Sunday, October 2, 2011

Movie Review: Fucking Amal (1998)

Fucking Amal
English title: Show Me Love

Rating: NR
Directed by Lukas Moodysson
Starring: Alexandra Dahlström, Rebecka Liljeberg and Erica Carlson

Imdb.com synopsis:

Åmål is a small insignificant town where nothing ever happens, where the latest trends are out of date when they get there. Young Elin has a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to guys, but the fact is that she has never done *it*. Another girl in her school, Agnes, is in love with her but is too shy to do anything about it. For different reasons, Elin ends up at Agnes' birthday party as the only guest. They have a girl's night out together but after that Elin desperately avoids Agnes, refusing to even consider her own homosexuality.

J thinks:

This film was like a more serious and realistic version of Two Girls in Love, except it focused on how the girls interacted with everyone else more than the relationship between them.

Elin, the popular party girl, was obnoxious, and prone to peer pressure while still being defiant enough that the ending of the movie was believable. Her constant mood swings and changing decisions made her seem more sympathetic to me. She's obviously just a kid trying to figure things out. Agnes, the outcast nerd, was believable in her depression and anger and her desire to continue believing Elin even after she's been betrayed by friends.

All in all, it was a painful pleasure to watch as it reminded me a bit too much of high school, but I took that as it being well written. The supporting characters were well defined and you were left feeling sympathetic towards them even as you rooted for Elin/Agnes, and the scenes between Agnes and her dad made me want to sniffle. The film has a nice mix of angst and hope, and there is a fluffy ending, otherwise I wouldn't have watched it.

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