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SHOW ME LOVE
Lukas Moodysson, Sweden, 1998
Tuesday 12 October 2004 11pm-12.25am
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With his first feature film, Swedish writer-director Lukas Moodysson shows us adolescent love in all its confusing, complicated glory. While faithful to the appropriate milieu of drunken house parties and sweaty-palmed high-school clinches, his is a teen movie with a twist. The romance at the centre of this big-hearted comedy-drama is between two girls.
Elin and Agnes are at opposite ends of their school's social spectrum. The rebellious Elin is pretty, popular and a constant centre of attention. However, she struggles to find a healthy diet of teenage kicks in Åmål, her claustrophobically small and culturally outdated hometown. "Everything's so boring," she screams. "I hate my life!"
The bookish Agnes moved to Åmål two years ago. She works hard, keeps quiet and eats lunch alone in the school canteen. She also harbours a piercing secret crush on Elin. "No one will ever like me," she sobs into her pillow. "I want to die!"
When Elin, starved of entertainment and egged on by her sister, kisses Agnes at her 16th birthday party, the pair embark on a volatile relationship. Their tentative bond is threatened by Elin's fear of losing her social standing at school. Can Elin overcome the need to conform or will she fall for the charms of an older male admirer?
Favouring authentic dialogue and documentary-style detail over slapstick antics with home-baked desserts, Show Me Love is a sympathetic tale of teenage yearning that benefits from some sensitive central performances. Moodysson's script never condescends to his young characters, displaying an acute understanding of their all-consuming growing pains. The director scores their dilemmas to intermittent snippets of searing rock music - a technique that proves exceptionally emotive.
One of the most acclaimed arthouse debuts in recent years, Show Me Love received some impressive international write-ups and earned admiration from Ingmar Bergman, who labelled it "a young master's first masterpiece."
Chris Wiegand
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