Sweden's Greta Thunberg and her fellow climate activists balance hope and despair

LETTER FROM MALMÖ

How can one not feel a deep sense of betrayal? For 90 minutes, the documentary Strejkarna (As We Burn), which opened in Sweden on May 15, retraces the journey of a dozen teenagers who launched the Fridays for Future movement in 2018. Aged 15 to 17 at the time, they inspired millions of young people around the world to demand action on the climate emergency. Political leaders invited them to speak before national parliaments. They received applause and a mountain of awards. Greta Thunberg became a global icon. But their call ultimately went unanswered.

Ell Jarl, now 24, with pink hair, attended an advance screening in Malmö at the end of April with director Helena Molin. She told Le Monde that she cries every time she watches the film. “I was 17 when I started,” she said in a soft voice. “Seventeen is very young, and this burden should never have fallen on us. I really hoped someone would listen. And then, we became a symbol of greenwashing. People wanted to take photos with us for their own consciences. But nobody actually heard what we were saying.”

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