A Nearly Normal Family

Ulrika reflects on the challenges of parenting Stella, who often manipulated her parents. Amina, her best friend, acted as a mediator. Ulrika felt a connection with Amina, admiring her courage and honesty, especially when Amina shared her concerns about Stella’s troubling behavior and associations. This revelation led to a tough period for Stella’s family as they sought professional help.

Ulrika observes Alexandra, comparing her to her own mother. The courtroom scene focuses on Amina’s testimony, where she clarifies her continued interactions with Christopher Olsen. She explains that despite agreeing with Stella not to see Christopher, he persisted in contacting her. Amina eventually met with Christopher, intending to end things, but they ended up spending time together. This revelation, delivered in court, leaves Stella visibly shaken.

Ulrika reflects on her complex professional and personal life, particularly her affair with Michael Blomberg and the strain it put on her family. The affair, initially a source of self-fulfillment for Ulrika, became a point of contention when she realized its impact on her relationship with her husband and their daughter. Ulrika decided to end the affair, but the situation was complicated further when Stella overheard Ulrika’s phone call with Blomberg.

Amina, questioned by Jenny Jansdotter, reveals her traumatic encounter with Christopher Olsen on the night of his death. Amina admits to kissing Christopher but says she felt immediate regret and discomfort. When pressed by Jansdotter about previous police statements in which she denied seeing Christopher after Stella’s birthday, Amina reveals that Christopher sexually assaulted her. She explains that she didn’t share this during the police interrogation because she was a virgin and the experience was deeply traumatic. This atmosphere shifts in the courtroom, with Jansdotter and others struggling to process this new information.

Ulrika recalls the dreadful phone call from Adam that informed her what Robin did to Stella. Ulrika demanded immediate police involvement and a medical examination, but Adam decided to bring Stella home without contacting the authorities, leaving Ulrika upset. Adam wanted to protect Stella from public scrutiny and judgment, but Ulrika regrets the path they chose and vows to make it up to Stella this time.

In a flashback, Ulrika destroys potential evidence, including Stella’s phone and a blood-stained blouse. The arrival of Stella’s friend Amina further complicates matters.

Amina confesses to Ulrika about the night Christopher Olsen assaulted her. Ulrika listens intently as Amina recounts grabbing a knife during a struggle with Christopher, after initially trying to use pepper spray. Amina, overwhelmed with emotion and guilt, expresses her regret over her actions and her deception of Stella. Ulrika, realizing the gravity of the situation and the potential implications for both girls, faces a profound moral and legal dilemma about how to protect her daughter and Amina.

Ulrika explains to Amina the legal nuances of their situation. She suggests a strategy that hinges on the presence of two potential perpetrators at the scene, creating reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case. Ulrika proposes that they wait until the trial to reveal this information, ensuring it catches the prosecution off guard and maximizes the chance of acquittal for both girls. Despite Amina’s hesitance and concerns about Stella’s well-being in jail, Ulrika persuades her that this is the best course of action to protect both their futures.

In the present, Amina’s testimony about the night Christopher died triggers Ulrika’s memories of Stella’s past trauma. Amina’s words, filled with fear and regret, also strategically shift blame onto Ulrika, portraying her as a mother who previously chose not to report Stella’s sexual assault because of how unjust sexual assault trials are. This tactic aims to protect Stella at the cost of Ulrika’s reputation. Ulrika is torn between guilt and maternal instinct but knows Amina chose a good strategy.

Ulrika struggles with the weight of her actions during the closing arguments of Stella’s trial. Prosecutor Jansdotter argues for Stella’s guilt, citing jealousy and revenge as motives for murder and pushing for a 14-year prison sentence. Ulrika is haunted by the prospect of Stella missing 14 years of life. Meanwhile, Michael Blomberg effectively dismantles the prosecution’s case, emphasizing the lack of conclusive proof and introducing the possibility of Amina’s involvement. The trial concludes, and deliberations begin.

The narrative flashes back to Ulrika manipulating events to ensure Stella’s alibi and convincing Adam to lie to the police. Ulrika’s past relationship with Michael Blomberg, Stella’s attorney, complicates matters further. Ultimately, Ulrika destroys crucial evidence by crushing phones and disposing of the murder weapon, a knife, in a quarry.

In the present, Ulrika and Adam anxiously await the verdict. When Stella is exonerated, the relief is overwhelming. Ulrika realizes her risky plan has worked, but at a great personal cost.

In an Epilogue narrated by Stella, she searches for Amina on the night of the murder. When she finally encounters Amina, fleeing from Christopher, the situation escalates rapidly. Stella’s protective instincts for Amina, combined with her own traumatic past, drive her actions. Confronted with Christopher, Stella’s emotions transform into anger and hatred. The realization that Amina has been sexually assaulted and that Stella failed to prevent it fuels her actions. Stella takes the knife from Amina.