Tillsammans

If you've ever suspected that Pippi Longstocking was a capitalist pig, Lukas Moodysson's film is for you. Set in Stockholm in 1975, this revisiting of those not so halcyon good ol' days brings us up close and extremely personal with a cast of appealing characters living close to their ideals while remaining quite human. Apparently communal life isn't all vegan dinners, late-night Marxist dialectics, and Joni Mitchell singalongs-even in Sweden. The film beautifully records the residents' foibles through the eyes of their children, who serve as the group's conscience. A disturbing, funny, moving and ultimately upbeat look at the utopia we all hoped could exist.

Göran is making porridge. For some reason this prompts him to deliver an improvised musing on the theme of Life Is Like a Bowl of Porridge, which goes roughly as follows: "We start as individual oat flakes, each with an individual shape; then we're heated and mixed and we start to blend together with all the other oat flakes; we're no longer oat flakes, but we're part of something larger - something warm, nutritious, and, yes, beautiful." Göran says this as though he's trying to convince himself. And no wonder. The porridge the camera reveals to us looks like repellent glomp.

And up until that point - well, up until a little before that point; the film's arc is like a long walk up a very gentle hill and it's hard to pick the precise moment at which we make it to the top - the collective seemed just as much a dollop of repellent glomp as the porridge. There were too many people too close together, the windows were never open, and for long stretches we never stepped outside, never even caught a glimpse of the outside. Every single room looked and felt as though it were buried in the very centre of the house. It was like living in a fetid warren, and it made me long for something cold and impersonal.

But even as we're gasping to escape we're being won over. In the end the film really IS warm, and it's the pleasing warmth of a fireplace rather than clammy warmth of porridge. The joyousness Moodysson concludes with grew so naturally out of what preceded it that the glow it casts is retrospective. I can't recall a single moment which I don't NOW (having seen the whole thing) recall with fondness.

The LOOK of the film is, in a quiet way, astonishing, except that it's so convincing you forget to be astonished. You'd swear it was shot in the 1970s. (When I saw the trailer I thought was watching an ad for the reissue of a movie that HAD been shot in the 1970s.) This is as great a triumph of art direction as any you're likely to see.

Together is a story of human relationship. As one character says at one point in the film, "I'd rather eat porridge together than pork chops alone", and that is the recurring message throughout the film. Our story takes place in a commune in 1975, which is called, you guessed it, 'Together'. The commune serves as the crux of the movie; it's the centre of the film, and the people that inhabit it are what surrounds the central habitat. The film really starts when Elisabeth has a fight with her husband and leaves him, with the kids to live at the commune, which is owned by her brother; the far too kind, Goran. From there, the film just takes off; the multiple personalities that inhabit the commune are each allowed to grow and be nurtured by the audience, no one character is similar to another and they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Just like he did in his masterpiece; Show Me Love, Lukas Moodysson creates characters here that are real and that we therefore are able to feel for and like for being people, as opposed to just because they're the central characters. It's this realism that gives Together its edge over most other human dramas, such as In America or Whale Rider.

Lukas Moodysson delivers a film here that works on a multitude of levels. The moments of drama are spot on, and because each of the characters gets to develop and we get to know them, it makes the drama more powerful than it would have been if this were not true. It's amazing, actually, just how many characters Moodysson is able to juggle in this film. In many films with a lot of characters, some end up being left by the wayside and not having a chance to shine but all the ones here do, and that is a testament to Moodysson's writing abilities. The acting on display here is an exhibition in excellence, and nothing that the actors do in the film feels odd or out of place. It's almost like watching a real commune. Just like he did with Show Me Love, Moodysson has opted for a gritty style to his film, which doesn't make the film look nice, but it does give it a very rough edge, which is what the film needs; it wouldn't have been the same with an aesthetically pleasing feel. Moodysson's direction in the film is very detached and it almost feels like a documentary. This is a good thing, as with this Moodysson allows the audience to make their own mind up about what is happening on the screen. He never piles on the sentiment, or condones or discourages any of the acts in the film; they're just they're, and you can choose whether they are moral or amoral; which is exactly how a drama of this ilk should be.

Overall, Together is an excellent piece of film. The character development and the way that the characters are handled alone makes it a must see, but the excellence doesn't end there. Moodysson has created a film here that is as entertaining as anything you're likely to see and with a definite message. Moodysson can make rubbish for the rest of his life and still be warmly remembered for this and Show Me Love.

This is one of those films that, if I'd encountered it late one night on TV, I might have given up after the first ten minutes. That would have been a big mistake.

In the early part of the film it is often difficult to sympathise with some of the characters who live in the Tillsammans Commune, even though their antics are frequently funny. It doesn't take long to figure out that you aren't (necessarily) supposed to like some of the characters or what they get up to. The title is very clever inasmuch as it describes the film perfectly on a number of levels. The commune is called Together and the sub-plots within the film are all about how people live together. This could easily be trivial if not downright icky if it was an American film but there's very little of the sentimental cloying stuff you find in mainstream films. It strikes me in some ways as being very like the situation you find in the best-written fantasy and science fiction books (and thrillers and many other novels but not "serious" novels); having a real family is not about blood and relationships, it's about finding your family of choice. And that's what the characters in this film manage and it's all down with a great deal of humour and affection for the 70s, the period in which it's set.

I believe that in this film Moodysson has achieved the task he seems to claim he often attempts – that is to both defend and attack something with equal vigour. So even though you can see the satire of the wilder political and feminist viewpoints explored here, you can also see how seriously the director has taken the ideas and shown how they positively influence the "family" that coalesces by the end of the film.

But beyond the analysis of what the film may or may not be about it has to be said that this is a joyous film. You would have to be dead not to enjoy the jokes and always perfect use of music. By the end you can't help but have a silly grin all over your face and you may well find yourself questioning, as I did, why you waste so much time watching so many inferior American films

This film offers a slice of life, plain and simple. The writing is so subtle and the performances are so realistic that you start thinking you're watching a documentary about life in an actual commune during the seventies in Sweden. The film is incredibly funny but also tragic, moving and honest. It's one of those cinematic journeys that show you the humor and the darkness, the weight and the ridiculousness of our mundane existence; it's a film that finds excitement in the little things (that are actually the big things once you take a closer look). A true gem of a film and a wonderful, rich experience that leaves you with a smile on your face and more insight into the human condition. 9 stars out of 10.

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495