Review of Together

Introduction

‘f***ing Amal’ introduced a certain, rather too small portion of the film-viewing public to the talents of Swedish director Lukas Moodysson. It was a peculiar, likeable, but not completely persuasive first feature. So, there’s a lot riding on the follow up, ‘Together’, an ensemble bittersweet comedy/drama about a Swedish commune in the late 70s, just as the vitality of idealism is melting into the dogmatic drudgery of stale rhetoric and hollow optimism. Admirably, Moodysson masters a mediating tone between mourning the loss of a shared sense of communal spirit (if not the politics) while at the same time allowing us to strongly relate to the frustrations of the children whose hopes are thwarted at every moment by their parents’ ideological convictions.

Video

A strong anamorphic print, the dark scenes are handled well and although there are some traces of grain in the transfer, the colours are strong and the image sharp.

Audio

A Swedish stereo track (fortunately accompanied by subtitles). The film is dialogue driven, with Abba bleeding out of the soundtrack, so anything more advanced than this is really uncalled for.

Features

Cute, rather exotic animated menus conceal no extras of any interest: an interesting but frustratingly brief text interview with Moodysson, a short biography and an all too esoteric theatrical trailer, that will ensure this rather delightful film receives the smallest niche audience possible.

Conclusion

A warm, affectionate, but not too sweet story that poignantly captures both the confusion and convictions of its assembled characters. Moodysson’s propensity for crash zooms and ragged editing belie a cinematic craft of considerable skill, even elegance; as he manages to balance both a coherent sense of community and a feel for the singular, often complicated relationships that exist between the individuals within it.

Admittedly, it feels at times that Moodysson is striving too hard to play towards a feel-good sensibility that often colours the more complex issues of the film. The jabs at ‘square’ society are mostly just infantile, and the sequences devoted to the all-too private breakdown of Rolf (Michael Nyqvist), risk unbalancing the story. The film is strongest when it stays in the commune, and Moodysson creates a hermetic and convincing environment for his excellent ensemble cast to play out the messy, funny and rather charming story of mutual need, simple pleasures and the fumblings of human experience that really can’t stand the rigors of an overly politicized atmosphere.