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| Image Courtesy IFC Films |
Cult films can earn their status with their shocking, taboo content, their huge following, their lovable schlockiness, or their counter-cultural leaning. Tillsammans (‘Together’ in English) is a fun, anarchic, feel-good cult film about a Swedish house commune in 1975 that wears its heart on its sleeve.
When Elisabeth (Lisa Lindgren) has to get away from her abusive husband, she moves herself and her two kids in with her brother, Göran (Gustaf Hammersten), at his house commune named Tillsammans. Göran is a mild-mannered idealist who works to keep everything together without having to confront everything.
There, the newcomers join people who cover the spectrum of the insufferable people you would find in a commune. Vegetarian and Luddite couple Signe and Sigvard work to keep their son, Måne, away from television. Divorced couple Lasse (Ola Rapace, brother to Noomi) and Anna (Jessica Liedberg) raise their son Tet (named after the infamous battle in Vietnam) to be more conscious of feminism and be comfortable with Anna being a lesbian.
Also living there is socialist political activist Erik, who tries to get Elisabeth’s 14-year-old daughter Eva (Emma Samuelsson) to go to a socialist meeting with him. Rounding out the queer characters is Klas, a single gay man tired of being single.
The film has the look of a cinema veritae film that gives the impression that it’s a slapdash production. But the themes and script are sharp, entertaining, and moving. And the film proudly earns its cult status with its amount of sex and nudity, including two cringey (though funny) scenes involving children. This could put the film over the line for some viewers. But the film’s charm and simplicity will win over anyone with objections to the content.
Moodysson is known for pushing the envelope and making risky Swedish films, including Fucking Åmal and Lila-4-Ever. Tillsammans’ portrayal of non-conformity within the commune contrasts the not-so-perfect traditional families, including the one next door. Living there is the teenager Frederik (Henrik Lundström), who befriends the young Eva.
All these characters swirl around each other and change each other for better or worse. The beauty is watching everyone mature, argue, and find nontraditional sorts of community. Also remarkable in the film is Elisabeth’s alcoholic husband, Rolf, a pre-Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Michael Nyqvist. Nyqvist’s unhinged turn here earned him a Guldbagge (Swedish Oscar) nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
The film was such a hit that Moodysson directed a sequel in 2023, Tillsammans ’99, where many of the surviving characters returned.
Tillsammans (Together) is streaming on Kanopy.
- Eric Beach