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Director Lukas Moodysson's Show Me Love is an eerily accurate commentary on 1990s teenagers in small-towns in Sweden. In fact, it's accurate almost to the point of being mistaken for Reality. It is above all other things a love story, exploring the relationship of two closet-lesbians girls at a modern High School. Many people thought Show Me Love was worth checking out for its bizarre premise alone, but only a few minutes into the movie you can tell that it is one of the most grounded, realistic portrayals in European cinema.

The dialog, for one, is fantastically realistic and blunt and this makes Show Me Love a very subtle film; it shows things exactly the way they are, down to the very recognizable expressions that the teenagers use and the awkwardness of interacting at that age. It criticizes stereotypes and socioeconomic classes and makes a point without preaching and this is something that is extremely rare in Hollywood cinema and that you can perhaps appreciate more in international films.

The film is not devoid of High School stereotypes, but they are much more subtle than you'd find in the average, American mainstream high school flick. There is no distinct jock, no perfect prom-queen and no nerd. Instead you have the seemingly popular girl, Elin (Alexandra Dahlström), who in fact struggle with many things, including her sexuality and somewhat Emo (although the term "Emo" wasn't coined yet) girl, Agnes, who is anything but popular and has mountains of worries. These two teenagers find a connection and an attraction that is entirely inappropriate. They fall in love.

Elin and Agnes are extremely likable characters; Elin despite her constant need for attention and her popular status, and Agnes despite her sometimes whiny depression. What they have in common is that they're both fundamentally lonely young girls who are fed up with their places in life, and in Åmål—("Why do we have to live here?") probably the most boring city in Scandinavia.

Show Me Love is one of my favorite movies for its simplicity. No fancy editing, no effects, no flashy lightning or anything even remotely out-of-place. In this sense, it follows many rules of Dogme 95 film-making. It just stays true to the gloomy, boring, small town that is Åmål. But don't let this scare you off, because this is not a depressing movie – it is a delightful and warming film with heart.

It's true that this is a great love/friendship story, but the setting is what makes it brilliant. It is about the frustration of feeling like you are stuck somewhere that you hate, which of course applies to both the isolated small town and the state of mind for someone treated like an outcast. The original Swedish title, F-ing Amal, is exactly the idea that serves as the driving force is in this picture. I understand why it was changed for the English speaking audience, but a better English title would have preserved that sentiment, something like "This awful place" or "Get me out of Amal." "Show me Love" puts too much emphasis on the lesbian aspect of the film, which to me seemed only a detail in the greater portrait of life in the middle of nowhere.

That scene in the car. That scene brought back every hope and dream I could remember as a 15 year old in love with a girl in my class I would never have. It was a validation of all those wonderful daydreams you had at that age and the hope that sprung from them. It was a moment that would send that pang in your heart to heights it's never known.

You're never in love like you are at that age - and when you watch a film like this where you can become so completely involved in the life and emotions of a girl like Agnes - and see her greatest hope realized after a day of humiliation and pain - your heart soars. In fact, I can't think of a moment in a movie that is as perfect as this one.

There's a universal quality to the feelings this film evokes that will pull in everyone who has a heart. I'm many years beyond high school - and of the opposite sex of the two protagonists in the film - and I still can't help but identify completely with this movie. Much of this has to do with the two actresses in the lead roles. Where did this director find these two phenomenal actresses? Rebecca Liljeberg has such a quiet and powerful range. Watching her react to other characters is one of the great pleasures of this film. Alexandra Dahlström takes a role that, in anyone else's hands would be either shallow or unbearable, and makes a character so complete, beautifully vulnerable and full of life you can understand why everyone loves her. These two girls - they are so wonderful, expressive and real you just want to hug them.

I saw this film when it came to New York, loved it then when i saw it once during what seemed like only a two week run, then recently remembered it and rented it. I have seen it 5 times since and I'm sure I'll see it many times more. It is a film that transcends gender, sexual orientation and age.

And for all you English language folks out there (I'm one of you), the subtitles will not be a drawback. In fact, watching this film in it's native language brings you even closer to these characters when you realize how familiar life is as a human being, no matter where we're from. How much we all have in common when it comes to matters of the heart. It's a nice little extra to be reminded of, since it's something we sometimes tend to forget.

My praise cannot be more genuine, heartfelt and complete. Get this film. Your day will be made by it. You'll be telling your friends about it. In a busy life where there's a lot of distraction, you'll remember for a moment how wonderful it is to be alive and in love - and how that's worth everything in the world.

For me, when watching this movie, one has to keep in mind any other teen-love movies you might have seen. Heck, ALL teen movies are fair game. Then, when watching this movie, notice how those other movies begin to crumble under their own stupidity, and jump off large cliffs like celluloid lemmings. Now THAT'S great filmmaking. Great films go straight for the jugular of other films; thinning out the herd.

Fucking Åmål takes adolescence, and instead of portraying how wonderfully blissful it all was, it shows how it was a time in everyone's life for over-dramatizing and acting mostly petty. But then, out of these ashes rises something that was great about those awkward years: love. Because you didn't stop being dramatic when it came to love, but you celebrated it. Like the characters in this movie, everyone who fell in love in high school spent time brooding over class pictures, or waited by the phone for that one call. Moodysson uses the scenes at the school and the parties to allow viewers to reflect on how awkward and cruel being in high school was. But instead of carrying this effect into the lovely land of high school crushes, he instead raises them up on a pedastal. It made me wonder if i can't love like that again: with no hesitation, no complications, and with all my heart.

What makes this film great though (and not just good) is by bringing the issue of homosexuality into it, but he slowly begins to make the issue hazy and unclear so that it no longer becomes an issue except for the less developed, and unliked, characters in the film. By the end of the movie, it doesn't matter that Agnes and Elin are to GIRLS in love, but that they are two girls in LOVE. In an age where media has transformed homosexuality into more about sexuality and less about love, Moodysson flips the scales. By the end of the movie, you start to realize that Agnes isn't a lesbian, because that title is worthless. She's just a person who loves. She celebrates what she finds beautiful (Elin). Of course, Elin is the main character of the film because she is the one who changes and matures. She elevates herself out of the social stratosphere of high school lunches, and into a world without personal boundries.

Last, one has to admire the fact that Moodysson doesn't take the film over the edge, and make it too much about how girls need to look for love just amongst themselves because all teenage boys are immature. First, he portrays most all of the other kids (regardless of sex) as immature except for Agnes and Elin, not just boys in particular. Then, he allows the viewer to sympathize with Johan. Johan maybe confused and unsure of himself, but he was just as much in love with Elin as Agnes was. How easy it might have been to make him mean, stupid, and worthless, so that viewers would be happy to see Elin flee him and go to Agnes. But he's not, he's kind-hearted and genuinely seems to care about Elin. Once again, this is Moodysson using love to blind the issue of heterosexualty and homosexuality and concentrate on love itself.

Definitely a movie for the romantic, and one that will teach you how to correctly fall in love again.

I just have to leave my own praise for this wonderful film. No other film has ever touched me this way, and I don't think anything will ever surpass this.

Maybe it's because Lukas Moodysson and I share so much common values (Morrissey, obsession with teenage-romances and protective attitude towards that phase of life that is easily forgotten or denied.). As a 24 year old male I cannot watch this with dry eyes and I have seen this about 9 times. Rebecka Liljeberg's desperate eyes, thoroughly true blurted dialog, awkward silences and perfect resurrection for that old Foreigner song that doesn't fit into either of main character's musical taste, but will remain so important to them anyway... oh..

I raise my glass of chocolate milk for this achingly beautiful movie, without this my own past would be more dark and forgotten, but you, Lukas, Alexandra, Rebecka and the rest have reminded me what love is all about and why it's still worth seeking.

It's not just a good movie, it's one of those rare certainly good things on earth.

"Fucking Åmål" is one of the most hyped movies in Sweden (1998). It is also something as rare as a film that actually lives up to the hype. With a language that perfectly illustrates how young people in Sweden talk today, a natural dialogue, and a charming and totally believable story, the script is masterfully written by Lukas Moodysson. The young cast acts flawlessly and I am particularly impressed by Rebecca Liljeberg and Alexandra Dahlström.

Is "Fucking Åmål" a masterpiece -- the best Swedish movie ever made? According to me it is not, but it is certainly a great film; I have seen it many times.

If you believe that movies can change or really add something to make you look at life and its challenges in a different way, this movie is undoubtedly one of those which do change things! Unlike the most other movies FA moves in a mostly pure and true way. There's barely heart-melting music to evoke emotions, but strong intensity. Watching the movie, you want it to go on forever, and when it's over, you nevertheless feel perfect happiness because you've witnessed life as it is: wonderful, sad, funny and challenging. The scene when the girls want to go to Stockholm is one of the most wonderful scenes I've ever seen. An absolutely cold atmosphere and the chilly night seem to have expelled life from this little city in the middle of nowhere, but the glances of Elin and Agnes and their few words are as alive as possible. The few seconds in the car are as if they had already succeeded in getting out of their emotional misery, as if they were in Stockholm, and yet the surroundings are still the same, the same unbearable cold light and the same endless darkness beyond the street. It's not the spot that is different, but the girls themselves. For a moment they feel the enormous strength of life and love. For a moment they know where they belong to. For a moment everything is perfect. I'm in love with that scene. Sometimes words can be beautiful, sometimes authors strike divine chords, sometimes painters create mystery and dreams, but only movies can unite movements and words, glances and silence. A smile and the hurting silence, one single word spoken with the glance of love. Movies can have such an incredible power, but rarely do they get by using it. FA does! It changes, maybe it changes things of which I didn't even know they exist, there's possibly not even a word to name them. This movie is just pure, and no rational explanation or critic can keep up with its emotional intensity. Don't understand it, love it!

I like small films. This one is a tiny film. Everything from the setting (small, small town) to the plot (girl loves girl in small, small town) to the graininess of the video and the natural light and "whatever we hand at hand"-props, this runs the risk of looking like a real amateur productions. Instead, Moodyson manages to make it look like someone with a camcorder just filmed the real-life story happening around him.

Elin performs the fickle, restless teen brilliantly, Agnes does some wonderful face acting (although she is a little too radiant to convince me that he's the frumpy nerd she's made out to be), but my medal of honor goes to the parents.

For once, we are treated to movie moms and dads who are neither ridiculously idolized and always saying the right thing, nor grotesque "meet the fokkers"-esquire parodies of embarrassment or cruelty. These parents want to do what's right for their kids, but they don't always know what to do, what to say or how to say it. They miss all the Hollywood moments of saying something a team of scriptwriters have been tweaking for a month for maximal tearjerker effect. They try their best, that's all, just like real-life parents. And that's refreshing to me.

A nice flick. Watch it if you feel like a bit of light euro-culture with subtitles.

I'd got negative feedback from my friends concerning this movie. They said it was disappointing and that it did not live up to the hype. I couldn't disagree more. I thought it was beautiful. The way Moodyson captured the essence of the movie I thought was stunning. It's all about love. They being lesbians made it even more compelling IMO. I was stunned by the greatness of the movie. I hadn't hoped for much, but I could recognize myself in the movie. Agnes' parents were masterfully portrayed. Her mother was just that too caring and annoying. Her father was the "American" voice of reason, but the way Agnes reacted to him was IMO realistic. I loved the movie, and thought it was one of the best movies I've ever seen. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have been wasting my time at 5am writing about it. That's probably the greatest compliment I can give it. I think I've fallen in love with the protagonists. :-) Neuf points. Not many movies make my cry -and- laugh at he same time. This one did.

Ooops ... That was my first reaction of this film when I had seen it. The second was a smile. The third was "This film is really great!". I usually don´t enjoy Swedish films since I have a hard time taking them for real. But this film did get to me. It´s kind of a youth film that tells you that you should stand up for who you are and what you think, but it´s also a film about giving into for what you know is right. Well anyway don´t take my word for it but go and see it yourself. It´s one of the highlights on the screen right now!

The sixteen years old Agnes Ahlberg (Rebecca Liljeberg) has been living in the small Swedish town of Åmål with her family for one year and half, but she has no friends. She secretly loves her popular school mate Elin Olsson (Alexandra Dahlström), a girl bored with the lack of perspective of Åmål. In Agnes's birthday party, Elin kisses her and changes their lives.

Yesterday I saw the masterpiece "Lilja 4-Ever" and I decided to know a little more about the work of director Lukas Moodysson watching "Fucking Åmål". I am really impressed with the sensitivity of this director. "Fucking Åmål" is a delightful romance with an unusual theme – lesbianism. In the hands of another director, this story could be heavy, or explore sexual situations. However, it flows naturally, very sweet, making the viewer cheers for the success of the romance between Agnes and Elin. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Amigas de Colégio" ("School Friends")

I can´t believe what I am reading! I usually don´t comment movies, especially when I don´t like them, but for this movie I have to make an exception. At first I have to say, I live in Sweden, and I do not like this place to put it in mild terms, so Swedish movies in general scare the living daylights out of me. People outside of Sweden probably can´t understand the media-hype that surrounded the release of this film, and it was #1 at the box office for months and months. Now I have avoided this film for the above mentioned reasons, until tonight when it was aired on TV. And what I saw was far worse than I could ever have imagined. Lukas Moodyson shoots as if he was filming with a homevideo camera! And those quick zooms! HOW is it possible to make a film look less professional? Now Sweden is a gay-liberal,socialist society, so I can understand why the story of two young lesbians, with suicidal intentions ect ect, (and I must add that Sweden has the highest suicidal rate in the world according to population) hit the heart of Sweden, but how can people from Canada, Australia, USA amongst others, relate to this film!? It amazes me! In every Swedish teenage flick, we have to suffer socialisticly twisted plots, about poor teens in the suburbs with alcoholic parents and drug problems ect ect, and I sadly have to report to those of you who thought otherwise, that this is the most cliché approach one can express in a Swedish film. Moodysson doesnt change that perspective very much, just feeds it more, and all of Sweden applauds it since he also chose to portay a cute little lesbian couple aswell. Moodyson is now, after 1 movie (!) considered in Sweden as the new Ingmar Bergman, actually I can understand why, its just the thought horrifies me deeply. The main resaon so many Swedes relate to this film, is that over 80% over the population lives is such small dreadful places as Åmål, and teens in these towns have nothing else to do but hang outside the hotdog-stand and drink alcohol, and have casual sexual encounters with each other, so surely I can understand why so many relate to it. I only wonder, should´nt there be more to life? Should´nt people WANT more out of life? In Sweden, the answer is. NO.

This is the movie I've been waiting over 30 years to see. Although it takes place in a small town in Sweden it could have been a small town in Pennsylvania, where I spent the majority of my teenage years. Growing up gay in a small town is obviously a different experience for everyone but for most people it's not a time that conjures up joyous memories.

Although Sweden is considered to be a more tolerant country, having spent a year there as an exchange student I didn't feel any more comfortable about being gay there than in Pennsylvania. It wasn't until several years after living there that I finally came out and telling my Swedish friends was just as difficult as it was telling anyone else. I say this not for those who have seen the film but for those who haven't and might not because they may be put off by foreign films. Although I was once fluent in Swedish and always enjoy hearing it spoken, I've unfortunately forgotten enough that I relied heavily on the subtitles just as most people will. I've watched it twice in three days and will watch it many times more because it's the first movie about gay teens that left me with a smile on my face and a warmth in my heart. The teens in this movie have it better than I did but not unrealistically so. It's true and honest and very real. It's not easy being a teenager but it's too often unbearble being a gay teenager. This movie captures the essence of what it is to be a teenager, gay or straight. For gay teens I hope it will give you hope and show that you're not so different. For straight teens I hope you'll see that we're not so different.

When it came out (hah!), I saw it three times in the cinema. I've seen it countless times after that, and I was still just as blown away today. The acting, the characters and the realness of it all: it is the best Swedish movie ever made.

This movie has most of the things that a typical teen movie always has: archetype characters, feel-good ending, a huge score to reinforce emotional response.

But it does it much better from the acting (not Disney robots), to the cast (not all perfect beatiful people, just normal people), to the score and script and dialogue.

It is very good and very likeable and sweet (I watched it 10/15 years ago and I still remember a lot of it and how I felt after watching it).

When Fucking Åmål was showing in the theaters here in Sweden there was a lot of press and talk about how great this movie about teenagers in a small town was. I was quite sceptical so I didn't catch it at the cinemas, but I rented the VHS today. Well... My scepticism proved quite wrong, and I laughed more or less through the entire movie. The director and writer of this movie certainly did catch the spirit of teenage life in a small town down, more or less, to the last atom. Add to this formula, good acting and great camera work done in a semi-guerilla way, with handcameras etc.

The storyline is teenage life in a small town in Sweden, and the subplot which the movie spins around is two young girls, whom by happenstance get involved with each other. Since all the people in the movie are teenagers, lesbian love is abit strange and not exactly socially accepted. The dialogue in the movie is brilliant. This kind of teenage dialogue even surpasses the one in 'Dazed and Confused'.

Go see this movie, no matter if you live in USA, Germany or Sweden.

"I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS" by FOREIGNER? how could this overblown 80's ballad soundtrack one of the most touching and romantic scenes of the last few years and work,well that what makes F**king AMAL,Lukas Moodysson debut film his most joyous and heartfelt film, it's his greatest film(yes, even better then Lilya 4-ever and Together)but in my opinion his most underrated too.

What makes this is best film, well for starters this movie has probably the best teenage cast ever and not a single twenty something like in Amercian teen movies are in sight, the leads Alexandra Dahlstrom as Elin has the toughest part as her character changes from selfish cool girl into lovelorn girl who'll throw it all away for love, she's great as Elin and hasn't really since F**king Amal been able to escape Elin and has been typecast in films since, and last i hear-ed is starring in a dutch soap,pity as she has talent.But for me she overshadowed by Rebecka Liljiberg as Agnes, the best parts of the movie are the first 42 minutes when its mostly Agnes and Elin and the last ten minutes when they come out of the closet and the o'boy scene, but between then Rebecka is kind of pushed to the side and the film suffers when she's not around, she pulls are heart strings and never lets go, for example the way she acts with her face reminds me of Anna Karina in her early Godard roles especially in the scene when Elin kisses her and then finds out it was a joke,so sad that it made this grown guy cry.She 's so great in this film like Alexandra she hasn't really produced anything to match her role here and has become a mother of two and a doctor but come on hasn't any top director not seen these two girls and not want to hire them.

Moodysson shouldn't be ignored either his screenplay is the best written about teenagers and parents too.The dogma style camera work is excellent too and keeps it fresh and kind of cool.

So what keeps this film from been a ten star film well as Rebecka is perfect in her role as a loner it's just a pity that she is so cute and good looking and in my eyes actually better looking then Alexandra,that you just don't buy her as a outcast but thats being too picky.Also the film is way too short that you wished had at least another twenty minutes added onto it as some plot lines hadn't been wrapped up,Did Jessica dump MArkus and get with Johan,Did Agnes forgive her mother,The coming out to the parents would have been a interesting storyline, it wouldn't have harmed the film in my eyes.

Although F**king Amal won Four Swedish Oscars and bet TITANIC at the box-office, it hasn't traveled too well outside Sweden compared to Moodysson following two films for starters it took six years to reach these shores as a d.v.d and only as a part of the Moodysson Box Set,also Moodysson himself hasn't exactly been kind to the film that gave him a career in the film industry he's been dismissive of it in interviews over the years also he is probably living in the shadow of his debut film in Sweden and probably hates the fact that his arty films haven't done as well.

This is his film that will stand as his most commercial and enjoyable film to date and if he goes on making unsuccessful films box office wise he might have to return to his first film and make a sequel which i'm hoping for.

Lukas Moodysson's career intrigues because he started with light fare like this one, then after the more serious Tillsammans / Together came with the very bleak Lilya 4-ever and went a little overboard with his uncompromising Ett hål i mitt hjärta / A hole in my heart which is so extreme it can almost only be seen at film festivals. They all have in common that they have their heart at the right place and are all socially engaged. Whatever the form the message is still a positive one.

Fuc*ing Åmål (funny to see the reaction at the box-office after pronouncing the title as if you're entering a porn movie and strange that IMDb states the full title but censors us in using it) started it all and has the grainy look we're familiar with from Dogme-movies. The sociology of high school is well presented and because all of us have gone through this it is easy to identify with any of the characters. The positive message is simply to be yourself no matter what others might think (which often takes courage).

On repeated viewings this offers little extras. This is not a movie where you keep on discovering things or layers in the story.

Wow... I usually hate romance movies but this one was fantastic! For a start it's totally devoid of Hollywood-style mush and "swelling strings" music. It's very down-to-earth, with a (for once!) realistic portrayal of teenage life, and believable, interesting characters. The acting ranges from good to stunning, Liljeberg giving the best performance I've seen...well, ever (it doesn't hurt that she's very pretty too). And it's very refreshing to see a film about lesbians that doesn't sensationalise the topic.

A great feelgood movie, with just enough grittiness to stop me feeling sick like I do in so many US (and British) films. As soon as it finished I legged it downstairs to order the DVD (not available in the UK! WHY??!!).

"Show Me Love" tells of two Swedish teen girls who wrestle with their developing sexuality and feelings for one another eventually coming out of the closet....the water closet. On the downside "SML" is only of mediocre technical quality with graininess, poor color, poor subtitling, etc. On the upside, the film makes it's case for strength through love, even homosexual love, realistically avoiding gratuitous sex scenes, etc. as it shows the protagonists dealing with parents and peers and themselves. Should be a nominal watch for "straights" and an enjoyable watch for "gays".

Well I finally went to see this movie with a few friends since it 'arrived' to our small town's crappy movie theater just recently. About time! So as you can expect being born and having lived my entire life in a small town where everyone knows your business better than yourself (you know what I'm talking about), I could relate to this movie in that sense. Basically it's just a story about bored young people with nothing much developing or creative to do in their little ***ked up town, so they just kill time drinking booze, going to lame parties and just hanging out on the streets, even though they'd rather wanna do something else. But what that 'something' is they don't really yet know.

A small town with prejudiced minds, teenaged angst, peer pressure, dating issues/problems, and general annoyance about how things always seem to be the same old same old **it. And why nothing -ANYTHING- interesting ever takes place in our community!! I think we've all been there. ;)

This movie's pretty much as realistic as a movie can be without turning into a documentary. Hugely raved about by the critics is a fact that always make me _really_ suspicious, but in this case at least they were pretty much right. It is indeed a great entertaining movie that's not to be viewed as some 'lesbian love' movie. It's even a tad annoying and superficial but hey, that's how your life was when you were in that age.' Elin' and 'Agnes' act well and so does Agnes' whole family. Other characters' acting is pretty standard.

If you're already post-teen (hehe!) this is your chance in taking a trip down to memory lane and realizing how boring and frustrating teenagers' life really was back then when you were young kid. At least I'm satisfied that those days are behind... if not entirely forgotten. ;) In case you just wanna check out if there's some hot nudity and love scenes, don't waste your time. Rent a blue movie for that. This movie really isn't that shocking, but it's simply fun to watch!

By far the best Swedish movie I've ever seen. ;)