Tillsammans (2000)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson (writer)

Release Date:

25 August 2000 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

one house; one revolutionary; two open straight marriages; three gay people (maybe four); three children; two carnivores and eight vegetarians; there's only one way they're going to make it... together

Plot:

Elisabeth tires of her husband Rolf, so she packs her bags, takes the kids and goes to her brother Göran...

Plot Keywords:

Commune | Puberty | Separation | Restaurant | Teasing

Awards:

14 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Lisa Lindgren	...	Elisabeth
Michael Nyqvist	...	Rolf
Emma Samuelsson	...	Eva
Sam Kessel	...	Stefan
Gustaf Hammarsten	...	Göran
Anja Lundkvist	...	Lena (as Anja Lundqvist)
Jessica Liedberg	...	Anna
Ola Rapace	...	Lasse (as Ola Norell)
Axel Zuber	...	Tet
Shanti Roney	...	Klas
Olle Sarri	...	Erik
Cecilia Frode	...	Signe
Lars Frode	...	Sigvard
Emil Moodysson	...	Måne
Henrik Lundström	...	Fredrik

Also Known As:

Together (International: English title) (Italy)
Tillsammans (Denmark)

MPAA:

Rated R for nudity/sexuality and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Sweden | Denmark | Italy

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Trollhättan, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Company:

Memfis Film

Trivia:

The character of Birger, played by Sten Ljunggren, previously appeared in Lukas Moodysson's short film Bara prata lite (1997) which focused on him.

Quotes:

Elisabeth: Wait a bit. Why's it like this? Eva, you have a pink cover and pillow. Stefan has a blue pillow and cover. Why do boys have blue and girls pink? Can't I change your pillows?
Stefan: I want mine.
Elisabeth: This is important. You have to think about this when you're an adult.

Movie Connections:

References Fontane - Effi Briest (1974)

Soundtrack:

Caddo Queen

A brilliant heart-warming treat.

One of the most anticipated movies this year, Tillsammans offers a moving, funny, and evocative document of life in the mid-70s. Set in Stockholm, its story follows the interconnected lives of the residents of a left-wing community and captures the difficulties of building and keeping relationships in a crowded environment.

Writer-director Lukas Moodysson's follow-up to the hugely acclaimed debut Fucking Åmål (a.k.a. Show Me Love) presents a definite crowd-pleaser and a sharp piece of story-telling (closer to British East is East than The Ice Storm). Tillsammans (=together) effectively develops its central theme of friendship and strong solidarity blending 70s nostalgia, sexuality, curiosity, loneliness, and hilarious comedy into an engaging emotional quilt. Once again confirming Moodysson's knack for conveying human emotions and creating hugely likeable characters.

The performances are uniformly excellent (by an almost completely unknown cast) -outstanding are Lisa Lindgren (Elisabeth) igniting the screen as a self-discovering mother, Sten Ljunggren (Birger) as a lonely depressed old man, Gustaf Hammarsten (Göran) as the biggest namby-pamby ever seen, Michael Nyqvist (Rolf) as an alcoholic and abusive father and Jessica Liedberg as the new-born lesbian Anna.

The sense of time and place are never lost in this witty, dramatic story filled with historical references and Moodysson's hand-held documentary style heightens the real feel no end.

Funny, recognizable and on occasion deeply moving, this is Swedish cinema actually worth shouting about. Tillsammans is simply one of the greatest films of the last several years and regarding the strong audience response at the screening I attended, it will no doubt enjoy a long career and attract a mass audience. I can't wait for Moodysson's next film project.