Together
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Movie Reviews of Together
Movie Review: Well-Made Comedy Drama from the Director of "Show Me Love"
Summary: 4 Stars
(Not ot be confused with another great film of the same name, directed by Chinese master Chen Kaige.) "Together" is the second film by Lukas Moodysson, who gave us very charming film "Show Me Love." (If you have not seen it, you are just missing a great thing.) Here, Moodysson tackles different theme, a small commune in 1975 in Sweden, in which their ideals are tested by the new members of the place.
The film starts when a mother Elizabeth left her home with two children, Eva and Stefan, because of the perpetual violence of the drunkard husband. Now, the plot sounds heavy, but this film never gets too serious, so we are quickly introduced to the commune named "Together" where many colorful people are living. They are Erik, young radical student whose ideas go ridiculously too far; Anna, feminist turned lesbian who likes meditating; Goran, who is too kind-hearted (or timid) to tell what he realy thinks, Lena, whose idea of Free Love is a real suspect, and others, including a boy Tet (named after the event of the war in Vietnam) who plays with Stefan, doing "mock-torturing."
Now join the distraught wife Elizabeth and Eva and Stefan. The film tells how the commune react to them (and them to the commune) in a light touch, with many episodes. The general tone of the film is that of a well-made comedy, though for American audience some of the contents are very radical (nudity included). It's a Swedish film, after all.
The most impressive part is, like the previous "Show Me Love," the kids. Eva and the boy living across the street establish a budding relation which might be called love, and their embarrassed feelings towards the unique adults are implied very delicately in the apparently small things -- like staying all the day in a small van (which looks like the one you see in "Scooby-Doo").
And what I liked most is the sly touch of the film, which suggests that the commune is not going to last forever. I do not talk about the ending, but from the beginning you find that the community of the kind -- hippies denying any kind of commercialism, like TV or soft drink -- belongs to the things of the past. Like the music of ABBA, it's definitely 70s. And that's why they look charming, looking back from now.
You may find some of the characters annoying, but the film is delightful enough to make them, if not likeable, certainly irresitible. "Together" has that kind of power, which comples you to keep watching.
Movie Review: This is Bolshevism
Summary: 4 Stars
Well, here we have it; the Communist Utopia caught on film. This is another great film by Lukas Moodysson, whom gave us "F***ing Åmål" ("Show me Love" in the US) back in the 90's, one of my favourite films for sure. The film is set in 1975 in Sweden, where a small commune of various brands of leftists and communists are living together. It starts out with the death of General Franco being celebrated immensely, and that sets the tone for what is to follow. Elisabeth, a low-caste mother of two leaves her slightly abusive husband, Rolf, another low-caste, who has trouble with controlling his drinking-habit. She takes their children with her, and goes to live with her brother, Göran, who is something of a head for the Communist commune. He is the most absurd push-over I've ever seen, yet also hilariously amusing and as a side-note a very Nordic man, anthropologically, which is not something that can be said for the rest of the cast, which consists of various types of mischlinge. Göran has a relationship with a somewhat younger girl, who wants to live out the Communist society in every way; in other words there is no property so she can "sleep" with anyone she wants to. Göran doesn't dare to offend the oppressed women of the world, and carries his frustrations with him until late in the film. Various other characters also make their entry, but some of these are too disgusting to be mentioned here.
The film is simply hilarious, yet at the same time it is very uncomfortable and sickening to watch. To put it shortly, the so-called "commune" in that film is more or less the exact opposite of everything I stand for, yet that of course makes it a fascinating watch. Both Rolf and Göran have some positive and intriguing sides, and at times it is a touching film, but the general tone of it all is for lack of a better word; sick. This is the "Culture of Critique" in real life (on a movie, hoho), and even though it will now never come to pass in Europe since we are being overwhelmed by people that would find this as abhorrent as I do, it is a testament to a way of thinking that led to our current European situation.
Highly recommended, and at times both touching and amusing, yet it is of course so in all the wrong ways. 4 stars for this interesting photo of an age that is now in some ways thankfully gone. PS: This is for adults, not something you'd want your teenager or children to see.
Movie Review: Makes you think but ultimately makes you happy
Summary: 4 Stars
When you think of hippies, what do you think of? San Francisco in the 60's, Volkswagon buses, the Grateful Dead, patchouli oil? "Together," being a film about a commune of essentially hippie-ish folk encompasses a lot of these stereotypes but is really a film about the joy of interaction with those around you.Stockholm, 1975 is the setting for this film about a group of free-thinking individuals living together in relative harmony. Then one night, gentle Goran gets a call from his older sister. Escaping her abusive husband, she abruptly moves in, bringing her son and daughter with her. Naturally things get turned upside down but I won't tell you anymore of the plot.
In fact, the plot really is rather superfluous. What makes this film warm and highly enjoyable are the great characters and real empathy one feels for them. Moodyson does a great job at creating a happy but slightly apprehensive mood (one's always worried that things won't work out; you're promised nothing).
The ABBA and other "period" music works great in this film. The characters are believable, flawed, anti-Hollywood, and ultimately likeable. My one criticism is that the story is concluded rather abruptly and has a sitcom-like, hasty resolution.
See it, it deserves to be watched and not just shown in Nordic film festivals and art house theaters. Drive past the multiplex and don't see just another Hollywood movie. "Together" is different, it's special and it's worth your time.
Movie Review: Drawn Together, Wishing to be Apart
Summary: 4 Stars
Together is a Swedish comedy about a group of people living together in an intentional house. It follows the relationships of the members and people who are associated with the house. Its focus is always on the paradox of relationships: our need to be together and our need to be apart. Yet, it never addresses these issues seriously but finds the humour in our human circumstance. Although it presents serious issues such as spousal abuse, child molestation, conflicts in political philosophy and confusion over sexuality, it maintains a light-hearted attitude surrounding the need of the characters to be together. The characters come close to plastic stereotypes of hippies from the seventies, yet this is only because the audience's perspective is almost constantly filtered through the children, the most complex and interesting characters of the film. Surely the representation of the communal living is a way to intensely focus the film's theme as the characters who live traditional lives are made to look every bit as ridiculous as the hippies. From the point of view of the children we understand the futility and clumsy nature of the adult's search for an ideal state of being, yet the struggle to remain together never topples over into the ridiculous as it maintains a genuine sympathy for all the characters involved. While this film shouldn't be taken too seriously, it is a beautiful representation of the difficulty of sustaining successful relationships.Movie Review: Amusing look at what it means to be a community
Summary: 4 Stars
This Swedish comedy is set in 1970 and takes a look at life in a commune in Stockholm. Elisabeth (Lisa Lindgren) runs away from her drunken husband, Rolf (Michael Nyqvist), after he hits her in the face, taking along her 13-year-old daughter and son who is eight or nine. They land up with Elizabeth's brother who lives in a hippie commune where the members are all committed to socialism, vegetarianism, feminism and open-marriage but cannot agree whose turn it is to do the washing up.
The poor kids feel humiliated and estranged among a bunch of immature adults -- and their father's efforts to win back their trust only make things worse. But slowly they begin forming relationships with other kids their own age. Meanwhile Elizabeth is introduced to feminist ideas expressed by the radical notion of allowing her underarm hair to grow. We soon learn that behind the empty slogans of the hippies lies deep hypocrisy -- and we eventually learn what it takes to form a real community bound by ties of love and affection. Along the way there are many funny moments.
What I liked about this movie, apart from the Abba soundtrack, is that the characters change and grow -- and that the ideological points it makes are delivered subtly instead of being hammered home.