Together

Synopsis: After leaving her abusive husband, Elisabeth takes her two children when she goes to live with her brother in a 1970s Swedish commune.

Although it's taken a couple of years to get released locally, Lukas Moodysson's Together is a happy addition to the recent spate of European feel-goods à la Amélie (2001). While Moodysson's earlier film Show Me Love/Fucking Åmål (1998) was a touchingly realistic coming-of-age love story between two teenage girls, Together looks at the slightly more complicated relationships found in a communal house in the 1970s.

Moodysson ambles through his narrative giving the characters plenty of room to breathe and almost as an afterthought manages to cover a substantial amount of ground, both personal and social. Battered wife Elisabeth (Lisa Lindgren) finds friendship and socio-political awareness when she spends time with the recently "outed" Anna (Jessica Liedberg), who is also separated from her husband, Klas (Shanti Roney). Lifelong doormat Göran (Gustav Hammarsten) suffers in silence as his partner abuses the privileges of their open relationship. Rolf (Michael Nyqvist), the estranged husband of Elisabeth, discovers that a life free from responsibility is a life remarkably empty and that the only thing worth anything is being "together". As the film progresses this final point is constantly rammed home, and while Moodysson's intentions are honorable, the successful portrayal of the characters makes this effort unnecessary.

Although not a Dogme film (see note below), the film's homespun production adds a quasi-documentary feel to the proceedings. The camera is often plonked in the centre of a room while events unfold around it, the simplicity of such direction working to differentiate the film from the rapid-fire editing found in most new releases.

Whilst the new-age community is lovingly portrayed, the negative effects such a lack of structure has on the children present is noticed as a poignant aside. Still, not once are we lectured, just shown that every path has its pitfalls and that these need to be navigated effectively for any journey to be successful. Affectionate without being sappy, humorous without being mocking, Together is a deceptively tight exploration of family dynamics, with a healthy dose of balanced social commentary thrown in for good measure.

FYI: The Dogme Manifesto, written by Lars Von Trier and collaborators, was a reaction to an artform that was becoming too deceptive and flashy. Namely, cinema. The Dogme manifesto is all about stripping back the falsity of cinema, and allowing characters to develop their own narrative. All shooting is done on location, only natural light and sound can be used, all action must be real..

 

 

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