Together
Directed by Lukas Moodysson
Showing at Dendy cinemas
REVIEW BY MARIA VOUKELATOS
Elisabeth tires of her abusive alcoholic husband, so she packs her bags, takes her children and goes off to live with her brother, Goran. Elisabeth is a fairly ordinary housewife from the suburbs, but Goran is a little different. He lives in a commune.
Elisabeth and her children arrive at Goran's chaotic house, which inhabited by social misfits, political activists and hippies who discuss politics, have free sex, grow vegetables and drink lots of red wine. The collision of Elisabeth's and Goran's worlds trigger a drama that will change their lives.
From the moment Elisabeth sets foot in the "Together" commune, it's clear that a clash of cultures between the "mainstream" and the "alternative" will be the main theme of the film, which is set in Sweden in 1975.
In the commune there is Anna, a divorced woman who has become a lesbian. Anna's ex-husband, Lasse, is there too. He still pines for Anna. Tet, Anna and Lasse's child, was named after the 1968 Tet offensive by the Vietnamese fighters who resisted the US occupation of their country. There is also Klass, who is in love with Lasse.
There is the hippie couple who want to remain as far removed from modern society and its crass materialism as possible. And there is the development of an open relationship between Goran and his partner.
The clash of cultures works both ways. At first, the newcomers feel like fish out of water, but then Elisabeth and her children begin to bring their mainstream influence — starting with the black and white television, meat and soccer — into the house.
Like in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, porridge emerges as a recurring theme. There are constant references to the idea that "it's better to eat porridge together than cutlets alone", and at one point Goran reflects on the comparison between individuals in relationships and individual oat flakes in porridge.
Rather than deal with the issue of domestic violence, the film idealises long-lasting relationships.
Overall, Together is a fun feel-good film punctuated with lots of Swedish pop tunes from the 1970s. It is set in a time of political upheaval, and the characters reflect this period.
From Green Left Weekly, June 26, 2002.
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