Together (2000)

In 1975, the dynamics of a Swedish commune begin to change upon the arrival of a beaten wife and her two kids.

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson

Stars:

Lisa Lindgren, Michael Nyqvist, Emma Samuelsson

15 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lisa Lindgren	...	Elisabeth
Michael Nyqvist	...	Rolf
Emma Samuelsson	...	Eva
Sam Kessel	...	Stefan
Gustaf Hammarsten	...	Göran
Anja Lundqvist	...	Lena
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

Storyline

It is the 1970s and a group of very different individuals live together as a community. One of the members' sister, Elisabeth, needs a new place to stay with her children after having had enough of her alcoholic and abusive husband. Elisabeth is neither a socialist nor a feminist nor into the green movement but ends up loving living in the community where they all learn from each other. The film makes a little fun of people with strong ideals and "square" minds whether they be vegans, communists or people who absolutely disgust vegans or socialists. In the end, the message of the film is that people can grow and gain from bonding with each other. It also shows how we need to shape up a little for this to work, either through working on our behaviour that affects other people badly (like alcoholism or abuse) or the need to set boundaries and not let other people walk all over oneself.

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Plot Keywords:

commune | hippie | open relationship | communist | revolutionary | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for nudity/sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

Birger: Rather eat porridge together than a pork cutlet alone.

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Connections

References Effi Briest (1974)

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Soundtracks

Fandango
Written by Anne Linnet
Performed by Shit & Chanel
With permission from A. Linnet / CMC Records

User Reviews

This Is Life, Plain And Simple

This film offers a slice of life, plain and simple. The writing is so subtle and the performances are so realistic that you start thinking you're watching a documentary about life in an actual commune during the seventies in Sweden. The film is incredibly funny but also tragic, moving and honest. It's one of those cinematic journeys that show you the humor and the darkness, the weight and the ridiculousness of our mundane existence; it's a film that finds excitement in the little things (that are actually the big things once you take a closer look). A true gem of a film and a wonderful, rich experience that leaves you with a smile on your face and more insight into the human condition. 9 stars out of 10.

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Details

Country:

Sweden Denmark Italy

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

21 September 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Together

Filming Locations:

Trollhättan, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Box Office

Budget:

SEK17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,848, 3 September 2001

Gross USA:

$1,034,829

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,596,148

Company Credits

Production Co:

Memfis Film, Zentropa Entertainments, Film i Väst

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1