Together (2000 film)

Plot summary

Together is set in one of the communes that was created around Stockholm in the 1970s. Loosely led by the kind-natured Göran, who will do anything to avoid a conflict, the group spend their time arguing about left-wing politics and other questions such as whether doing the dishes is bourgeois. The commune's dynamics are significantly shaken when Göran's sister, Elizabeth, leaves her violent husband Rolf and moves in, bringing her two children Eva and Stefan.

Self-declared lesbian Anna lives in the commune with her ex-husband Lasse and their son Tet (named after the Tet offensive), who befriends Stefan. The two play games such as "torture the Pinochet victim" where, in the spirit of equality, they take turns at being Augusto Pinochet. Eva meanwhile befriends a lonely boy across the street; his family appears conventional on the surface but proves to be even more dysfunctional than the commune of which they so openly disapprove. The children are portrayed as sidelined by everyone in the film, from the new school where they are bullied to the parents who, while genuinely loving, are too busy experimenting with their own freedom to show it.

Elisabeth's husband Rolf makes a concerted effort to clean up his act, although not before getting drunk and arrested, leaving his children stranded on a roadside after a disastrous meal in a Chinese restaurant. Further relationship problems are found with Klas, who is desperately in love with Lasse, and between Göran and his selfish and immature girlfriend, who wants the benefits of an open relationship but not the responsibilities.

Trivia

The character "Birger" (Sten Ljunggren) appears in another film from the same director. He was played by the same actor as in the short film 'Talk' (Bara prata lite) in 1997.

Selected cast

Development

The filming began in Trollhättan and Gothenburg 27 October 1999 and ended 20 December 1999. The artist Carl Johan De Geer created the film's contemporary environments.

Soundtrack