Show Me Love (1998)

The film was very recommended for viewers of Liljia 4-ever. Well, I don't know why. The movie is cutie and entertained. It has some interesting points that I appreciated on the movie. The argument is simple, 2 adolescents that fall in Love. They have grown up in totally different families. Ellie in a family with her mom & sister, probably with a unique low-salary. Agnes has grown up in a quite rich family living an American dream made. But Agnes and Ellie have something in common: they are brave enough to do crazy things, explain and share what they think and share the truth with maybe the most loved persons.But, for me, the most beautiful and inspiring comparison is between Ellie and her sister, Jessica. Ellie is the crazy brave sister, despite being the youngest of the two sisters, has courage enough to argue with her old sister and tell the truth about what she thinks. Jessica, on the other side, is more cautious and does all what society and her moms tell, despite thinking different. Jessica is going out with the coolest and most popular guy of the high school, although she didn't like him so much. He is rude, but she prefers to suffer in silence because is what a cool girl would do: go with the coolest guy. What the society would expect, her opinion does not matter; she despises her-self. Despite Jessica seems to prefer prefer Johan Hulth, instead of Markus, she worries when Ellie leaves Johan at the party, and goes to console him. With a hug. There is the point when you see how depressive is what many people does nowadays: do what the others expect you to do, instead of do what you want to do.The difference would be that Ellie, brave enough to do what she wants will be happy loving Agnes, and Jessica, who does what society expected her to do, would be sad going out with Markus.

Having read and heard many positive reviews I was looking forward to my (belated) viewing of this movie with some expectations. Although nice, the actual film didn't live up to the reviews: the main actresses are great, but the story doesn't play out a fraction of its possibilities. As a coming of age drama that is meant to portray the inner and outer conflicts and contradictions of not only experiencing first love but having to ward off prejudices against same-sex relationships from all around, the movie comes to an all too sudden end when the truly interesting part could have started.. Nice to watch, and there are some beautiful moments, but nothing remotely enthralling. OK for a laid back Sunday afternoon where you don't want anything too exciting. 7/10 points for great and truly charming actresses and a nice but not too great storyline. PS: I would give it 8/10 if I was sure I'd seen a teenage drama made for teenage viewers...

F*cking Åmål or Show Me Love is the 1998 feature length debut from Swedish director Lukas Moodysson. It is a wonderful story of love, discovery and the volatile times we all experience as teenagers. In it we meet Agnes, shy and reserved, struggling to make friends in a new town. She is full of anger at her parents and the world as a whole and secretly harbor's feelings towards another girl, Elin. Elin in stark contrast is confident, popular and full of life, but as with many of her friends, she is bored with her small-town life and wants out, using drink and partying as an escape. Rumours abound about Agnes' sexuality and after an attempt to humiliate Agnes by Elin and her friends, the two spend sometime together which culminates in a beautiful, funny, joyous moment where with the song 'I want to know what love is' playing loudly, they kiss. It is a brilliantly captured moment of that first tentative kiss we all experience, a kiss that can lead to the first real love we feel. And this is where the story takes us; these two young people are experiencing all the joys, emotions and confrontations of love.It is this very realism that makes this film so enjoyable. The teenagers we see and the way they behave is something we can all understand and appreciate as we have all been there. We have all had a first kiss, been in love for the first time, hated our parents, felt lonely, been bullied or bullied others, experimented with drink, drugs and of course sex. Yet regardless of our own sexuality we can still understand the emotions and feelings being portrayed by these characters. That first real kiss the girls have should be enough to take us all back to our own first kiss. Moodysson has also gathered a great young cast with a standout performance being that of Rebecka Liljeberg. Her performance as the troubled Agnes is remarkable. These natural performances help make the story work. But it also works because the film doesn't portray the themes it examines with clichés, as one would expect if this were a Hollywood film. It doesn't sensationalize teenage life, nor does it sensationalize sex or sexuality. It doesn't include violence, guns, stereotypes or ridiculous scenarios that teen films or indeed films exploring love that we see from America can often display. Moodysson presents us with characters and scenarios we can all relate to, in a natural and simple presentation. It is simply an accurate portrayal of being an average teenager.Moodysson not only directed, but also wrote the screenplay, taking him nine drafts before settling on the one we see. Whilst it is filmed on hand-held camera, reminiscent of dogma style films, this isn't as annoying or disconcerting as it could be. In fact it seems to help evoke the themes the film explores and make it more believable, perhaps giving the film a documentary like quality. Moodysson has made a remarkable debut feature, one that examines all the pain and joy of teenage life in a tender, convincing, often funny way that doesn't alienate the audience. The final script had asked to see the two girls walk away hand in hand, but during filming it was changed to the wonderful scene of them sitting, full of nervous energy, not knowing what to do next. It is a simple, realistic way to end the film, because we the viewer can understand how these girls feel. We understand how strange and delightful being in love can be.

This is really an excellent movie. When I first saw it, I gave it a 9 out of 10 because it seemed to me the most realistic movie I had ever seen; it could be compared with scenes from everyday life filmed with a hidden camera, and that was it. Only later after re watching I decided it was also an art movie with lots of hidden layers and so I gave it a 10 out of 10.It is all about elevation, finding your true self which might not be located deep within you, but high above you. Elin is on a soul search. She is a bit disorientated and does not like her everyday life, but she is used to it. Her popularity gives her comfort and protection. When she meets Agnes, who is certain about her true identity but alone and depressed as a result, she slowly recognizes something of herself in Agnes, a part looking for something unusual and extraordinary. This is far more than just an ordinary lesbian relationship, it is an elevated friendship. But after the magnificent kissing scene in the back of the car - the summit of the first part of the movie - Elin tries to avoid Agnes because she is afraid of the social consequences; losing her friends, her sister not speaking to her anymore, etc. Her relationship with Johan is a clinging to her former life which she is fed up with but gives her security. You might call it a lapse into old patterns of behavior. Poor Agnes' hope for a (soul)mate vanishes and so she is outraged and even more depressed than before. Lucky for her she made (unconsciously) such an impression on Elin her image penetrates all the way through. We see Elin dreaming about her and admiring her picture, just as Johan and Agnes admired her picture in the first part of the movie. 'The call of her true self' is too much for Elin; she breaks up with Johan and wants to have a conversation about what happened with Agnes. Then, by circumstances, she is forced to abandon her old certainties and reveal her relationship with Agnes. After hesitating again, Agnes helps her with a small but significant gesture to cross the border and begin a new life. In these decisive moments she 'shows' her love and affection (remember the title song). Elin then reveals her true identity to the communion, despite the consequences. Such bravery!In the end we see the girls sharing some chocolate milk. And with this scene we are back were the movie started; but how have things changed! This movie really enriches your own emotional life. Searching for your own identity might be a painful experience, it might also be rewarding. Plus the music, mainly from Broder Daniel, is simply superb and very well chosen. The actors and actresses (especially Alexandra Dahlström and Rebecca Liljeberg) do a wonderful job and, like I said in the beginning, the sense of reality is simply overwhelming. 10 out of 10.