Together (Tillsammans)
Directed by Lukas Moodysson.
Sweden, 1975. After a violent argument, Elisabeth (Lisa Lindgren) walks out on her husband Rolf (Michael Nyqvist), taking her two children with her. They go to stay with her brother, Göran (Gustaf Hammarsten), who lives in an urban commune called ‘Together’. This is populated by a collection of hippies and left-wing ideologues, a bizarre combination of extreme individualism and extreme dogmatism. Göran is too good-natured to think ill of anyone, including his girlfriend who goes to other men for her orgasms; Erik has sex only on condition that he can talk about Baader-Meinhof afterwards; the others object to Pippi Longstocking as an icon of capitalism. The film follows the dynamics of the group but the whole revolves around the central story of Elisabeth and Rolf and their children. Rolf is uncomprehending, frustrated and inarticulate. Elisabeth is bemused and seduced by Together’s heady atmosphere of hedonistic irresponsibility. It is an examination of the way people live together, contrasting conventional certainty without happiness with unconventional freedom without structure.
Moodysson achieved some degree of fame a couple of years ago with Show Me Love aka Fucking Åmål. The cinematic style of Together is reminiscent of Lars von Trier’s Dogme-esque efforts: it immerses the audience in the immediacy and gritty realism of the action through the use of hand-held cameras and grainy film stock with harsh yet washed-out colours (or was that just the 70s?). Together is the kind of film that von Trier would make if he were in a good mood. It’s good-humoured without being sentimental, tragic without being degrading, funny without being snide. And there’s only one ABBA song.
Guy
