Tillsammans (Together)

Introduction

Short synopsis

Swedish poster

The collision of these two worlds sets off a drama that will change their lives.

Tilsammans – Together is a film about people trying to live together. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't. It's about love and divorce and family happiness and family unhappiness and about children and adults and friendship and sex and football.

Webmaster's first impressions

While I watched Fucking Åmål – Show Me Love without any prior expectations I did approach the cinema with quite a lot of expectations when I went to see Lukas Moodysson's new film Tillsammans aka Together Saturday November 4, 2000. And my expections were in many ways answered.

There is definitely no need to worry that you'll be disappointed of this film. Allthough it's a different film than Fucking Åmål – Show Me Love, you'll recognise Moodyssons's style (filming, zooming, cutting, panning). Just the feeling when ABBA's SOS and Nazareth's Love Hurts fades up are so amazing that it in itself can be enough. I understood this would be a great film when we watch Elisabeth, Eva and Stefan leave and Rolf is left alone and then ABBA's SOS fades up. A reviewer in a Norwegian newspaper said that these rather simple pop lyrics here sounds like great lyrical poetry. Like many reviewers also states Lukas Moodysson has a special passion for the children in this film and their troublesome situation in this collective, who is hurt by the adults political point of view (allthough I personally would disagree with them in some cases...). This film has more funny scenes than Fucking Åmål – Show Me Love, but most of them can be seen for different views and some scenes are very emotional. There are a bigger number of people in this film, and it can take a while to distance them from each other and even longer to remember all the names. You don't get to know them as good as in Fucking Åmål – Show Me Love, but I don't feel they are drawn too simple, like some reviewers said. The acting is never painful, but always natural. Some questions are never answered; you feel like this is a short glimpse of the incidents in the collective during some days. I think people could love Tillsammans – Together just as much as Fucking Åmål – Show Me Love, but then a bit older people. Teenagers won't have the same background to recognise themselves in this film, allthough the theme really is the same... love, people, childhood, finding yourself...

Review

The review is still hosted on an external site (kp). Currently only available in Norwegian.

Cast & Crew

Director Lukas Moodysson, producer Lars Jönsson and their team at Memfis Film has once again joined great filmmakers and actors to create another great film. Below they tell about their own parts in the film.

Lisa Lindgren (Elisabeth)
Elisabeth is a housewife who lives with her family, Rolf, Eva and Stefan in Hägersten (a suburb of Stockholm). She loves her husband, but longs to work and to grow, to see something else... And she gets to do that...

Michael Nyqvist (Rolf)
Rolf is left alone when his wife and children move to the commune. He doesn't really know how to deal with his feelings and ends up drinking. When he meets Birger who also knows what loneliness is, he gets help to act.

Gustaf Hammarsten (Göran)
Göran is an overoptimistic, conflict-shy pacifist with Gandhi as his guiding light. He thinks well of everyone and would rather suffer than speak out. He tries to be there for everyone and often ends up caught between two different wills. He always tries to compromise. He has a good heart!

Anja Lundqvist (Lena)
Lena is together with Göran in the film, they try to live in an open relationship. Lena is an extremely emotional person. She never thinks things through before acting. Lena just happens to be a hippie as she's together with Göran and living in a commune.

Olle Sarri (Erik)
Actively politically engaged. Communist. Young and angry. Hates the Royal Dramatic Theatre and all that bourgeois shit. Frustrated that no one else cares. Feels alone in the commune. Jerks and patsies, even if they are kind of sweet. But, Christ!

Jessica Liedberg (Anna)
Anna has a son, Tet. She was together with Lasse. They have only recently broken up and all three of them live in the commune. So she's looking for love! Who isn't? She tries different things out.

Ola Norell (Lasse)
Lasse is the cynic of the commune. A medical student in his thirties without political views. The most important thing for him is his son, Tet (named after the Tet offensive of 1968) whom he has with Anna. His relationship with Anna has fallen apart and the only person in the commune he has a more profound contact with is Klas.

Shanti Roney (Klas)
Klas likes sex, wine and weaving.

Sam Kessel (Stefan)
Stefan is 10 years old and lives with his mother and sister in a commune. He's bullied a little by the hip kids at school because he's a bit of a nerd and has low self-esteem.

Emma Samuelsson (Eva)
Eva Olsson is 13 years old and is very quiet and lonely. She's bullied at school. At the moment it's sad for her as her parents have moved apart.

Cecilia Frode (Signe)
My character is Signe. Signe sticks to her principals and is afraid, she's a little closed but full of good intentions. She lives in the commune with her husband, Sigvard, and their child. Signe knows how things should be in order for them to be good and right.

Lars Frode (Sigvard)
Sigvard is a major idealist who absolutely won't give up his ideals.

Henrik Lundström (Fredrik)
Fredrik is 14 and lives next to the commune. He has a strict father and mother and they don't like the house next door at all because they are so free in their ways. Fredrik's parents are really strict. Fredrik doesn't have any friends. He's not really bullied, but he does not have any friends. He has big, thick glasses and meets Eva who lives in the commune. The reason they meet and dare talk to each other is that she also has glasses.

Claes Hartelius (Ragnar)
Ragnar is pretty much your average person. He lives in the house opposite the commune with his wife, Margit. They are greatly disturbed by the commune.

Therese Brunnander (Margit)
Margit is the perpetually knitting neighbourhood wife in brown and beige, the mother of Fredrik and married to Ragnar. She is horrified over the new hippie neighbours, but there is a fascination in her fear. She is mostly concerned about her son's contact with the commune and everything they are up to. Her son helps her in an unexpected way to open her eyes and break out of her brown and beige.

Axel Zuber (Tet)
I am 8 years old. I play Tet in Together.

Sten Ljunggren (Birger)
It's better to have porridge together than cutlets alone!

Producer Lars Jönsson/ Memfis Film
Lilja 4-ever has been produced by Lars Jömnsson for Memfis Film, a small Stockholm-based film producer. Memfis has the latest ten years been behind several of the biggest Scandinavian film successes: Änglagård (Colin Nutley), Fucking Åmål, Tillsammans (Lukas Moodysson), Jalla! Jalla! (Josef Fares) - and more. Lars Jönsson was even executive producer for Lars von Trier's Cannes-honoured Breaking the waves and Dancer in the Dark. At the moment (autumm 2002) is Memfis producing Josef Fares' upcoming feature film that will get theatrical release in Sweden in February 2003. Memfis upcoming co-productions are among others Lars von Trier's Dogville, Sergei Bodrov's Bear's Kiss and Thomas Vinterberg's It's all about love. The co-operation with Lukas Moodysson started with the short film Bara prata lite in 1997. Selected filmography: Änglagård (Colin Nutley), Fucking Åmål (Lukas Moodysson), Breaking the waves (Lars von Trier, exekutiv producent), Hela Härligheten (Leif Magnusson), Lucky People (Center International, Johan Söderberg & Erik Pauser), Tillsammans (Lukas Moodysson), Harry & Sonja (Björn Runge), Den Bästa Sommaren (Ulf Malmros), Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier, co-exekutiv producent), Jalla! Jalla! (Josef Fares), Hundhotellet (Per Åhlin), Tranceformer (Stig Björkman), Lilja 4-ever (Lukas Moodysson). Short films including Lukas Moodysson's Bara prata lite, Reza Parsa's Tigerhjärta and Baker Karim's Malcolm. Most of these films are of course available on DVD and VHS, available to order directly from this site.

Media

Check out the media page for Tillsammans.

Soundtrack

Lukas Moodysson and his team has like always chosen a great soundtrack that emphazises the strenght of the film. Unfortunately it's not released on CD. There was a 3CD-collection called Progg Hits including some songs from the film, but it's unfortunately not available anymore as far as I've managed to find out. I'd recommend that you get a couple of Ted Gärdestad albums though.

Release Dates

Tillsammans premiered in Sweden on August 25, 2000 – and became an instant success among the audience with over 800 000 visitors – even more than Fucking Åmål had! Denmark followed September 29, and Norway October 20 – and then toured around the world in 2001 and 2002. Now it's finished playing most places, but many contries are still waiting for a video release, including USA. Keep watching this space for information about release where you live. Of course I also need help to be updated, so don't hesitate to contact me if you come across a release date, or information that distribution will happen.

Worldwide Theatrical Release Dates

Sweden 25 August 2000  
Denmark 29 September 2000  
Norway 20 October 2000  
Poland 5 January 2001  
Italy 12 January 2001  
Switzerland 18 January 2001 (German speaking region) 
Finland 19 January 2001  
Iceland 23 March 2001 (limited) 
Germany 12 April 2001  
Netherlands 19 April 2001  
Iceland 29 June 2001  
UK 13 July 2001  
Russia 2 August 2001  
Israel 9 August 2001  
USA 17 August 2001 (limited) 
Belgium 22 August 2001  
USA 24 August 2001 (Los Angeles, California) 
USA 24 August 2001 (New York City, New York) 
Spain 26 October 2001  
Canada 1 March 2002 (limited) 
Colombia 15 March 2002  
Argentina 10 October 2002 

Worldwide Festival Release Dates

Italy September 2000 (Venice Film Festival) 
Hong Kong 3 March 2001 (Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival) 
USA 8 June 2001 (Newport International Film Festival) 
Czech Republic 5 July 2001 (Karlovy Vary Film Festival) 

Worldwide Video Release Dates

International sales of distribution rights is handled by Trust Films in Denmark.

The lists are based on at least one certified source that there will be/ is a release, not just anticipations. Keep watching this space for information about release where you live. Of course I also need help to be updated, so don't hesitate to contact me if you come across a release date, or information that distribution will happen – past as well as future.

All photos: Memfis Film AB. Please note: This is an unofficial site not affiliated with Memfis Film, Lukas Moodysson or any other people or companies involved in the production of the film.