15-year-old Elin lives in a boring Swedish town - 'fucking Amal' - and is looking for some excitement. Everyone expects her to find a boyfriend and be settled while still a teenager. Agnes is in love with Elin and though Elin first mocks her devotion, soon the two become an item. But Elin's big sister pushes her to go out with, and ultimately to sleep with, the more suitable Johan. Agnes feels betrayed and lets out rumours of Elin's behaviour. Soon, Elin must choose between convention and a more
daring life.
This powerful, funny romantic drama neatly integrates the dilemmas of a girl in love, the girl she loves, a boy who also loves that girl, and that girl's sister.
Lukas Moodyson's debut feature has a grainy, immediate feel that nicely enhances the story's emotional honesty -- a quality that our own popular teen movies have only just begun to embrace.
While the storyline has few surprises, the central performances create a touching relationship, despite the suspicion that the male writer/director's interest in the subject is slightly dubious, or at least tokenistic.
Unfortunately, as the plot develops, it shies away from exploring that discontent, in favor of demonstrating precisely the kind of naiveté and sweetness that one would expect to find in any teen romance.
Moodysson's story may be an old one -- the taboo romance between lovers from different ends of the school spectrum -- but his sharp script refreshes old themes.
It's just an incredibly insightful character drama about true, awkward, beautiful first love, and it's all the better for it. Oh, and that last shot is as cute as it gets.
It's an awkward, unapologetic, unconventional -- and ultimately winning -- look at first love, one that unabashedly portrays the complications and confusion that result from those first crushes and rushes of attraction and passion.
A very sweet youth love film. It came highly recommended but for me it?s nowhere near as good as the two films Moodysson followed it up with. The young actors are really good though and it can't help but make you feel good.
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