The Quiet One
Ina Holmqvist, Emelie Wallgren, 29 min, Sweden.In a Stockholm suburb, children from all over the world go to a special school to learn Swedish before being transferred to ordinary schools. All of them have just arrived in Sweden. Maryam is the last to arrive and has not yet acquired language skills or made friends in her new environment. She is six years old and has fled from Iran with her mother. The film follows her struggle to grasp the mysteries of a new language and to find her feet in all that is new. For the first time, Maryam experiences snow, fish balls, and gingerbread men. How does one express oneself sufficiently to make friends, without having the words to do so?
