Show Me Love (1998)

9/10

One of the best love stories seen on film

slake0927 March 2005

I watched this with my girlfriend, who said it was one of the best love stories she had ever seen - I tend to agree. I am not usually a fan of love stories, preferring a good zombie flick, but this one transcended the genre by showing emotion and motivation of the characters in such an interesting way that you couldn't help but sympathize with them.

I confess that my motivations for watching it were rather base; I heard that it was about teenage Swedish lesbians, and thought that was a subject I would certainly like to explore in more depth. On the one hand, there are none of the explicit scenes I was hoping for; on the other hand, I got into the movie so much I didn't miss them.

Fans of love stories, teenage angst, girl power and anything related will definitely like this movie. Other people will like it too, you'll just have to talk them into watching it. It would certainly make a good date movie, or just one to provoke discussion and romance.

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9/10

Like Reality TV - but not pointless.

Flagrant-Baronessa13 May 2006

Director Lukas Moodysson's Show Me Love is an eerily accurate commentary on 1990s teenagers in small-towns in Sweden. In fact, it's accurate almost to the point of being mistaken for Reality. It is above all other things a love story, exploring the relationship of two closet-lesbians girls at a modern High School. Many people thought Show Me Love was worth checking out for its bizarre premise alone, but only a few minutes into the movie you can tell that it is one of the most grounded, realistic portrayals in European cinema.

The dialog, for one, is fantastically realistic and blunt and this makes Show Me Love a very subtle film; it shows things exactly the way they are, down to the very recognizable expressions that the teenagers use and the awkwardness of interacting at that age. It criticizes stereotypes and socioeconomic classes and makes a point without preaching and this is something that is extremely rare in Hollywood cinema and that you can perhaps appreciate more in international films.

The film is not devoid of High School stereotypes, but they are much more subtle than you'd find in the average, American mainstream high school flick. There is no distinct jock, no perfect prom-queen and no nerd. Instead you have the seemingly popular girl, Elin (Alexandra Dahlström), who in fact struggle with many things, including her sexuality and somewhat Emo (although the term "Emo" wasn't coined yet) girl, Agnes, who is anything but popular and has mountains of worries. These two teenagers find a connection and an attraction that is entirely inappropriate. They fall in love.

Elin and Agnes are extremely likable characters; Elin despite her constant need for attention and her popular status, and Agnes despite her sometimes whiny depression. What they have in common is that they're both fundamentally lonely young girls who are fed up with their places in life, and in Åmål("Why do we have to live here?") probably the most boring city in Scandinavia.

Show Me Love is one of my favorite movies for its simplicity. No fancy editing, no effects, no flashy lightning or anything even remotely out-of-place. In this sense, it follows many rules of Dogme 95 film-making. It just stays true to the gloomy, boring, small town that is Åmål. But don't let this scare you off, because this is not a depressing movie it is a delightful and warming film with heart.

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8/10

Like a Hollywood/Disney teenage romantic movie, but actually great.

educallejero23 April 2019

This movie has most of the things that a typical teen movie always has: archetype characters, feel-good ending, a huge score to reinforce emotional response.

But it does it much better from the acting (not Disney robots), to the cast (not all perfect beatiful people, just normal people), to the score and script and dialogue.

It is very good and very likeable and sweet (I watched it 10/15 years ago and I still remember a lot of it and how I felt after watching it).

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10/10

I have NEVER been affected by a movie like I have by this one

varga212211 November 2006

That scene in the car. That scene brought back every hope and dream I could remember as a 15 year old in love with a girl in my class I would never have. It was a validation of all those wonderful daydreams you had at that age and the hope that sprung from them. It was a moment that would send that pang in your heart to heights it's never known.

You're never in love like you are at that age - and when you watch a film like this where you can become so completely involved in the life and emotions of a girl like Agnes - and see her greatest hope realized after a day of humiliation and pain - your heart soars. In fact, I can't think of a moment in a movie that is as perfect as this one.

There's a universal quality to the feelings this film evokes that will pull in everyone who has a heart. I'm many years beyond high school - and of the opposite sex of the two protagonists in the film - and I still can't help but identify completely with this movie. Much of this has to do with the two actresses in the lead roles. Where did this director find these two phenomenal actresses? Rebecca Liljeberg has such a quiet and powerful range. Watching her react to other characters is one of the great pleasures of this film. Alexandra Dahlström takes a role that, in anyone else's hands would be either shallow or unbearable, and makes a character so complete, beautifully vulnerable and full of life you can understand why everyone loves her. These two girls - they are so wonderful, expressive and real you just want to hug them.

I saw this film when it came to New York, loved it then when i saw it once during what seemed like only a two week run, then recently remembered it and rented it. I have seen it 5 times since and I'm sure I'll see it many times more. It is a film that transcends gender, sexual orientation and age.

And for all you English language folks out there (I'm one of you), the subtitles will not be a drawback. In fact, watching this film in it's native language brings you even closer to these characters when you realize how familiar life is as a human being, no matter where we're from. How much we all have in common when it comes to matters of the heart. It's a nice little extra to be reminded of, since it's something we sometimes tend to forget.

My praise cannot be more genuine, heartfelt and complete. Get this film. Your day will be made by it. You'll be telling your friends about it. In a busy life where there's a lot of distraction, you'll remember for a moment how wonderful it is to be alive and in love - and how that's worth everything in the world.

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Teaches you how to love again

Czar Nicholas8 July 2001

For me, when watching this movie, one has to keep in mind any other teen-love movies you might have seen. Heck, ALL teen movies are fair game. Then, when watching this movie, notice how those other movies begin to crumble under their own stupidity, and jump off large cliffs like celluloid lemmings. Now THAT'S great filmmaking. Great films go straight for the jugular of other films; thinning out the herd.

Fucking Åmål takes adolescence, and instead of portraying how wonderfully blissful it all was, it shows how it was a time in everyone's life for over-dramatizing and acting mostly petty. But then, out of these ashes rises something that was great about those awkward years: love. Because you didn't stop being dramatic when it came to love, but you celebrated it. Like the characters in this movie, everyone who fell in love in high school spent time brooding over class pictures, or waited by the phone for that one call. Moodysson uses the scenes at the school and the parties to allow viewers to reflect on how awkward and cruel being in high school was. But instead of carrying this effect into the lovely land of high school crushes, he instead raises them up on a pedastal. It made me wonder if i can't love like that again: with no hesitation, no complications, and with all my heart.

What makes this film great though (and not just good) is by bringing the issue of homosexuality into it, but he slowly begins to make the issue hazy and unclear so that it no longer becomes an issue except for the less developed, and unliked, characters in the film. By the end of the movie, it doesn't matter that Agnes and Elin are to GIRLS in love, but that they are two girls in LOVE. In an age where media has transformed homosexuality into more about sexuality and less about love, Moodysson flips the scales. By the end of the movie, you start to realize that Agnes isn't a lesbian, because that title is worthless. She's just a person who loves. She celebrates what she finds beautiful (Elin). Of course, Elin is the main character of the film because she is the one who changes and matures. She elevates herself out of the social stratosphere of high school lunches, and into a world without personal boundries.

Last, one has to admire the fact that Moodysson doesn't take the film over the edge, and make it too much about how girls need to look for love just amongst themselves because all teenage boys are immature. First, he portrays most all of the other kids (regardless of sex) as immature except for Agnes and Elin, not just boys in particular. Then, he allows the viewer to sympathize with Johan. Johan maybe confused and unsure of himself, but he was just as much in love with Elin as Agnes was. How easy it might have been to make him mean, stupid, and worthless, so that viewers would be happy to see Elin flee him and go to Agnes. But he's not, he's kind-hearted and genuinely seems to care about Elin. Once again, this is Moodysson using love to blind the issue of heterosexualty and homosexuality and concentrate on love itself.

Definitely a movie for the romantic, and one that will teach you how to correctly fall in love again.

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10/10

Makes you feel your heart

purma27 September 2002

I just have to leave my own praise for this wonderful film. No other film has ever touched me this way, and I don't think anything will ever surpass this.

Maybe it's because Lukas Moodysson and I share so much common values (Morrissey, obsession with teenage-romances and protective attitude towards that phase of life that is easily forgotten or denied.). As a 24 year old male I cannot watch this with dry eyes and I have seen this about 9 times. Rebecka Liljeberg's desperate eyes, thoroughly true blurted dialog, awkward silences and perfect resurrection for that old Foreigner song that doesn't fit into either of main character's musical taste, but will remain so important to them anyway... oh..

I raise my glass of chocolate milk for this achingly beautiful movie, without this my own past would be more dark and forgotten, but you, Lukas, Alexandra, Rebecka and the rest have reminded me what love is all about and why it's still worth seeking.

It's not just a good movie, it's one of those rare certainly good things on earth.

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7/10

Flawless acting and a masterfully written script

AKS-620 July 1999

"Fucking Åmål" is one of the most hyped movies in Sweden (1998). It is also something as rare as a film that actually lives up to the hype. With a language that perfectly illustrates how young people in Sweden talk today, a natural dialogue, and a charming and totally believable story, the script is masterfully written by Lukas Moodysson. The young cast acts flawlessly and I am particularly impressed by Rebecca Liljeberg and Alexandra Dahlström.

Is "Fucking Åmål" a masterpiece -- the best Swedish movie ever made? According to me it is not, but it is certainly a great film; I have seen it many times.

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10/10

Don't die before you've witnessed pure life.

Muslinca24 February 2001

If you believe that movies can change or really add something to make you look at life and its challenges in a different way, this movie is undoubtedly one of those which do change things! Unlike the most other movies FA moves in a mostly pure and true way. There's barely heart-melting music to evoke emotions, but strong intensity. Watching the movie, you want it to go on forever, and when it's over, you nevertheless feel perfect happiness because you've witnessed life as it is: wonderful, sad, funny and challenging. The scene when the girls want to go to Stockholm is one of the most wonderful scenes I've ever seen. An absolutely cold atmosphere and the chilly night seem to have expelled life from this little city in the middle of nowhere, but the glances of Elin and Agnes and their few words are as alive as possible. The few seconds in the car are as if they had already succeeded in getting out of their emotional misery, as if they were in Stockholm, and yet the surroundings are still the same, the same unbearable cold light and the same endless darkness beyond the street. It's not the spot that is different, but the girls themselves. For a moment they feel the enormous strength of life and love. For a moment they know where they belong to. For a moment everything is perfect. I'm in love with that scene. Sometimes words can be beautiful, sometimes authors strike divine chords, sometimes painters create mystery and dreams, but only movies can unite movements and words, glances and silence. A smile and the hurting silence, one single word spoken with the glance of love. Movies can have such an incredible power, but rarely do they get by using it. FA does! It changes, maybe it changes things of which I didn't even know they exist, there's possibly not even a word to name them. This movie is just pure, and no rational explanation or critic can keep up with its emotional intensity. Don't understand it, love it!

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7/10

"slice of life" feel achieved very well.

conspracy-220 October 2006

I like small films. This one is a tiny film. Everything from the setting (small, small town) to the plot (girl loves girl in small, small town) to the graininess of the video and the natural light and "whatever we hand at hand"-props, this runs the risk of looking like a real amateur productions. Instead, Moodyson manages to make it look like someone with a camcorder just filmed the real-life story happening around him.

Elin performs the fickle, restless teen brilliantly, Agnes does some wonderful face acting (although she is a little too radiant to convince me that he's the frumpy nerd she's made out to be), but my medal of honor goes to the parents.

For once, we are treated to movie moms and dads who are neither ridiculously idolized and always saying the right thing, nor grotesque "meet the fokkers"-esquire parodies of embarrassment or cruelty. These parents want to do what's right for their kids, but they don't always know what to do, what to say or how to say it. They miss all the Hollywood moments of saying something a team of scriptwriters have been tweaking for a month for maximal tearjerker effect. They try their best, that's all, just like real-life parents. And that's refreshing to me.

A nice flick. Watch it if you feel like a bit of light euro-culture with subtitles.

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10/10

Wow

Rune Eresberg30 April 2000

I'd got negative feedback from my friends concerning this movie. They said it was disappointing and that it did not live up to the hype. I couldn't disagree more. I thought it was beautiful. The way Moodyson captured the essence of the movie I thought was stunning. It's all about love. They being lesbians made it even more compelling IMO. I was stunned by the greatness of the movie. I hadn't hoped for much, but I could recognize myself in the movie. Agnes' parents were masterfully portrayed. Her mother was just that too caring and annoying. Her father was the "American" voice of reason, but the way Agnes reacted to him was IMO realistic. I loved the movie, and thought it was one of the best movies I've ever seen. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have been wasting my time at 5am writing about it. That's probably the greatest compliment I can give it. I think I've fallen in love with the protagonists. :-) Neuf points. Not many movies make my cry -and- laugh at he same time. This one did.

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7/10

A very good Swedish collage film

Mr-Asker22 November 1998

Ooops ... That was my first reaction of this film when I had seen it. The second was a smile. The third was "This film is really great!". I usually don´t enjoy Swedish films since I have a hard time taking them for real. But this film did get to me. It´s kind of a youth film that tells you that you should stand up for who you are and what you think, but it´s also a film about giving into for what you know is right. Well anyway don´t take my word for it but go and see it yourself. It´s one of the highlights on the screen right now!

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10/10

An absolute gem

ruthtuven28 February 2019

When it came out (hah!), I saw it three times in the cinema. I've seen it countless times after that, and I was still just as blown away today. The acting, the characters and the realness of it all: it is the best Swedish movie ever made.

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7/10

Sensitive and Sweet Romance

claudio_carvalho8 June 2006

The sixteen years old Agnes Ahlberg (Rebecca Liljeberg) has been living in the small Swedish town of Åmål with her family for one year and half, but she has no friends. She secretly loves her popular school mate Elin Olsson (Alexandra Dahlström), a girl bored with the lack of perspective of Åmål. In Agnes's birthday party, Elin kisses her and changes their lives.

Yesterday I saw the masterpiece "Lilja 4-Ever" and I decided to know a little more about the work of director Lukas Moodysson watching "Fucking Åmål". I am really impressed with the sensitivity of this director. "Fucking Åmål" is a delightful romance with an unusual theme lesbianism. In the hands of another director, this story could be heavy, or explore sexual situations. However, it flows naturally, very sweet, making the viewer cheers for the success of the romance between Agnes and Elin. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Amigas de Colégio" ("School Friends")

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1/10

Altho little predictable this movie is hilarious!

MayhapsItWasGoodBackThen15 August 1999

Well I finally went to see this movie with a few friends since it 'arrived' to our small town's crappy movie theater just recently. About time! So as you can expect being born and having lived my entire life in a small town where everyone knows your business better than yourself (you know what I'm talking about), I could relate to this movie in that sense. Basically it's just a story about bored young people with nothing much developing or creative to do in their little ***ked up town, so they just kill time drinking booze, going to lame parties and just hanging out on the streets, even though they'd rather wanna do something else. But what that 'something' is they don't really yet know.

A small town with prejudiced minds, teenaged angst, peer pressure, dating issues/problems, and general annoyance about how things always seem to be the same old same old **it. And why nothing -ANYTHING- interesting ever takes place in our community!! I think we've all been there. ;)

This movie's pretty much as realistic as a movie can be without turning into a documentary. Hugely raved about by the critics is a fact that always make me _really_ suspicious, but in this case at least they were pretty much right. It is indeed a great entertaining movie that's not to be viewed as some 'lesbian love' movie. It's even a tad annoying and superficial but hey, that's how your life was when you were in that age.' Elin' and 'Agnes' act well and so does Agnes' whole family. Other characters' acting is pretty standard.

If you're already post-teen (hehe!) this is your chance in taking a trip down to memory lane and realizing how boring and frustrating teenagers' life really was back then when you were young kid. At least I'm satisfied that those days are behind... if not entirely forgotten. ;) In case you just wanna check out if there's some hot nudity and love scenes, don't waste your time. Rent a blue movie for that. This movie really isn't that shocking, but it's simply fun to watch!

By far the best Swedish movie I've ever seen. ;)

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The most, pornvild, humoristic, cramping- movie I ever seen.

Jonas m28 October 2000

Warning: Spoilers

Hollywood always portrays teenagers through clichés and prejudices. No wonder that this fresh look upon teenagers comes from Sweden, a country the movies of which only seldom make it to our screens. Fucking Åmål makes me wish we saw more Swedish movies, since there is definitely something special about them. The director has chosen a very difficult subject for his first movie : the (love)story of two young girls. Agnes, 16 (very cute Rebecka Liljeberg), is in love with Elin, 14 (enthralling Alexandra Dahlström). Agnes is very closed in upon herself, and doesn't seem to have a single friend. Elin is probably the first person she has ever loved. Elin, on the contrary, is a most lively girl who can't stand the boredom of her own life. Getting drunk allows her to forget about the meaninglessness of life in the small town of Åmål. Boredom and idleness are indeed an underlying theme of the movie (especially in its portrayal of youth). Elin dreams about attacking old ladies, setting houses on fire, fleeing to Stockholm, whatever will put some excitement in her life. All the boys are attracted to her, but though she has dated many, she is still a virgin. Through Agnes, she will discover that she is a lesbian herself, and the deep torments that she feels are extremely well shown by Lukas Moodysson, the director, in the most sensitive way possible. It is very hard to express through images the mental tortures of a teenager who can't accept herself, but Fucking Åmål does it perfectly. I don't think it is possible to walk out of this movie and not be in love with Elin and Agnes (no matter if one is a man or a woman). Everyone has suffered from the kind of torment these two girls live through, and Fucking Åmål will make those who often consider adolescence with condescension or even scorn have a whole new look on it. Rarely have I seen actresses that young that talented. Wait, let me rephrase that : rarely have I seen actresses that talented, period. It is hard to get out of this movie, and get back to everyday life, because it feeds on one's own capacity for emotion continuously, even once the lights have been switched on again and the screen has turned white. And the only way to feed that need for sheer emotion is to go see Fucking Åmål again, again, and again.

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10/10

Engaging. Honest. Touching. Simply brilliant.

CoffeeChic12 February 2003

Warning: Spoilers

That's right. :)

This no nonsense film is about two schoolgirls exploring life and love. One is a lesbian and the other is a confused heterosexual. 'Fucking Amal' delicately tells a story between these two girls. This is very different from the popular Hollywood teen movies (such as '10 Things I Hate About You') because it is NOT stereotypical, unrealistic and over-the-top. 'Fucking Amal' is a touching and beautiful teen movie. I would rate it 9 out of 10.

P.S. I used to enjoy the Hollywood teen movies....I don't know what I was thinking. 'Fucking Amal' makes you see the light. Trust me.

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10/10

Fabulous! Every young person in the world growing up gay should see this movie.

jentb29 June 2002

This is the movie I've been waiting over 30 years to see. Although it takes place in a small town in Sweden it could have been a small town in Pennsylvania, where I spent the majority of my teenage years. Growing up gay in a small town is obviously a different experience for everyone but for most people it's not a time that conjures up joyous memories.

Although Sweden is considered to be a more tolerant country, having spent a year there as an exchange student I didn't feel any more comfortable about being gay there than in Pennsylvania. It wasn't until several years after living there that I finally came out and telling my Swedish friends was just as difficult as it was telling anyone else. I say this not for those who have seen the film but for those who haven't and might not because they may be put off by foreign films. Although I was once fluent in Swedish and always enjoy hearing it spoken, I've unfortunately forgotten enough that I relied heavily on the subtitles just as most people will. I've watched it twice in three days and will watch it many times more because it's the first movie about gay teens that left me with a smile on my face and a warmth in my heart. The teens in this movie have it better than I did but not unrealistically so. It's true and honest and very real. It's not easy being a teenager but it's too often unbearble being a gay teenager. This movie captures the essence of what it is to be a teenager, gay or straight. For gay teens I hope it will give you hope and show that you're not so different. For straight teens I hope you'll see that we're not so different.

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7/10

The best teen movie in a decade

Michael Kenmore1 August 2000

Warning: Spoilers

[Warning - this may contain spoilers]

I have not seen a good movie specifically made for the teenage/young adult demographic until I saw Show Me Love on a one-week only engagement at an independent theater in Salt Lake City. I hated the fluffy and stereotypical teen movies produced by Hollywood except for "10 Things I Hate About You," so I opt for unconventional films. This is one of these rare teen movies that not only touch on the harsh reality of the turmoils of love, sexuality, anger, jealousy, heartache, suicidal tendency, clinical depression and other issues in adolescence not tackled in the most uncompromising way by Hollywood but also the reflection of Western civilization in which teenagers live, think and behave differently from adults. I don't mean European civilization, but the film is very similar in theme to the American culture and society of teen life.

Although produced and released in Sweden to positive reception from critics and audiences, which turned the film made on a shoestring budget into the runaway success and later won five Swedish equivalent of Oscars (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actress for two actors), there's one reason to see why the movie is great: the chemistry between Rebecca Liljeberg and Alexandra Dahlstrom as the high school girls who were initially emotionally detached but fell madly in love after the "dare," and specifically Ms. Liljeberg (only 16 year old at the time of production) for her performance.

Rebecca's acting debut in a full-length film is one of the most emotionally intense and genuine performance I've ever seen in a film, and you have to see Show Me Love to know what I'm talking about. She may look cute, but don't be fooled by her pretty looks and focus on her acting. This is the exquisitely talented Swedish actress who should have gotten recognization in the North America. I am still astounded by her tour de force performance even long after I saw the movie. If the film historians claim that the best performance ever seen in a film was a stage actress who gave the one-time only performance in the French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc, Rebecca Liljeberg should be our next great young actress of the future of European cinema. She can act and cry and emote without cue, and without an iota of manipulation and sentimentality that should put to shame most popular Hollywood actresses.

The film is not without the flaws. It has the worst cinematography I've seen, with vomit yellow and green lighting hues. Gritty 16mm style is fine in my book, but sitting through poor lighting pervading the movie made it a nauseating experience. Director Lukas Moodysson may have the intention of emulating Dogme 95 invented by Lars Von Trier of Breaking the Wave fame, but his penchant for rough visual style is crude and enduring. It's mostly an experimental film, but the film is saved by quality acting and screenplay that doesn't meander and pander to insult the intelligence of the audience unlike the crappy post-80s Hollywood teen genre.

I won't divulge the whole plot of the movie, since it would be the most rewarding experience to see an authentic teen movie that tackles the serious issues faced by teenagers of all nations of the world, especially Sweden. The movie is supposed to be a charming and benign comedy, but I disagree; it's definitely a drama movie with the interjection of sarcastic humor.

Show Me Love (the original Swedish title is blunt and vulgar, which would not be much of an impact in the U.S.) is not rated, but it would not be appropriate for teens under 15 year old because of abundant profanity, brief sex, graphic sexual references, suicide attempt, drug/alcohol abuse and lesbian interludes which may be objectionable to some. Unless, of course, if the teenagers and even preteens are intellectually precocious. Watch the film with an open mind and you'll see the inner fragility of the teenage soul as conveyed by the virtuoso acting of Alexandra Dahlstrom and Rebecca Liljeberg.

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9/10

beautiful film; horrible English title

zoeyneo18 April 2007

It's true that this is a great love/friendship story, but the setting is what makes it brilliant. It is about the frustration of feeling like you are stuck somewhere that you hate, which of course applies to both the isolated small town and the state of mind for someone treated like an outcast. The original Swedish title, F-ing Amal, is exactly the idea that serves as the driving force is in this picture. I understand why it was changed for the English speaking audience, but a better English title would have preserved that sentiment, something like "This awful place" or "Get me out of Amal." "Show me Love" puts too much emphasis on the lesbian aspect of the film, which to me seemed only a detail in the greater portrait of life in the middle of nowhere.

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6/10

Superb teenage nostalgia for the people!

Kingwolf5 July 1999

When Fucking Åmål was showing in the theaters here in Sweden there was a lot of press and talk about how great this movie about teenagers in a small town was. I was quite sceptical so I didn't catch it at the cinemas, but I rented the VHS today. Well... My scepticism proved quite wrong, and I laughed more or less through the entire movie. The director and writer of this movie certainly did catch the spirit of teenage life in a small town down, more or less, to the last atom. Add to this formula, good acting and great camera work done in a semi-guerilla way, with handcameras etc.

The storyline is teenage life in a small town in Sweden, and the subplot which the movie spins around is two young girls, whom by happenstance get involved with each other. Since all the people in the movie are teenagers, lesbian love is abit strange and not exactly socially accepted. The dialogue in the movie is brilliant. This kind of teenage dialogue even surpasses the one in 'Dazed and Confused'.

Go see this movie, no matter if you live in USA, Germany or Sweden.

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9/10

A love story. Your love story?

FamousGirlfriend13 May 2017

There are a few reviews here that to some extent focus on the film being about young girls and homosexuality. When I saw this as a teenager I never really thought of it as a film about lesbians. I just felt that everything it was Real. I related the characters because they were teenagers, with angst, insecurity, the brutality of being young and feeling lost and lonely.

(I felt the same way when I watched "Let the Right One In", the Swedish ORIGINAL, NOT the Hollywood remake "Let Me In". "Let the Right One In" isn't a film about vampires, but a film that happens to have vampires in it. What it comes down to, is that it is a film about children and what it's really like to be a child, feeling misunderstood by a grown up world etc, etc.)

SHOW ME LOVE/F***ING ÅMÅL happens to be a film about two girls who are lesbian, and though it bears on the story, this film truly is made for everyone who's ever been a teenager... Or maybe needs to be reminded how it was to be one.

This is a love story. Not THE love story, but a love story that I think most people can relate to in one way or another. Gender and sexuality doesn't matter.

Some refer to Swedish movies are "low budget" or "TV-films", but what it's really about is that Sweden isn't Hollywood. I'm sure most European movies may feel cheap to some viewers, who are used to a Hollywood format, but the fact is that this is what the film makers have to work that, and they do it really well. I'm not saying we don't need Hollywood, I'm just saying that Hollywood needs more film making like this, especially for teenagers. Teenagers don't need more movies about the Perfect High School Experience, they need something that shows them that their imperfect and confusing world is legitimate, 100% REAL, however heartbreaking and difficult it may be. That is a way to show them love.

I'd like to recommend you to watch other movies by director Lukas Moodysson as well.

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6/10

High school sociology

diand_11 July 2005

Lukas Moodysson's career intrigues because he started with light fare like this one, then after the more serious Tillsammans / Together came with the very bleak Lilya 4-ever and went a little overboard with his uncompromising Ett hål i mitt hjärta / A hole in my heart which is so extreme it can almost only be seen at film festivals. They all have in common that they have their heart at the right place and are all socially engaged. Whatever the form the message is still a positive one.

Fuc*ing Åmål (funny to see the reaction at the box-office after pronouncing the title as if you're entering a porn movie and strange that IMDb states the full title but censors us in using it) started it all and has the grainy look we're familiar with from Dogme-movies. The sociology of high school is well presented and because all of us have gone through this it is easy to identify with any of the characters. The positive message is simply to be yourself no matter what others might think (which often takes courage).

On repeated viewings this offers little extras. This is not a movie where you keep on discovering things or layers in the story.

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10/10

What a sparkling "little" masterpiece.......

reri7726 November 1999

This must be the most enjoyable piece of movie coming out the last decade. No over-the-top effects, no expensive actors, no big budget, what a delight. It's just pure realism. Rebecka Liljeberg, Alexandra Dahlström, Erica Carlson and Mathias Rust are one of the funniest actors playing their parts with such enthusiasm.

I saw this film twice in the cinema and once on home video, it's still a wonderful, warm movie. Dahlström and Liljeberg charmed me. I know a lot of my other friends that felt the same. I recommend this movie to everyone that like simple, good and charming movies.

Go to the cinema, run if possible, it's worth the money.

I give 10 out of 10.....

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6/10

A realistic tale of lesbian love in bloom

=G=1 December 2001

"Show Me Love" tells of two Swedish teen girls who wrestle with their developing sexuality and feelings for one another eventually coming out of the closet....the water closet. On the downside "SML" is only of mediocre technical quality with graininess, poor color, poor subtitling, etc. On the upside, the film makes it's case for strength through love, even homosexual love, realistically avoiding gratuitous sex scenes, etc. as it shows the protagonists dealing with parents and peers and themselves. Should be a nominal watch for "straights" and an enjoyable watch for "gays".

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1/10

You all MUST be joking!!!!!!!!!!

Mastermind3039 February 2001

I can´t believe what I am reading! I usually don´t comment movies, especially when I don´t like them, but for this movie I have to make an exception. At first I have to say, I live in Sweden, and I do not like this place to put it in mild terms, so Swedish movies in general scare the living daylights out of me. People outside of Sweden probably can´t understand the media-hype that surrounded the release of this film, and it was #1 at the box office for months and months. Now I have avoided this film for the above mentioned reasons, until tonight when it was aired on TV. And what I saw was far worse than I could ever have imagined. Lukas Moodyson shoots as if he was filming with a homevideo camera! And those quick zooms! HOW is it possible to make a film look less professional? Now Sweden is a gay-liberal,socialist society, so I can understand why the story of two young lesbians, with suicidal intentions ect ect, (and I must add that Sweden has the highest suicidal rate in the world according to population) hit the heart of Sweden, but how can people from Canada, Australia, USA amongst others, relate to this film!? It amazes me! In every Swedish teenage flick, we have to suffer socialisticly twisted plots, about poor teens in the suburbs with alcoholic parents and drug problems ect ect, and I sadly have to report to those of you who thought otherwise, that this is the most cliché approach one can express in a Swedish film. Moodysson doesnt change that perspective very much, just feeds it more, and all of Sweden applauds it since he also chose to portay a cute little lesbian couple aswell. Moodyson is now, after 1 movie (!) considered in Sweden as the new Ingmar Bergman, actually I can understand why, its just the thought horrifies me deeply. The main resaon so many Swedes relate to this film, is that over 80% over the population lives is such small dreadful places as Åmål, and teens in these towns have nothing else to do but hang outside the hotdog-stand and drink alcohol, and have casual sexual encounters with each other, so surely I can understand why so many relate to it. I only wonder, should´nt there be more to life? Should´nt people WANT more out of life? In Sweden, the answer is. NO.

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