Fucking Åmål
Encyclopedia
Show Me Love is a 1998 Swedish film directed by Lukas Moodysson
. Its original Swedish title is Fucking Åmål. The film is centered around the lives of two seemingly disparate teenage girls who begin a tentative romantic relationship. The film first premiered outside Sweden at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
under its original title. According to Moodysson, the problem with the original title started when the film was Sweden's candidate for the Academy Awards, though it was eventually not chosen as a nominee: the Hollywood industry magazine Variety
refused to run an advertisement for a film with that title, and thus American distributor Strand Releasing
asked for a new title to be chosen. Moodysson took the new title from the song at the end of the film
, by Robyn
. Distributors
in other native English speaking countries then followed suit.
For writer Moodysson, it was his directorial debut in a full length film. Starring in the lead roles were Rebecka Liljeberg
, as Agnes, and Alexandra Dahlström
, as Elin. The film received an overwhelmingly positive reception and won four Guldbagge Award
s (Sweden's official film awards) at the 1999 ceremony. Its international awards include the Teddy award at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival.
The Swedish title refers to the small town of Åmål
in central Sweden. Only a few scenes were actually filmed in Åmål, but these were not included in the final version
: the main shooting took place in the nearby town of Trollhättan
, location of Film i Väst
's (the company that produced the film) film studios.
in Sweden. Elin is outgoing and popular, but finds her life unsatisfying and dull. Agnes, by contrast, has no real friends and is constantly depressed
. Agnes has a crush
on Elin, but cannot find any way to express it.
Agnes's parents worry about their daughter's reclusive life, and try to be reassuring. Her mother decides, against Agnes's will, to throw a 16th birthday party for her, and Agnes is afraid no one will come. Viktoria, a girl in a wheelchair, shows up and Agnes shouts at her in front of her parents, telling her they are friends only because no one else will talk to them. Agnes, overcome with anger and depression, goes to her room and cries into her pillow shouting that she wishes she was dead, while her father tries to soothe her. Viktoria leaves and Agnes's family eats the food made for the party. Elin arrives at Agnes's house, mainly as an excuse to avoid going to a different party, where there will be a boy (Johan) (Mathias Rust) she wants to avoid. Elin's older sister, Jessica, who comes with her, dares her to kiss Agnes, who is rumoured to be a lesbian
. Elin fulfills the dare, and then runs out with Jessica, only to soon feel guilty for having humiliated Agnes.
After becoming drunk at the other party, Elin gets sick and throws up, while Johan tries to help her and ends up professing his love to her. Elin leaves Johan and the party, only to return to Agnes's house to apologize for how she acted earlier. And in doing so, Elin stops Agnes from attempting to commit suicide. She even manages to persuade Agnes to return with her to the other party. On the way, Elin shares her real feelings about being trapped in Åmål, and asks Agnes about being a lesbian, and believes that both of their problems could be solved by leaving Åmål and going to Stockholm
. On impulse, Elin persuades Agnes to hitchhike to Stockholm, a five-hour car journey away. They find a driver who agrees to take them, believing them to be sisters who are visiting their grandmother. It is while sitting in the back seat together that they first kiss "for real". The driver sees them and, shocked at the behaviour of the two 'sisters', orders them to leave the car.
Elin discovers that she is attracted to Agnes, but is afraid to admit it. She proceeds to ignore Agnes and refuses to talk to her. Elin's sister Jessica sees that she is in love and pushes her to figure out who it is. To cover the fact that she is in love with Agnes, Elin lies, pretending to be in love with Johan, and loses her virginity
during a short-lived relationship with him. Elin eventually admits her feelings at the end of the film, where, after a climactic
scene in a school bathroom, they are forced to 'out
' their relationship to the entire school. The film ends with Elin and Agnes sitting in Elin's bedroom drinking chocolate and Elin explaining that she often adds too much chocolate until her milk is nearly black so then she must fill another glass with milk and mix it, and that her sister Jessica often gets mad that she finishes the chocolate. The film ends with Elin saying "It makes a lot of chocolate milk. But that doesn't matter."
film studio, who are partly financed by Swedish local authorities, including Åmål. However, the local complaints had no effect on the content or release of the film. Since the release of the film the town of Åmål has even tried to embrace the publicity generated, despite the fact that the town's name is missing from the English title. Still, in the early 2000s the town founded the pop music festival "Fucking Åmål Festival".
. In fact, Titanic had over twice as many viewers as Show Me Love in Sweden in 1998. Based on 37 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
, 92% of critics gave Show Me Love a positive review. The film is among the top ten of the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.
, and consists of songs in English
and Swedish language
. Swedish band Broder Daniel
, who contributed three English language songs to the movie, released an EP
entitled Fucking Åmål.
Lukas Moodysson
- External links :*...
. Its original Swedish title is Fucking Åmål. The film is centered around the lives of two seemingly disparate teenage girls who begin a tentative romantic relationship. The film first premiered outside Sweden at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
under its original title. According to Moodysson, the problem with the original title started when the film was Sweden's candidate for the Academy Awards, though it was eventually not chosen as a nominee: the Hollywood industry magazine Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
refused to run an advertisement for a film with that title, and thus American distributor Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing is a theatrical distribution company founded in 1989 and is based in Culver City, California. The company has distributed over 300 auteur driven titles from acclaimed international and American directors such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Gregg Araki, Francois Ozon, Jean Luc...
asked for a new title to be chosen. Moodysson took the new title from the song at the end of the film
Show Me Love (Robyn song)
"Show Me Love" is the fourth Swedish, third UK and second U.S. single from Swedish pop singer Robyn's debut album Robyn Is Here. The song is sometimes confused with Robin S.'s 1993 hit "Show Me Love", because of identical song titles and similar first names...
, by Robyn
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
. Distributors
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
in other native English speaking countries then followed suit.
For writer Moodysson, it was his directorial debut in a full length film. Starring in the lead roles were Rebecka Liljeberg
Rebecka Liljeberg
Rebecka Månstråle Liljeberg is a Swedish actress.- Early life :Liljeberg's mother was relatively young when Rebecka was born, and Liljeberg's parents divorced when she was one year old. At the age of 9 , Liljeberg began her acting career when she won a role in the series Sunes jul...
, as Agnes, and Alexandra Dahlström
Alexandra Dahlström
Lena Marina Alexandra Dahlström is a Swedish actress.-Career:Dahlström gained international attention in 1998, after starring as "Elin" in the film Show Me Love. For this, she won the Guldbagge Award for Best Actress, together with Rebecka Liljeberg...
, as Elin. The film received an overwhelmingly positive reception and won four Guldbagge Award
Guldbagge Award
The Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...
s (Sweden's official film awards) at the 1999 ceremony. Its international awards include the Teddy award at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival.
The Swedish title refers to the small town of Åmål
Åmål
Åmål is a locality and the seat of Åmål Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 9,380 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated on the western shore of Lake Vänern....
in central Sweden. Only a few scenes were actually filmed in Åmål, but these were not included in the final version
Final cut privilege
Final cut privilege is a film industry term, usually used when a director has contractual authority over how a film is ultimately released for public viewing.- Condition :...
: the main shooting took place in the nearby town of Trollhättan
Trollhättan
Trollhättan is a city and the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 44,498 inhabitants in 2005. It is located 75 km north of Sweden's second-largest city, Gothenburg....
, location of Film i Väst
Film i Väst
Film i Väst is a film company located in Trollhättan, Sweden, founded in 1992. Lars von Trier used its facilities in his movies, such as Dogville and Manderlay.-Walk of Fame:...
's (the company that produced the film) film studios.
Plot
The film tells the story of two girls, Agnes and Elin, who attend school in the small town of ÅmålÅmål
Åmål is a locality and the seat of Åmål Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 9,380 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated on the western shore of Lake Vänern....
in Sweden. Elin is outgoing and popular, but finds her life unsatisfying and dull. Agnes, by contrast, has no real friends and is constantly depressed
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. Agnes has a crush
Puppy love
Puppy love is an informal term for feelings of love or infatuation felt by young people during childhood and adolescence, so-called for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy. 'Simple infatuation is often called a "crush" or "puppy love"...
on Elin, but cannot find any way to express it.
Agnes's parents worry about their daughter's reclusive life, and try to be reassuring. Her mother decides, against Agnes's will, to throw a 16th birthday party for her, and Agnes is afraid no one will come. Viktoria, a girl in a wheelchair, shows up and Agnes shouts at her in front of her parents, telling her they are friends only because no one else will talk to them. Agnes, overcome with anger and depression, goes to her room and cries into her pillow shouting that she wishes she was dead, while her father tries to soothe her. Viktoria leaves and Agnes's family eats the food made for the party. Elin arrives at Agnes's house, mainly as an excuse to avoid going to a different party, where there will be a boy (Johan) (Mathias Rust) she wants to avoid. Elin's older sister, Jessica, who comes with her, dares her to kiss Agnes, who is rumoured to be a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. Elin fulfills the dare, and then runs out with Jessica, only to soon feel guilty for having humiliated Agnes.
After becoming drunk at the other party, Elin gets sick and throws up, while Johan tries to help her and ends up professing his love to her. Elin leaves Johan and the party, only to return to Agnes's house to apologize for how she acted earlier. And in doing so, Elin stops Agnes from attempting to commit suicide. She even manages to persuade Agnes to return with her to the other party. On the way, Elin shares her real feelings about being trapped in Åmål, and asks Agnes about being a lesbian, and believes that both of their problems could be solved by leaving Åmål and going to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. On impulse, Elin persuades Agnes to hitchhike to Stockholm, a five-hour car journey away. They find a driver who agrees to take them, believing them to be sisters who are visiting their grandmother. It is while sitting in the back seat together that they first kiss "for real". The driver sees them and, shocked at the behaviour of the two 'sisters', orders them to leave the car.
Elin discovers that she is attracted to Agnes, but is afraid to admit it. She proceeds to ignore Agnes and refuses to talk to her. Elin's sister Jessica sees that she is in love and pushes her to figure out who it is. To cover the fact that she is in love with Agnes, Elin lies, pretending to be in love with Johan, and loses her virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
during a short-lived relationship with him. Elin eventually admits her feelings at the end of the film, where, after a climactic
Climax (narrative)
The Climax is the point in the story where the main character's point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main turning point in the story...
scene in a school bathroom, they are forced to 'out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
' their relationship to the entire school. The film ends with Elin and Agnes sitting in Elin's bedroom drinking chocolate and Elin explaining that she often adds too much chocolate until her milk is nearly black so then she must fill another glass with milk and mix it, and that her sister Jessica often gets mad that she finishes the chocolate. The film ends with Elin saying "It makes a lot of chocolate milk. But that doesn't matter."
Cast
- Alexandra DahlströmAlexandra DahlströmLena Marina Alexandra Dahlström is a Swedish actress.-Career:Dahlström gained international attention in 1998, after starring as "Elin" in the film Show Me Love. For this, she won the Guldbagge Award for Best Actress, together with Rebecka Liljeberg...
as Elin Olsson - Rebecka LiljebergRebecka LiljebergRebecka Månstråle Liljeberg is a Swedish actress.- Early life :Liljeberg's mother was relatively young when Rebecka was born, and Liljeberg's parents divorced when she was one year old. At the age of 9 , Liljeberg began her acting career when she won a role in the series Sunes jul...
as Agnes Ahlberg - Erica CarlsonErica CarlsonErica Carlson , is a Swedish actress.While still a teenager, she played a large supporting role in the highly successful film Show Me Love...
as Jessica Olsson - Mathias Rust as Johan Hulth
- Stefan Hörberg as Markus
- Josefine Nyberg as Viktoria
- Ralph Carlsson as Agnes' Father Olof
- Maria Hedborg as Agnes' Mother Karin
- Axel Widegren as Agnes' Little Brother Oskar
- Jill Ung as Elin's Mother Birgitta
Titles
The original title of the film (Fucking Åmål) also caused problems in other countries, and so alternative, neutral names were chosen by local distributors: Raus aus Åmål ("getting out of Åmål"), Descubriendo el Amor ("discovering love"), Amigas de Colégio ("school friends"), Láska je láska ("love is love"), and Покажи мне любовь (Pokazhi mne lyubov, "show me love").Political controversy
Even before the film was completed, it created controversy in the town of Åmål itself. Local politicians campaigned to get the title of the film changed because they argued that it would show the town in an unfair way, and even undermine the town as an economic centre. Further pressure was brought on the makers of the film, the Film i VästFilm i Väst
Film i Väst is a film company located in Trollhättan, Sweden, founded in 1992. Lars von Trier used its facilities in his movies, such as Dogville and Manderlay.-Walk of Fame:...
film studio, who are partly financed by Swedish local authorities, including Åmål. However, the local complaints had no effect on the content or release of the film. Since the release of the film the town of Åmål has even tried to embrace the publicity generated, despite the fact that the town's name is missing from the English title. Still, in the early 2000s the town founded the pop music festival "Fucking Åmål Festival".
Critical and commercial response
The film received the highest audience figures for a Swedish film in 1998-9, with a total audience of 867,576, and a total audience for the whole of Europe of 2,100,000. However, some reports outside Sweden incorrectly stated that in Sweden the film had even outgrossed the Hollywood film TitanicTitanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
. In fact, Titanic had over twice as many viewers as Show Me Love in Sweden in 1998. Based on 37 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 92% of critics gave Show Me Love a positive review. The film is among the top ten of the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was released through Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, and consists of songs in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Swedish language
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
. Swedish band Broder Daniel
Broder Daniel
Broder Daniel was an alternative rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They formed in the late 1980s and then consisted of classmates Henrik Berggren and Daniel Gilbert...
, who contributed three English language songs to the movie, released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled Fucking Åmål.
- "Drifter", performed by Yvonne
- "Whirlwind", composition and lyrics by Henrik Berggren, performed by Broder DanielBroder DanielBroder Daniel was an alternative rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They formed in the late 1980s and then consisted of classmates Henrik Berggren and Daniel Gilbert...
- "No dinero no amor", composition by Hällgren and Sagrén, performed by Betty N' Boop
- "När vi två blir en", composition and lyrics by Per GesslePer GesslePer Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
, performed by Gyllene TiderGyllene TiderGyllene Tider is a Swedish pop group. The name Gyllene Tider translates as "Golden ages" or "Golden times". Few Scandinavians would not recognize the band's most famous song "Sommartider", often played on the radio during late spring and early summer... - "U Drive Me Crazy", composition by Hogblad and Lehtonen, performed by Waldo's PeopleWaldo's PeopleWaldo's People is a Finnish Eurodance band. The lead singer of the band is Waldo, whose real name is Marko Reijonen. They represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, with the song "Lose Control". It won a place for the Eurovision final on May 16 as the jury's chosen act...
- "Fantasy Dreamworld", composition by Stigsson and Rickstrand, performed by Combayah
- "AdagioAdagio in G minorThe Adagio in G minor for violin, strings and organ continuo, is a neo-Baroque composition popularly attributed to the 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni, but composed by the 20th-century musicologist and Albinoni biographer Remo Giazotto and based on the disputed discovery of a...
", composition by Tomaso AlbinoniTomaso AlbinoniTomaso Giovanni Albinoni was an Italian Baroque composer. While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is mainly remembered today for his instrumental music, such as the concertos, some of which are regularly recorded.-Biography:Born in Venice, Republic of Venice, to Antonio Albinoni, a...
, arrangement by Remo GiazottoRemo GiazottoRemo Giazotto was an Italian musicologist, music critic, and composer, mostly known through his systematic catalogue of the works of Tomaso Albinoni...
, directed by Jan-Olav Wedin, performed by Stockholm Chamber Orchestra - "I Want To Know What Love Is", composition and lyrics by Mick JonesMick Jones (Foreigner)Michael Leslie "Mick" Jones is an English guitarist, songwriter, and record producer best known as the founding member of the rock band Foreigner.-Life and career:...
, performed by ForeignerForeigner (band)Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm... - "Funny Bunny Boy", composition by Lindgren and From, performed by Evelyn
- "Danny's Dream", composition by Lars Gullin, lyrics by Lars Söderberg
- "Blue Sky Black" by Evelyn
- "I'll Be Gone", composition and lyrics by Henrik Berggren, performed by Broder Daniel
- "Simplicity", composition by Nordlund, Danielsson, Karlsson and Andersson, performed by Souls
- "Underground", composition and lyrics by Henrik Berggren, performed by Broder Daniel
- "Show Me LoveShow Me Love (Robyn song)"Show Me Love" is the fourth Swedish, third UK and second U.S. single from Swedish pop singer Robyn's debut album Robyn Is Here. The song is sometimes confused with Robin S.'s 1993 hit "Show Me Love", because of identical song titles and similar first names...
" (title track), composition by Max Martin, lyrics by RobynRobynRobin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
, performed by Robyn
Awards and award nominations
- Guldbagge Awards, Sweden: Best Actress in a leading role (won jointly by Alexandra Dahlström and Rebecka Liljeberg); Best Direction (won by Lukas Moodysson); Best Film; Best Screenplay (won by Lukas Moodysson); Best Supporting Actor (Nominee, Ralph Carlsson) (1999)
- Amanda AwardsAmanda (award)The Amanda Award is an award given annually at the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, Norway, to promote and improve Norwegian film. The award originated in 1985, and has since 2005 been exclusively a film award...
, Norway: Best Foreign Feature Film (1999) - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
: Best International Feature (1999) - Teddy AwardTeddy AwardThe Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival . Here, an "independent jury" implies that its members are not officially selected by the committee of the Berlinale...
: Best Feature Film (1999) - Brothers Manaki International Film Festival, Macedonia: Special Jury Award (Cinematography: Ulf Brantås)
- Rotterdam International Film Festival, The Netherlands: Moviezone Award (won by Lukas Moodysson) (2000)
- British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
Awards, UK: Sutherland Trophy, Special Mention (1999) - Bodil AwardsBodil AwardsThe Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by Denmark's National Association of Film Critics . The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in the Imperial Cinema in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe...
: Best Non-American Film (2000) - Molodist International Film Festival, Ukraine: Best Film Award; Best Full-Length Fiction Film Award; Fipresci Prize (won by Lukas Moodysson); Youth Jury Award Full-Length Feature Film (1999)
- Verzaubert International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Germany: Best film nomination (1999)
- Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalKarlovy Vary International Film FestivalThe Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
, Czech Republic: Audience Award; Don Quijote Award; Special Prize of the Jury; Crystal Globe Award nominee - European Film Awards: nominee, Best Film (1999)
- GLAAD Media Awards: Outstanding Film (Limited Release) (2000)
External links
- Film trailer
- Show Me Love scene to scene
- Portal-like fan site, in English and Slovak.
- English subtitles, translated script