staff, a shirt, a barrel... They don't need any money.
- They're satisfied with sunshine. - Philosophy again?
Evolveris, that's Latin and it means, you're evolving.
Paragraph 67 A, comparative...
Mother...? What are you going to do with all that Latin?
What I'm going to do with it...?
I'm going to...
This is Alberto Knox' answering machine.
If you want to speak to the philosopher, press 1.
If you want to leave a message, press 2
and speak after the tune...
Marianne, I've got to have it tomorrow.
Why were you laughing? Yesterday, at the cinema.
You were thrown out. What were you laughing at?
The movie.
No one else laughed, it was a tragic film.
He died in the war.
- And what about the pen? - It was for a phone number.
To Alfredo...?
Do you know where he lives?
She never cleans up her mess!
- Have you been at his place? - I can show it to you.
Do you dare?
- Are you scared? - Why should I be scared?
It's pretty gloomy.
In what way?
- Sophie, let's turn back. - Are you worried?
- You've got such wide eyes! - What...?
Sophie, can't we...?
Hello...? Nobody's here.
Come on.
- Does he live here? - It's a magic mirror.
- Mirror, mirror on the wall... - Don't play games, Jorunn!
There's someone on the other side!
- Postcards! - Don't touch them!
Hilde Maller Knag, c/o Alberto Knox.
- Isn't he the one that...? - Hilde Maller Knag!
Dear Hilde, I'm looking forward to coming home to Lillesand.
I'll arrive at Kjevik Midsummer Eve.
We can celebrate your birthday, even if it's a bit late.
Love, Dad.
One day you'll meet a girl by the name of Sophie.
And like you she'll get the wings of thought.
He's writing about you, Sophie!
There is someone in the mirror.
- What did you say? - There is someone in the mirror.
Jorunn...?
- Jorunn! - Yes, what do you want?
- I'll take it! - Don't touch it!
- It's Sophie. - It's me, I got your message.
The time has come.
We are going to meet.
We have to start working together.
- That's all I can say right now. - What's wrong with the mirror?
He's driving me nuts.
- What do you mean? Who? - I can't tell you.
I won't come, if you don't tell me.
The Major... I think the philosophers will open our eyes.
Meet me at the church at four o'clock in the morning, alone.
Alberto...?
God morning. I'm out. Have breakfast without me.
Did you like it? One of my best tricks.
Now it's time for the Middle Ages!
This church was built a little later, but that doesn't matter.
Isn't it fantastic?
Do the Middle Ages start at four o'clock?
Assume that Christ was born at midnight. One o'clock is 100 AD.
Two o'clock... are you listening?
- Two o'clock is 200 AD. - Three o'clock is 300 AD.
And so on...
So the Middle Ages started 400 AD?
And lasted for a thousand years.
But just before four o'clock the Roman Empire was split in two.
- And a few minutes later... - Who's the Major?
At a quarter to five...
Who is he?
- Let's say I've got an assignment. - From the Major.
Do you know her?
We were born on the same date and we look like each other.
- You've got to be patient. - How could she be in the mirror?
- The mirror...? At the cabin? - Yes.
I could put my hand straight through the mirror.
I didn't know that.
Beware of that mirror.
Salve.
At eight o'clock the long schoolday begins.
Scusa me, frater.
Sophie, knowledge is power.
At first, only the monasteries are allowed to have schools.
At ten, the first cathedral school opens, and at twelve o'clock
we have the university.
Nice meeting you, Sophie. Now that's something to celebrate!
Chateau de Ciecle, what a wine!
- How is it possible? - Imagination, Sophie!
- I don't have much imagination. - Maybe it's not you.
The Major...?
Not an unusual sight...
In the Middle Ages, one child out of three dies before it's a year old.
But many make it and become important men.
Am I the first woman who is interested in philosophy?
No, you're not! Hildegard von Bingen, 1098 to 1179.
Hildegard grew up at a monastery, and from early on...
Could we have some peace here?
- Who are you talking to? - The Major.
Do you know what Sophie means?
It means wisdom. My job is to make you wise.
Do you think it's possible?
Has Hildegard anything to do with Hilde?
From an early age Hildegard felt that God talked to her.
After a while she was considered one of God's chosen people.
Popes and emperors consulted her.
And she was one of the greatest composers of Gregorian music.
She saw music and art as an expression of the divine.
The divine?
Man's way of asking forgiveness for his sins.
In the 13th century, there was a man called Thomas Aquinas.
He held that God showed himself both in the Bible and in Reason.
But what about the essay and the mirror?
- The bell tolls. - And Hilde...?
- There is no Hilde! - But I saw her in the mirror!
You've got to trust me. Do you?
Alberto!
About 150 years later the plague strikes Europe.
The Black Death!
Alberto!
The first one was Sigurd.
The little boy who was so nice and sweet.
The very image of his father.
He too died.
And then Magnus, the strong boy.
No faith, and no hope.
Just the eyes that broke your heart in half.
He is no more.
The Black Death...
You too are going to die, Sophie.
We're all going to die!
Let me give you a kiss...
Sophie...?
- Where were you? - In the Middle Ages.
In the Middle Ages...?
Does anyone know when the Middle Ages occurred?
Jorgen, at what point in time did they occur?
- Jorunn? - The Middle Ages...?
When were they?
Georg, then?
About the same time as the Viking Era.
Four hundred to fourteen.
- What was that? - 400 to 1400 AD.
You don't say.
- Who lived in the Middle Ages? - Thomas Aquinas...
and Hildegard von Bingen.
Hildegard von Bingen.
Gosh...!
- What did she do? - Music.
She was chosen by God and gave the Pope advice.
- What's that got to do with music? - She composed Gregorian music.
She felt that man's divine quality showed itself in music.
And in all art.
Indeed...
Let's see...
Divine...?
Have you called the fire department?
Why do things always go wrong? We'll have to eat something light.
- Where do you think he is now? - On the seven seas.
- How's your friend, Albert? - Yesterday we went to a lecture.
A lecture...?
So you went to a lecture...? What was it about?
- Sophie...? - It was about the Middle Ages.
And that knowledge is power.
I would like to meet Albert. He seems very interesting.
Dad called.
- Where did he call from? - The boat.
He was disappointed you weren't at home.
He's so nice, the main character. Don't you think so, Sophie?
Yes...
Turn off the stove, the light...
Aren't you going to bed?
Do you miss Dad?
Me, too.
About your birthday. We could have a party on Midsummer Eve.
We could have a garden party, and you can invite your friend.
Mother, do you know what Sophie means?
Sophie means...
No.
It means wisdom.
- Bona nochtem. - Bona nochtem, my dear.
H. M. K...
Hilde Maller Knag!
Hilde...?
Where are you?