Movie: Fucking Åmål (1998)

Fucking Åmål(1998)
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Writer: Lukas Moodysson
Release Date: 23 October 1998 (Sweden)
Genre: Drama - Romance

* Cast:

Alexandra Dahlström ... Elin Olsson
Rebecka Liljeberg ... Agnes Ahlberg (as Rebecca Liljeberg)
Erica Carlson ... Jessica Olsson
Mathias Rust ... Johan Hulth
Stefan Hörberg ... Markus
Josefine Nyberg ... Viktoria (as Josefin Nyberg)
Ralph Carlsson ... Agnes' Father Olof


* Description:

According to the official wbsite of the movie (ShowMeLove.Org), 1998 was the theatrical release date of "Fucking Åmål" in Sweden, followed by an extraordinary tour around the world nobody had expected. The filmmakers (director Lukas Moodysson and his team at Memfis Film) thought this film would only be released in Sweden – and hardly that, since it was very hard to get funding – that's one of the reasons it's partly financed from Danish sources. Lukas Moodysson had never made a feature film before, and nobody knew what to expect. But after everyone could see the results and the big box office success in Sweden this was all brought to shame. Norway came out next spring 1999, and the film became just as big here. Fucking Åmål reached top 2 in both countries. Outside Scandinavia the film has mainly been a silent independent success, but the fans there are even more enthusiastic. In some European countries like Switzerland it even entered the top 10 in cinemas, while the marketing in most countries usually was more or less non-existing as opposed to the massive media attention it received in Sweden.


* Plot:

In a small town called Åmål, Elin (Alexandra Dahlstrom) and her high school friends are part of the "in-crowd." Elin is the school debutante, she is popular and all the coolest girls want to be her best friend, and she is the rage of all the boys on campus. Agnes (Rebecca Liljeberg) is not part of the "in-crowd," she is considered an outcast. Young and pretty, but unconcerned of her social status, Agnes is getting ready for a birthday party she doesn't really want that is being planned by her parents. Nothing much happens in the small town of Åmål...


until Elin accidentally goes to the wrong party and her life takes a new direction. On a dare, Elin kisses Agnes to see if Agnes really is a "lesbian" and her life is transformed. Elin discovers that she has been repressing something that was innately there all the time. This is the story of two girls, Elin and Agnes, who fall in love. It is a contemporary tale of longing, the joy and pain of being in love, the comical and heartbreaking aspects of growing up and the courage it takes to be different. It is a universal of love and understanding.