What you may not know, dear reader, is that I have a weak spot for teen flicks. And when these teen flicks are all about kids falling in love, making out with the wrong people for all the wrong reasons, and nerds avenging themselves in face of that evil which we will call 'High School', the few little heartstrings in the caverns of my chest are ever so delicately plucked. Which is why I was touched by the story of Sapphic love in Lukas Moodysson 'Show Me Love' (a.k.a Fucking Amål). And not simply because in the end love prevails, but also because it demonstrates, sans doute, the transnational suckitude that is being a teenager.
Without further ado:
1) Can one song ruin an entire movie? Yes, it can. Especially if it's Robin S's 1993 dance hit 'Show Me Love'. However, when the movie is set in Sweden one can make concessions. After all, we can't just blame the Swedes for their love of cheesy dance music. No, the Nordes in general (including Holland), have dubious tastes in all things cultural. Take Elin's boots as an example. But more broadly, such plagues as Ace of Base, Henrik Ibsen and death metal, whose fans, by the way, burned down churches that were centuries old, and even to a heathen such as myself is simply terrible, if not for the sheer historical consequences.
2) Other than that song, which we shall not name, the soundtrack was quite good. After all, a teen flick without punk music is like a prom without dirty dancing. Interestingly, as a teenager I was into big band jazz, which just goes to show how my prom turned out (or didn't turn out, for that matter).
3) This movie followed the standard teen flick formula that we all know and love. There's the bad kid (Elin), who also happens to be the cool kid that hangs with the "In" crowd. She comes from a broken home with absentee parents, is sexually active and likes to party. Then there's the good kid (Agnes), who happens to be the nerdy outsider, who mostly spends time at home. She comes from a seemingly healthy family with reasonable and understanding parents, and enjoys writing in her journal and staring at pictures of her crush. When these two characters meet, there is an initial conflict that then leads to a reconciliation and, after much emotional melodrama, otherwise known as "being a shitty teenager", at last leads to an alliance, breaking the stereotypical mold of high school life and reminding us all that to be truly happy we must remain true to ourselves. Normally, this formulaic plot is ridiculous, albeit insanely entertaining. And while I'm biased towards teen movies in general, I can say that Show Me Love is one of the better teen flicks I've seen and more closely resembles an actual "film". As opposed to its American counterparts, which more closely resemble a Lifetime movie on amphetamines. So basically, its a teen movie for adults. This is to say that on a scale of believability, its a notch above "Drive Me Crazy" and a notch below "Elephant" (although nowhere near the awesomeness that is "La Boum"). And speaking as an adult, that's a happy median.
4) I guess if your cool enough you can proverbially/literally and confidently come out of the closet in front of all your peers and everything will be ok.
5) Perfect ending -teenagers doing what they do best, talking about nothing important.
So there it is. My review of Show Me Love. The acting was above-par and the direction was solid (I think?). This movie deserves an 8.2.
1 comment:
Hey, just caught up on your blog. You are so hilarious. I remember when this movie came out in Scandi-land, it was a big hit in Sweden and even made a bit of a splash in Norway. I think a lot of it was because of the title, really. Certainly got my attention.
Loved your recounting of the whole Argentina affair. I learned, I laughed, I cried.
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