Britt-Marie Was Here

As they drive to Max’s house, they notice the town of Borg becoming more hopeful and taking down the for sale signs. Everyone heads to the soccer cup in town. Max’s neighborhood, a wealthy area, has tried and failed to merge with the town, rather than Borg. Max tries to hop in Britt-Marie’s car immediately, but Vega discovers that his house is void of furniture: Despite Fredrik’s posturing, his family, like Borg, has no money. When they arrive at the soccer cup location, Ben accidentally wets himself out of nerves—his mother has come to see him play.

Bank and Britt-Marie each give the team a pep talk. The council representatives confront them again, this time insisting that Toad is too young to play, and Vega isn’t allowed because she’s a girl on the boys’ team. Vega accidentally knocks Toad over, who crashes into the representatives and accidentally explodes his soft drink over everyone. Enraged, the representatives increase their umbrage. Toad’s intimidating father appears, and Bank whacks the representatives with her cane. Kent is the most effective, however, when he threatens to sue unless Toad and Vega can play. The representatives give in.

Kent and Sven sit together in the stands. Somebody, who pulls her own lawsuit strategy to sit where she chooses, joins Bank and Britt-Marie. Britt-Marie vomits out of nerves. The game begins. The Borg team is overpowered by the opposition but score the first goal of the game. Ben’s mum races to the soccer pitch to celebrate. Even though Borg eventually loses the game, the first goal mattered most.

When Ingrid and Britt-Marie were children, Ingrid had been the brave one, jumping off high rocks or planning a trip to Paris. Britt-Marie had been the cautious, timid one. Therefore, she has never been to Paris and believes she never will because she isn’t Ingrid.

Today, despite herself, Britt-Marie is sucked into the soccer matches. Borg lost the first two but tied in the third. Afterward, Britt-Marie accompanies Vega and Max to the hospital where she and Ben’s mum, the nurse, tend to injuries they sustained while playing. As Britt-Marie chastises Vega for stopping the ball with her face, Vega admits that she “do[es]n’t feel pain anymore when [she’s] playing soccer” (263). Britt-Marie wonders if soccer for Vega is like Paris for her. Vega asks if coming to Borg isn’t like braving a trip to Paris.

Britt-Marie and Vega end up in the waiting room, where Fredrik waits for Max. Vega and Fredrik argue about Max’s participation in soccer. The team and Fredrik visit Max in his hospital room. Outside, Britt-Marie tries to get Fredrik to empathize with his son; Fredrik retorts that she can’t understand because she doesn’t have children. They are interrupted by the news that Max can play hockey again in six months. Fredrik cries and asks when Max can play soccer again.

Sven finds Britt-Marie outside the hospital. He gives her a vase for her flowers. She admits the beauty of soccer. Before he can tell her anything more, she asks him to drive the children home; Kent will drive her. Sven is disappointed, but she retains her resolve.

On the drive back, Kent’s conversation centers on himself. At Bank’s house, Britt-Marie refuses to leave in the middle of the night. She tries to explain her journey of self-actualization in Borg. Kent ignores her speech, but reluctantly acquiesces to leaving in the morning instead.

At the recreation center, she calls the case worker to quit her job. She learns that the case worker is a mother of two and that stories like Britt-Marie’s are why she keeps her thankless job. After she hangs up, Sami stops by. Over a Snickers bar, he explains that he’s going to help Magnus with his money problems, despite Britt-Marie’s insistence that he doesn’t have to. He asks her to look after his siblings, just in case. She asks him which soccer team his mother supported; he responds, “Our team” (280) and leaves. She waits up for him.

Anxiously awaiting Sami’s return, Britt-Marie wakes Somebody to purchase peanut butter and Nutella as a goodbye for the rat. Britt-Marie cleans her wedding ring just as she did all the times Kent left his behind to “meet with the Germans” (282). She resigns herself to her old life and wonders why people like her and Sami do so much for people who don’t deserve their love.

Suddenly, headlights approach the recreation center. Sven brings the report: Magnus’s debtors came looking for him. Sami stepped in and died. Britt-Marie collapses, devastated.

Sven helps a grieving Britt-Marie into the car. Vega collapses on the way to the recreation center, fearful and desperate to find Omar. When they do find him, he is on a manhunt to avenge Sami. Sven convinces Omar to give up his murderous vengeance. Sven drives them to the lake, where Vega hurls Omar’s pistol into the water.

As time passes, Britt-Marie stays with the siblings to comfort and support them. One day, Sven brings a social services case worker to talk to Vega and Omar. Soon after, Vega begins desperately cleaning in the middle of the night, determined to “take care of Omar” (288). Britt-Marie cleans with her.

Sami’s funeral takes place at the same time as a Liverpool soccer game. Everyone in Borg attends, but Vega is lost. Outside, Max is determinedly practicing soccer with his uninjured leg. He passes Vega the ball. She cries. Liverpool wins their game.

The team quickly begins a game, joined by several other children. Borg’s popularity is slowly growing. Britt-Marie offers to stay and care for Vega and Omar, but since the social worker is here, Britt-Marie is no longer needed. Sven admits that he knew about Sami’s situation all along; Britt-Marie tells him she already knows.

Kent arrives and joins the soccer game. Sven observes that “Soccer forces life to move on” (296). When Britt-Marie asks him which team he supports, Sven replies that he doesn’t favor a specific team—he loves soccer itself. Before he leaves, he tells her “that every time there’s a knock on my front door, I hope it’s you” (296).

Afterward, Britt-Marie tries to tidy the pizzeria where they held the funeral reception, but others have already done it. She tries to pay for the car repairs, but Somebody refuses payment, telling her instead to return to Borg. Britt-Marie watches the children play soccer until they disband. She gives Kent one last request.

A week after the funeral, Britt-Marie and Kent visit the town council and demand a new soccer pitch for Borg. Britt-Marie is refused a meeting. Kent encourages her to try again and tells her he is selling his BMW due to the financial ruin of his company. Surprisingly, he is less upset than Britt-Marie expected, deciding that he, like Manchester United, will start over.

Three days later, the council agrees to meet with Britt-Marie and Kent. Initially, they claim there is no budget for a soccer pitch. They also reveal that Britt-Marie’s recreation center job was a fluke. Britt-Marie cries in the car afterward, inciting Kent’s vengeance. Kent drags Britt-Marie back to the town council on day five. He enlists the soccer association representative to help. When the town council finally meets with them, they reveal the inundations of petitions from local business and nearly two dozen calls from a case worker, all insisting on a new soccer pitch for Borg. They give Britt-Marie a choice: keep her job in Borg or build the soccer pitch. It’s not a fair choice, but Britt-Marie chooses anyway.

The next day, Britt-Marie returns to the recreation center to return the keys. The rat has raided the fridge for the peanut butter and Nutella; it even brought a date. Britt-Marie cries, then cleans. The social services worker finds her there. Britt-Marie tries to offer to take care of Vega and Omar; every other family on the soccer team—and Somebody—have offered as well. Several families begin fighting for custody. Britt-Marie slips away to Sami’s grave. She bids farewell and announces that construction for the new soccer pitch will begin on Monday.

On her way home, she notices several adult men playing soccer. Bank is watching a soccer match between Liverpool and Aston Villa. She supports Aston Villa because no one else does and because she likes their jerseys. Bank has decided to remain in Borg rather than sell her house. Kent arrives to convince Britt-Marie to leave. Noticing her reluctance, he gives her one final day; he already knows it’s only a gesture.

Britt-Marie races back to the recreation center. Omar and Vega find her there, wanting to watch the rest of the match together. The game ends in a tie. Over dinner at Bank’s house, Vega becomes the new head of household for her family. The siblings accept their lot with the social worker. Britt-Marie attempts to say goodbye. Vega advises her to choose herself over both of her suitors. Later, Britt-Marie stands in the dark on the balcony. She waves one final goodbye before loading her bags in the car and knocking on one final door.

As she drives, Britt-Marie thinks of all the men she loved and her final decision. She reaches Vega and Omar’s door and knocks to say goodbye. They present her with enough gasoline for a return trip to Paris. Britt-Marie leaves, and possibly knocks on one last door on the way.

As the new year continues, “Liverpool will almost win the English Premier League” (323), but lose at the very last minute. Manchester United starts over. Tottenham is optimistic about the future, and Aston Villa still has supporters. Borg residents continue to play and love soccer. The village is very much alive and boasts a soccer pitch and a soccer club. Everyone remembers Britt-Marie.