MovieChat Forums > Fucking Åmål (1998) Discussion > You're kidding, right?

You're kidding, right?

posted 15 years ago by Ralyyy
23 replies | jump to latest

Well, I just saw this, and you know what, I liked it. I liked it a lot. But come on, are you serious when you say it's one of the best films ever made? It's not even close!

I think it's way overrated, I don't know if it was the first film of it's kind and the fact that it's swedish doesn't surprise me that much, I've watched other good swedish movies.

I found it in a comment for Lilja 4-ever: in a thread for similar movies someone had posted this one with the advice not to watch it unless you're ready for brutal tragedy, because it was saturated with pain. I have actually seen it being compared to Dancer In The Dark... The emotions were not that strong

I mean..it was nice but not that good.

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[–] Jiiimbooh 15 years ago

It's one of the best Swedish movies in my opinion. I think you recognize a lot of the characters/personalities from your own school days and it's easy to relate to the main characters even if you weren't going through the exact same problems (being lesbian etc) in school.

Maybe you can find similar movies that are earlier, but it did start a trend of "tell it like it is" teenage movies in Sweden with cursing, alcohol and such. The other movies in that category seem pretty mediocre to me though. (I only saw Hipp Hipp Hora and don't have any interest in seeing the rest.)

___
"What does it do?"
"It doesn't do anything. That's the beauty of it."

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[–] GuyOnTheLeft 12 years ago

I think it's a sweet coming-of-age story, but to talk about it as "one of the best Swedish movies", when I've just recently seen Bergman's Persona, doesn't fly for me. The film worked on the level it aimed for, but a truly great film, for me, has to have high quality cinematography.

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[–] Jiiimbooh 12 years ago

The cinematography in F Åmål was the way it was on purpose, to give it a documentary feel. Persona is a completely different kind of film, both with regard to the story and the style. For me personally it's probably not better (I don't remember it as well as F Åmål) but they are not easily compared.

___
"What does it do?"
"It doesn't do anything. That's the beauty of it."

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[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] VVolfySnackrib 10 years ago

How the hell can you make the connection and say the characters in this movie are similar to those from your own school? No Swedish movies make accurate portrayals of real life teenage characters. All our teen movies are some of the worst schlock I've ever seen. In fact I have to keep the worst Hollywood movies I've ever seen separated from the worst movies I've ever seen period, because all of the worst movies I've ever seen comes from my own country of Sweden.
Most of the teen movies I've seen out of Sweden I count among the worst movies I've ever seen such as Hip Hip Hora, Fücking Åmål and of course the worst of them all, Truth or Dare which is the second worst movie I ever saw. Only one movie is worse and that is 'De Ofrivilliga'. I would rather cut open a nice big wound on my body and fill it with salt than watch that again. I'm not exaggerating, I swear to god. I'd rather put salt on wounds than watch that.

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[–] dj-anon 14 years ago

The emotions were not that strong

of course not, Dancer In the Dark and *beep* Amal and Lilja 4ever are completely different films, there is no point in comparing

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When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed.

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[–] Tchoutoye 14 years ago

I thought Lilja 4ever was great, but I had trouble figuring out if F-ing Amal was meant to be a parody or whether it was a realistic portrayal of the banality of western teenage culture, which in itself borders on self-parody.

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[–] stephencheevers 14 years ago

I think its under rated myself plus its the best film about teen life i've seen

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[–] dj-anon 14 years ago

I was still a teenager when F'ing Amal was released and let me tell you that the portrayal of teenagers could not have been more accurate and how it seems to be fundamentally similar in different countries.

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When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed.

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[–] perorewen 14 years ago

Agree, djanon.

I saw this in a Norwegian cinema just after it was released. I was 16 at the time, and the film was such a painfully accurate descrption of my generations teenage life. My emotion just kept switching from blurting out in laughter due to recognising everything, get embarrassed of how we used to behave and then feel absolute pain at the reality and sadness of it all. This is also why this and the Breakfast Club are my all time favorite teen movies - because they take teens and their emotions so completely serious, and are so spot on in every description.

**********
- Who's the lady with the log?
- We call her the Log Lady.

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[–] kjs-2 14 years ago

What other film is this perfect? Every moment so true and understandable? So important for people to see, especially young people. I cannot think of any.

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[–] carmencapel69 14 years ago

I guess you weren't 12 going on 13, seeing it with your classmates for the first time at the cinema back in 1998? I guess you weren't shocked by their language and their way of acting like we were back then. I guess you weren't shouting at the screen together with all of your friends "KOM UUUT FRÅN TOALETTEN" and maybe you have never had Oboy with too much powder and too little milk, sprayed way too much Robyn perfume on your way to the house party where you would be sick from 3,5 Lapplands guld and cry about how much your life sucked?

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[–] filur88 12 years ago

"I guess you weren't 12 going on 13, seeing it with your classmates for the first time at the cinema back in 1998? I guess you weren't shocked by their language and their way of acting like we were back then. I guess you weren't shouting at the screen together with all of your friends "KOM UUUT FRÅN TOALETTEN" and maybe you have never had Oboy with too much powder and too little milk, sprayed way too much Robyn perfume on your way to the house party where you would be sick from 3,5 Lapplands guld and cry about how much your life sucked?"

That is beautifully written. Thank you.

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[–] TigerMountainPeasant 13 years ago

I love this movie, it's one of my favorites, but I understand what you mean. I think alot of the charm of this movie is reserved for Swedes who were teenagers during the 90's. Because of all the pop culture references, although it wasn't intended when it was first made, have become a bit of a parody of themselves since then. For example, when Elin is told "rave is out" she looks in Veckorevyn (which I think alot of Swedish then-teenagers can now remember reading alot) and the camera quickly pans down a list of things that are in and out at that time (1998). It's like a time machine, whoosing you back into the 90's and creating another hue of charm to this film. The message earns half my love, the other goes to the relentless self-parodying that I think Swedes are extremely fond of and is only heightened by the passing of these 13 years.

Oh, and RIP Markus.

Long Live the Bumbling Badger of Mediocrity

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[–] joinie 13 years ago

I agree. Although I'm not from Sweden I watched this movie when I was a teenager and it blew me away. It felt so accurate and the themes presented in the film is pretty universal for any teenager.

It's kind of like reading 'The Catcher in the Rye' when you're an adult. It doesn't have the same effect but it doesn't mean it's not a great book.

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[–] sannedthomsen 13 years ago

when it came out i was like 6 years old, and even though drinking and swearing and makeup was in the future for me, it really stuck with me. the message is so strong, too..
No one i know remembers it (I live in Denmark), but it had such a big impression on me, i just bought it a few days ago - I'm 18 now.

i agree it's not the world's best movie, but everything is subjective, it can be the best movie ever for someone, just like every art. ever.

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[–] yoo 13 years ago

No excuses here, I was way out of the age bracket, immediately fell in love with the film and still consider it one of my favourites. Yes, it's that good.

Comparison helps: It was in cinemas at around the same time as American Pie and She's All That, two of the most appalling example of Hollywood teen flicks.

Still, FÅ stands on its own, at least for a remarkable power of observation.

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