Fucking Åmål (1998)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson (writer)

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Jag ska aldrig mer bli ihop med nån. Jag ska bli celibat.

Plot:

Two teenage girls in small-town Sweden. Elin is beautiful, popular, and bored with life. Agnes is friendless, sad, and secretly in love with Elin.

Plot Keywords:

Birthday | Party | Birthday Party | Sweden | Reputation

Awards:

19 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Alexandra Dahlström	...	Elin Olsson
Rebecka Liljeberg	...	Agnes Ahlberg (as Rebecca Liljeberg)
Erica Carlson	...	Jessica Olsson
Mathias Rust	...	Johan Hulth
Stefan Hörberg	...	Markus
Josefine Nyberg	...	Viktoria (as Josefin Nyberg)
Ralph Carlsson	...	Agnes' Father Olof
Maria Hedborg	...	Agnes' Mother Karin
Axel Widegren	...	Agnes' Little Brother Oskar
Jill Ung	...	Elin's Mother Birgitta
Lisa Skagerstam	...	Camilla
Lina Svantesson	...	Malin
Johanna Larsson	...	Sara
Elinor Johansson	...	Jenny
Jessica Melkersson	...	Sabina

Also Known As:

Show Me Love (Canada: English title) (UK) (USA)
Fucking Åmål (Denmark)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Sweden | Denmark

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Taiwan:R-12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:11 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Film i Väst, Nohab Industrial Estate, Trollhättan, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Company:

Memfis Film

Trivia:

Although set in the Swedish town Åmål, not a single scene was actually shot there. All exteriors were filmed in Trollhättan, almost 100 miles away.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Supposedly takes place in Åmål, but large parts are obviously filmed in Trollhättan.

Quotes:

Elin: I wanna do drugs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bag om filmen 'Fucking Åmål' (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

FUNNY BUNNY BOY

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

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.