Movie Reviews for Together

Together

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Movie Reviews of Together

Movie Review: This movie is sooo good...
Summary: 4 Stars

"Together" is a film about a Swedish commune in the 1970s. Life as usual (or unusual) is interrupted when Goren's sister calls to say she's leaving her husband and asks if she can move in with her two children. The collision of this former simple housewife and her two impressionable children with the grab bag bunch of misfits that call the commune home changes everyone and everything.

I enjoyed Moodysson's interpretation of the word "together" throughout the film: in the relationships of the different characters (the zealot socialist, the lesbian, the extreme pacifist, the recalcitrant husband, the lonely divorcee, the perfect housewife and husband), how perceptions of acceptable and unacceptable are questioned (lightly) and how no one seems to have all of the answers.

"Together" reminded me of what it was like to be a kid looking at the oddness of adulthood, and the brother and sister dragged to the commune by their mom do seem to wonder at the simplistic idealism of grown-ups; how little they seemed to understand; how many mistakes and embarrassing things grown-ups seemed to do.

I laughed often, but I was also moved by how Moodysson could capture the simplicity and wonder of two people connecting. A very worthy film.

Movie Review: "Tillsammans"
Summary: 4 Stars

A very strange movie indeed, I had the good fortune to work on the subtitles for the forthcoming DVD, and I was surprised by how sincere and natural all of the performances were, even the children. The basic premise here is that a battered wife leaves her husband and takes her daughter and son to live with her brother, who lives in a small house with other assorted communal hippies. (This all takes place in Sweden during the 70s by the way)
The best parts of the movie involve the characters' reactions when the reality of life clashes with their communist ideals. Take Goran for instance, who is only happy to involve himself in an "open" relationship with his girlfriend, until the reality of it sets in. His growing inability to deal with this leads to a truly volcanic (and cathartic) eruption. Tom Wolfe's idea of radical chic is wonderfully played out when the mother falls under the influence of the resident lesbian--she lets her armpit hair grow out and goes on from there. The lesbian, in turn, is divorced from Lasse, who is being pursued by Klas, an effeminate fellow who is also on a conversion crusade. The movie is filled with great music and great performances, and though it has some shocking moments, it's worth the time.

Movie Review: Gently Hilarious
Summary: 4 Stars

Together won't shake the world, but I'll almost guarantee it will put an enormous on your face.

One reviewer complained about the number of characters - but that's not only the charm of the movie - but its very premise! Certainly there is an amount of predictability but the cast is so into what they're doing that they are believable and work in true ensemble fashion.

The soundtrack is an awful lot of fun (and sometimes "awful") and the secondary story involving the children and how they adapt to the wacky communal ideals of the adults is thought provoking. The film packs its message with little to no subtlety and none is desired or required here.

As tasty as a Swedish Meatball!

p.

Movie Review: Beautiful film--Worth the price of admission
Summary: 4 Stars

Being a huge fan of Moodysson's other well-known film "Show Me Love", I was a bit leary of seeing "Together", but I was also curious about whether he would be a consistently fine director. Curiousity satisfied--this movie is wonderful! Very different kind of story from that of "Show Me Love", but the character studies and the caliber of the actors is equally amazing. Its funny, and sweet, and thought provoking without being a preachy "message film". Definitely worth spending a few hours at the theater!