Product Description

Studio: Strand Releasing Release Date: 04/06/2006

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26656 in DVD
• Brand: DAHLSTROM/LILJEBERG
• Released on: 2000-10-31
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Swedish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 89 minutes

Customer Reviews

So real, it hurts
Show Me Love, also known under the 10 times better foreign title of F**king Amal (isn't there some sort of statute of limitations on Puritanism?), is an incredibly frank and naturalistic story about what it is like to be 14, in love, and trapped in a one horse town. The fact that the movie is based in Sweden and focuses on a relationship between two girls does nothing to harm the universal appeal of this intelligent and remarkably well-crafted film. The director, Lukas Moodysson, has such a fine eye for the day to day minutiae of the teen years you will recognize many of the film's best moments whether you are from Lubbock, TX or a place like Amal, Sweden. Alexandra Dahlstrom plays Agnes, a retiring teen who has only one outcast friend even though she has lived in Amal for three years (a fate made more acute by the fact that rumor has it she is a lesbian.) Agnes is of course in love, Who wasn't at 14?, with the most popular girl at school Elin (Liljeberg). One night Elin kisses Agnes to fulfil a cruel dare, and she discovers to her surprise that it wasn't all that bad. Elin reacts to this shock by taking up with a doltish boy to show how "normal" she really is. The resolution to this tangle is not the standard simplistic run down you would get from a Hollywood movie. Throughout the film you are constantly reminded that kids are cruel, even the ones you might be rooting for, and that life is filled with unexpected turns. Overall, a terrific movie that deserves to be seen by more people.

A Beautiful, Charming little movie!
I just happened to catch this movie on Cinemax one night while randomly flipping thru the channels. I was immediately struck not only by the cinemetography, which lends a gritty realism to the film, but just by the sheer HONESTY of the movie.. The shy akwardness of falling in love and being with a lover...the catty banter between sisters,dealing with parents, the angst of high school and of being an outcast, going to parties, and of course, dealing with boys who have yet to mature...Everyhing about this movie is THE TRUTH, the characters' emotions, the dialogue...when u watch this movie, you realize these kids could be from NJ , or Paris or anywhere..kids are kids. I was also struck by the performances of the cast in general, but also of the two leads who played Elin and Agnes...I dont know how the director got such honest and nuanced performances from actresses so young, but he did a good job of it..Maybe, its because their teen years arent so far behind , lol...but I think its more to do with sheet talent. Of course, the fact that the two leads are female and fall in love leads to the movie being automatically labled a a lesbian film, but I dont think thats the case. The movie is purely and simply, a love story that anyone, man or woman can relate to. In fact, I challenge anyone to watch this movie and not fall madly in love with it itself! Definitely a must see for all the hopeless romantics out there!

A seriously excellent film
Show me Love (nee "F****** Amal) is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of early teenage life other than Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse, except with more tenderness and heart. I would not categorize this film as a "lesbian" movie because the story could have been about a heterosexual couple and it still would have maintained its emotional grab on the viewer.

The two leads' acting was very naturalistic. It was almost like watching a documentary; that's how brutally and unsparingly this film and its team of talented young actors capture the realities of the teenage social scene and the pain and contradiction of being in love and being a teenager. The two leads actually looked 15, unlike movies in which 26 year olds play high school students.

I was very impressed by the tenderness between Agnes and Elin. When they kiss, emotional fireworks go off. The setup and payoff of that single kiss is so well-earned and glorious that it was worthy of applause.

the story may seem cliche, but the execution is far from it. Agnes is a dark-haired, depressed, brooding youth. She knows she's gay. Elin, on the other hand, is popular and blonde, and jokingly says "I'm going to be a lesbian when I grow up." It's not long before we realize that that statement holds more power than we thought.

During Agnes's disastrously painful birthday party (complete with Solondz'esque teenage cruelty) she gets to know Elin in a sort of ironic, yet ultimately realistic way. Elin does a cruel homophobic thing to Agnes after being pressured by her "friend." Just as Agnes is slitting her wrists as a result of the mean joke, Elin comes back to give a heartfelt apology. The two strike up a chemistry together and it is because of this chemistry that their relationship so brilliant and full and wonderful.

I really like this movie, and am usually pretty critical of dialogue-heavy movies shot on DV. But the heart and intelligence of the script and acting make this movie very powerful; the oversaturated ugliness of the DV give the documentary feel and is perfectly appropriate for a story about people in a town and environment (Amal, Sweden) that they find hideous in every way.

Show me Love is a movie that might be overlooked. If you have an opportunity to see it, don't pass it up!