Lukas Moodysson

Started by children with angels, May 21, 2003, 10:48:28 PM

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children with angels

I just watched Lilya 4 Ever, and wondered if anyone else had seen it or anything else by the guy. He's being hailed as the best thing to come out of Sweden since Bergman... I don't know about that, but the film certainly was very powerful.

It's kind of a kitchen-sink, gritty drama - which is not normally my thing - about a sixteen year old girl being abandoned by her mother and having to prostitute herself to stay afloat. Yawn, right...? But it's actually a really beautiful movie, partly because of a wonderful central performance by Lilya, and partly because of the extraordinarily crisp, and yet dreamlike, cinematography. There are also a few flights into kitsch surrealism that make me draw a parallel with Ratcatcher (it's kind of similar in general actually...). Also, a little Gummo-ish.

Anyway, has anyone seen any of his other movies? Apparently they are much more upbeat - this one is certainly a wilfully depressing picture (with a few glimmers of hope), only made bearable by a certain innocence-of-the-child thing (it almost takes my "it is not dangerous to confuse children with angels" line literally). If not, I'd say this one is worth a watch - not amazing, but certainly worth it. I look forward to seeing a slightly more optimistic view of the world in his other films though...
"Should I bring my own chains?"
"We always do..."

http://www.alternatetakes.co.uk/
http://thelesserfeat.blogspot.com/

children with angels

I don't know - I found quite a lot of entertainment in the film. I'd heard that it was supposed to be one of the most depressing films ever, but it wasn't quite as sledge-hammer with its downbeat philosophy as it could have been (it actually ends on a pretty optimistic note). Also the numerous sex/rape scenes luckily weren't as graphic as I feared they would be (they weren't graphic at all) - that would have been unbearable, because this sweet, beautiful girl really looks her age: that would have been horrible.

I think all films are meant to entertain you anyway: you can be entertained by escapism, or you can be entertained by deep, didactic, philosophy - it's still just whatever you dig, you know? We wouldn't watch films if they didn't entertain us. Sometimes we just want to be entertained by a depressing movie, by being made to feel depressed - that can be entertaining too.
"Should I bring my own chains?"
"We always do..."

http://www.alternatetakes.co.uk/
http://thelesserfeat.blogspot.com/

godardian

Quote from: children with angels

I think all films are meant to entertain you anyway: you can be entertained by escapism, or you can be entertained by deep, didactic, philosophy - it's still just whatever you dig, you know? We wouldn't watch films if they didn't entertain us. Sometimes we just want to be entertained by a depressing movie, by being made to feel depressed - that can be entertaining too.

If only mass audiences could be made to ponder this for even one minute, I think we'd see a lot more diversity and value in what's on offer at the cinema.
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

Just Withnail

Yeah, the guy also made Fucking Åmål ("Show me love", I think the US title is), and Tilsammans (Together).

I've only seen Fucking Åmål, though, and loved it. It's a drama/ comedy (dramedy?) about two lesbian teenagers coming to grips with their homosexual tendencies. Great flick.

Fishbulb

Yes, I've seen both "Show Me Love" and "Together" and enjoyed them both a lot. He's one of the best directors I've seen in terms of depicting young people as realistically as possible, especially young girls. He gets amazing performances out of his young actors. His movies always seem to have an optimism too, you can tell the obvious affection he has for his characters. In a way, he is kind of a Swedish equivalent of PTA. There's a scene in "Show Me Love" involving the two girls in a car and the song "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Journey that struck me as something that PTA might do in a movie.

Fishbulb

Foreigner, sorry. I got my cheesy 80's bands mixed up there  :oops:

pookiethecat

Quote from: WithnailYeah, the guy also made Fucking Åmål ("Show me love", I think the US title is), and Tilsammans (Together).

I've only seen Fucking Åmål, though, and loved it. It's a drama/ comedy (dramedy?) about two lesbian teenagers coming to grips with their homosexual tendencies. Great flick.

Fucking Amal is absolutely wonderful...I loved, loved, loved it. Fishbulb, he does have an affection towards his characters that is PTA-ish in a way.  The scene in the car is one of my favorite scenes of all time...I love the cheesy music, I love the setup and the payoff...touching, beautiful, wonderful filmmaking in general.
i wanna lick 'em.

ono

I saw this film tonight.  Very sad, very emotional.  I walked in about five minutes late, right when the mom was saying goodbye to her daughter.  I was shocked by how well-acted Lilya's reaction to that was, when she chased her car down the road crying out for her mother not to leave.

Was there anything I missed before that?

Anyway, I just wanted to say, this was a decent enough movie.  Good if you're feeling happy and want to be brought down ... or if you're feeling like your life is shit and it couldn't be worse.  This'd actually be a pick-me-up.  :-P

Side note, I saw it in an art house (not as if this kind of film would ever see the light of day in a multiplex).  It's refreshing to see that most people there stayed for all the credits, even though they were in Russian.  There was a little message, dedicating the film to all the victims of child prostitution.  Very nice.  And, well, it says a lot about the difference between audiences of multiplexes and art houses.

children with angels

Quote from: OnomatopoeiaWas there anything I missed before that?
 

It's weird: I missed the first couple of minutes too...! Although I did see Lilya bragging to her firends about how she was going to be going toAmerica and be escaping her crummy life and stuff. Then, of course, her mum telling her that she can't come with them.
"Should I bring my own chains?"
"We always do..."

http://www.alternatetakes.co.uk/
http://thelesserfeat.blogspot.com/

pookiethecat

Lilya 4 ever looks like a pre-suicide movie.  Anything that depressing has to be dangerous to mental health.  Are the sex/rape scenes graphic?  Cuz I can't handle graphic rape.
i wanna lick 'em.

children with angels

No, they really aren't graphic at all thankfully - like I said, the girl really looks her age. And somehow the film doesn't end on too much of a suicidal note. It's kind of uplifting in a weird way.
"Should I bring my own chains?"
"We always do..."

http://www.alternatetakes.co.uk/
http://thelesserfeat.blogspot.com/

ono


rustinglass

I saw  fucking amal the other day and liked it. not that mad about the soundtrack, though except-SPOILERS-when Agnes slits her wrist and there is a flute adagio on... that was awesome.

I hope to see lilja 4 ever soon, maybe this weekend
"In Serbia a lot of people hate me because they want to westernise, not understanding that the western world is bipolar, with very good things and very bad things. Since they don't have experience of the west, they even believe that western shit is pie."
-Emir Kusturica

rustinglass

sadly, I haven't , but I really want to because someone told me that it was a lot like the ice storm (maybe it's not) and I fucking love that film!

The sweedish language has such a sense of musicality to it, I love it! I love to watch the bergman films because of that.
"In Serbia a lot of people hate me because they want to westernise, not understanding that the western world is bipolar, with very good things and very bad things. Since they don't have experience of the west, they even believe that western shit is pie."
-Emir Kusturica

ono

This film is NOTHING like The Ice Storm.  Whew.  That's a totally faulty comparison.  An analogy for you:

The Ice Storm is to Lilja 4-ever as Ace Ventura is to Schindler's List.

That may be a bit of a hyperbole, though, and The Ice Storm is a bit sad, but it's nowhere in the league of tragedy of Lilja 4-ever.  At least The Ice Storm had some humor in it.