Show Me Love (film)

Two girls, Agnes and Elin, attend school in the small town of Åmål, Sweden. Elin is outgoing and popular but finds her life unsatisfying and dull. Agnes, by contrast, has no real friends and is constantly depressed. Agnes is in love with Elin but cannot find any way to express it.

Agnes's parents worry about their daughter's reclusive life and try to be reassuring. Her mother decides, against Agnes's will, to throw a 16th birthday party for her. Agnes is afraid no one will come. Viktoria, a girl in a wheelchair, shows up and Agnes shouts at her in front of her parents, telling her they are friends only because no one else will talk to them. Agnes, overcome with anger and depression, goes to her room and cries into her pillow shouting that she wishes she were dead, while her father tries to soothe her. Viktoria leaves and Agnes's family eats the food made for the party.

Elin arrives at Agnes's house, mainly as an excuse to avoid going to another party, where there will be a boy (Johan, played by Mathias Rust) she wants to avoid. Elin's older sister, Jessica, who comes with her, dares her to kiss Agnes, who is rumoured to be a lesbian. Elin fulfills the dare and then runs out with Jessica, only to soon feel guilty for having humiliated Agnes.

After becoming drunk at the other party, Elin gets sick and throws up. Johan tries to help her and ends up professing his love to her. Elin leaves Johan and the party, only to return to Agnes's house to apologize for how she acted earlier. In doing so, Elin stops Agnes from cutting herself. She even manages to persuade Agnes to return with her to the other party. On the way, Elin shares her real feelings about being trapped in Åmål. She asks Agnes about being a lesbian and believes that their problems could be solved by leaving Åmål and going to Stockholm. On impulse, Elin persuades Agnes to hitchhike to Stockholm, which is a five-hour journey by car. They find a driver who agrees to take them, believing them to be sisters who are visiting their grandmother. While sitting in the back seat, they have their first real kiss. The driver sees them and, shocked at the behaviour of the two 'sisters', orders them to leave the car.

Elin discovers that she is attracted to Agnes but is afraid to admit it. She proceeds to ignore Agnes and refuses to talk to her. Elin's sister Jessica sees that she is in love and pushes her to figure out who it is. To cover the fact that she is in love with Agnes, Elin lies, pretending to be in love with Johan, and loses her virginity during a short-lived relationship with him. Elin eventually admits her feelings, when, after a climactic scene in a school bathroom, they are forced to 'out' their relationship to the school.

The film ends with Elin and Agnes sitting in Elin's bedroom drinking chocolate milk. Elin explains that she often adds too much chocolate until her milk is nearly black. She must fill another glass with milk and mix it and that her sister Jessica often gets mad that she finishes the chocolate. Elin has the last word saying "It makes a lot of chocolate milk. But that doesn't matter".

• Alexandra Dahlström as Elin Olsson
• Rebecka Liljeberg as Agnes Ahlberg
• Erica Carlson as Jessica Olsson
• Mathias Rust as Johan Hulth
• Stefan Hörberg as Markus
• Josefine Nyberg as Viktoria
• Ralph Carlsson as Agnes's father, Olof
• Maria Hedborg as Agnes's mother, Karin
• Axel Widegren as Agnes's little brother, Oskar
• Jill Ung as Elin's and Jessica's mother, Birgitta

The original title of the film, Fucking Åmål, refers to the girls' feelings about their small town: In a key scene, Elin shouts in desperation "varför måste vi bo i fucking jävla kuk-Åmål?" (which roughly translates to "why do we have to live in fucking bloody cock-Åmål?").

According to Moodysson, the problem with the original title started when the film was Sweden's candidate for the Academy Awards, though eventually it was not chosen as a nominee.{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/swedes-love-oscar-1117488019/ |title=Swedes 'Love' Oscar |last=Edmunds |first=Marlene |date=November 1, 1998 |department=News |magazine=Variety |access-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-date=23 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523230701/https://variety.com/1998/film/news/swedes-love-oscar-1117488019/ |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last=Griffiths |first=Gareth |url=https://www.academia.edu/12626126 |title=An Åmål State of Mind |journal=City + Cinema: Essays on the Specificity of Location in Film |year=2007 |access-date=May 27, 2015 |via=Academia.edu}}{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/pressreleases/98.11.19.html |title=45 Countries Submit Films for Oscar Consideration |date=November 19, 1998 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990219094343/http://www.oscars.org/pressreleases/98.11.19.html |archive-date=February 19, 1999 |url-status=unfit |access-date=October 20, 2015}} The Hollywood industry magazine Variety refused to run an advertisement for Fucking Åmål. Thus, American distributor Strand Releasing asked for a new title. Moodysson took the new title from the song at the end of the film, by Robyn. Distributors in other native English-speaking countries then followed suit.

• {{langx|de|text=Raus aus Åmål|translation=Out of Åmål [i.e. leaving the town]}}
• {{langx|es|Descubriendo el Amor}} ("Discovering Love")
• {{langx|pt|Amigas de Colégio}} ("School Friends")
• {{langx|cs|Láska je láska}} ("Love is Love") The Czech title is based on a Lucie Bílá song of the same name, which references homosexuality.{{cite web |url=http://f-amal.weisenbacher.com/fainterviews.htm |title=Fucking Amal-Show Me Love Interviews & Reviews |website=F-amal.Weisenbacher.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427003924/http://f-amal.weisenbacher.com/fainterviews.htm |archive-date=27 April 2013}}
• {{langx|ru|Покажи мне любовь}} ({{transliteration|ru|Pokazhi mne lyubov}}, "Show Me Love")
• Hebrew: F- Åmål
• English: Show Me Love{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/1999/10/interview-from-fucking-ml-to-show-me-love-scandinavian-smash-comes-to-america-82011/ |title=INTERVIEW: From "Fucking Åmål" to "Show Me Love": Scandinavian Smash Comes To America |last=Krach |first=Aaron |department=Interview |date=October 20, 1999 |website=IndieWire |access-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-date=24 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524102612/https://www.indiewire.com/1999/10/interview-from-fucking-ml-to-show-me-love-scandinavian-smash-comes-to-america-82011/ |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/fucking-amal-1200455428/ |title=Fucking Amal |last=Rehlin |first=Gunnar |date=October 25, 1998 |department=Reviews |magazine=Variety |access-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-date=14 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314001024/https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/fucking-amal-1200455428/ |url-status=live }}
• French (Canada): Qui Aimes-Tu? ("Who do you love/like?"){{Citation |title=Show Me Love (1998) - Release info - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/releaseinfo |access-date=2023-02-13 |archive-date=13 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213151849/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150662/releaseinfo/ |url-status=live }}

Even before the film was completed, it created controversy in the town of Åmål. Local politicians campaigned to get the title changed because they argued that it would show the town in an unfair way and even undermine it as an economic centre. Further pressure was brought on the makers of the film, the Film i Väst studio, who are partly financed by Swedish local authorities, including Åmål.

However, the local complaints had no effect on the content or release of the film. Since the release, the town of Åmål has tried to embrace the publicity generated, despite the fact that the town's name is missing from the English title. In the early 2000s the town founded the pop music "Fucking Åmål Festival."

Fucking Åmål received the highest audience figures for a Swedish film in 1998–9, with a total audience of 867,576 and a total audience for the whole of Europe of 2.1 million.{{cite web |url=http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=8161 |title=Film #8161 : Fucking Åmål |website=Lumiere |access-date=April 12, 2020 |archive-date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623195835/http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=8161 |url-status=live }} It grossed $6.5 million in Sweden and $3 million in Norway.{{cite magazine|magazine=Screen International|date=1 September 2000|page=31|title=Moodyson follows up early promise|last=Buddrus|first=Petra|url=https://www.screendaily.com/moodysson-follows-up-on-early-promise/403474.article|access-date=3 May 2024|archive-date=29 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029000713/https://www.screendaily.com/moodysson-follows-up-on-early-promise/403474.article|url-status=live}} Some international reports stated that the film had outgrossed the Hollywood film Titanic in Sweden.{{cite news |title=Show Me Love movie review & film summary (2000) |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/show-me-love-2000 |newspaper=Roger Ebert Website |date=March 24, 2000 |access-date=July 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050526124458/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000324/REVIEWS/3240302/1023 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 26, 2005 }} In fact, Titanic had over twice as many viewers as Show Me Love in Sweden in 1998.{{cite web |url=http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=8001 |title=Film #8001 - Titanic |website=Lumiere |access-date=April 12, 2020 |archive-date=31 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131123148/http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=8001 |url-status=live }}

Show Me Love has an approval rating of 91% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 44 reviews, and an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus states: "A naturalistic depiction of teenage life, Show Me Love has a charming, authentic feel". Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/show-me-love?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c | title=Show Me Love | website=Metacritic }} It is among the top ten of the British Film Institute list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.{{cite web |title=Debate produces list of films that children should see |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/conferences/watchthis/ |department=Watch This |work=British Film Institute |date=2005 |access-date=July 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202140316/http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/conferences/watchthis/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 2, 2007}}

The film received consistently good reviews, including the realism and credibility of its portrayal of what it is like to be a teenager in a small town in the 1990s. In addition, the efforts of the young actors were praised. Jan-Olov Andersson at Aftonbladet felt that Dahlström's and Liljeberg's imaginative appearance and interaction was "sensationally credible", and Bo Ludvigsson at Svenska Dagbladet wrote that it was "a warm, strong and confident film about the courage to be human". Ludvigsson also believed that Fucking Åmål, with its storytelling drive, leave and authenticity, was well above most of the Swedish films of recent years. Anders Hansson at Göteborgs-Posten thought that director Moodysson with fairly ordinary elements created "a film with unusual rise".

Autostraddle placed it at number 20 on its "Top 100 Best Lesbian Movies" list.{{Cite news |url=https://www.autostraddle.com/top-ten-best-lesbian-movies-yes-thats-right-10-queer-girl-movies-that-dont-suck/ |title=Top Ten Best Lesbian Movies: 10 Queer Movies That Don't Suck. |date=August 19, 2009 |work=Autostraddle |access-date=June 11, 2017 |archive-date=5 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705213510/https://www.autostraddle.com/top-ten-best-lesbian-movies-yes-thats-right-10-queer-girl-movies-that-dont-suck/ |url-status=live }}

According to Russian singer Lena Katina, producer Ivan Shapovalov was inspired to create the pop duo t.A.T.u. after the release of this film.{{cite magazine |last1=Chernitsyna |first1=Maria |date=December 22, 2011 |title=Lena Katina: I have been choosing the father of my unborn child for a long time |script-title=ru:Лена Катина: Я долго выбирала ОТца моего будущего ребенка |trans-title=Lena Katina: YA dolgo vybirala ottsa moyego budushchego rebenka |url=https://7days.ru/caravan/2011/12/lena-katina-ya-dolgo-vybirala-ottsa-moego-rebenka |magazine=ru:Караван Историй |language=ru |pages=105–129 |access-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-date=4 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804054317/http://7days.ru/caravan/2011/12/lena-katina-ya-dolgo-vybirala-ottsa-moego-rebenka |url-status=live }} The track "Show Me Love" is featured in their album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane.

The creators of the 2018 Netflix series Everything Sucks! called the film the "biggest influence" on that show's creation.{{Cite news |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-everything-sucks-creators-interview-how-they-made-it-on-small-budget-2018-2 |title=The creators of Netflix's 'Everything Sucks!' told us how they made the 'sleeper hit' series on a tiny budget, and still managed to pack in all those 90s songs |date=Feb 21, 2018 |work=Business Insider |access-date=October 18, 2023}}

{{Awards table|5}}

|-

! rowspan="24" | 1999

| rowspan="2" | Amanda Award

| Best Foreign Feature Film

| Fucking Åmål, director Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

| {{cite web |url=https://filmfestivalen.no/content/uploads/2017/05/Amanda-winners-1985n2016.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522022534/https://filmfestivalen.no/content/uploads/2017/05/Amanda-winners-1985n2016.pdf |archive-date=2020-05-22 |url-status=live |title=Winners of The Amanda Award 1985–2016 |website=Norwegian International Film Festival |access-date=April 14, 2020 }}

|-

| Best Nordic Feature Film

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

| Atlantic Film Festival

| Best International Feature

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| rowspan="2" | Berlin International Film Festival

| C.I.C.A.E. Award - Recommendation (Panorama)

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Teddy Award - Best Feature Film

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| British Film Institute Awards

| Sutherland Trophy - Special Mention

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Manaki Brothers Film Festival

| Special Jury Award

| Ulf Brantås

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival

| Golden Moon of Valencia

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| European Film Awards

| Best Film

| Lars Jönsson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

| rowspan="2" | Flanders International Film Festival Ghent

| Student Jury Award

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Grand Prix

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

| rowspan="5" | Guldbagge Awards

| Best Film

| Lars Jönsson

| {{won}}

| {{cite magazine |last1=Honeycutt |first1=Kirk |date=July 7, 1999 |title='Show Me Love' |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |volume=358 |issue=28 |page=5 |issn=0018-3660}}

|-

| Best Director

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Best Screenplay

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Best Actress in a Leading Role

| Alexandra Dahlström
Rebecka Liljeberg

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Best Actor in a Supporting Role

| Ralph Carlsson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

| rowspan="4" | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

| Audience Award

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| FICC - The Don Quixote Prize

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Special Jury Prize

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

| {{cite press release |date=1999 |title=Zaverecna tiskova zpava |script-title=ja:Z ÁV?RE?NÁ TISKOVÁ ZPRÁVA |trans-title=Final press release |url=https://www.kviff.com/img/history/1999/zaverecna-tiskova-zpava-34-rocnik.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524195426/https://www.kviff.com/img/history/1999/zaverecna-tiskova-zpava-34-rocnik.pdf |archive-date=2020-05-24 |url-status=live |type=Press release |language=cs |publisher=Karlovy Vary International Film Festival |access-date=April 15, 2020}}

|-

| Crystal Globe

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

| rowspan="3" | Kyiv International Film Festival "Molodist"

| Best Full-Length Fiction Film

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| FIPRESCI

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Youth Jury Award - Full-Length Feature Film

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

|

|-

| Verzaubert International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

| Rosebud - Best Film

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

! rowspan="3" | 2000

| Bodil Awards

| Best Non-American Film

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

| GLAAD Media Award

| Outstanding Film – Limited Release

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{nom}}

|

|-

| International Film Festival Rotterdam

| MovieZone Young Jury Award

| Lukas Moodysson

| {{won}}

| {{cite web |url=https://iffr.com/en/iffr-2000/awards-2000 |title=Awards 2000 - IFFR |website=International Film Festival Rotterdam |access-date=April 15, 2020 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215144616/https://iffr.com/en/iffr-2000/awards-2000 |url-status=dead }}

{{end}}

The film's soundtrack was released through Metronome Records and consists of songs in English and Swedish language. Swedish band Broder Daniel, who contributed three English language songs to Fucking Åmål, saw a spike in popularity after the film's release. The band also released an EP titled Fucking Åmål.

;Fucking Åmål/Musiken Från Filmen

:Label: Metronome Records

:Format: CD, compilation

:Country: Sweden

:Released: 1998

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Artist

| total_length = 60:45

| title_width =

| writing_width =

| music_width =

| lyrics_width =

| extra_width =

| title1 = Önskelista

| note1 = dialogue from the movie

| length1 = 0:19

| title2 = Drifter

| lyrics2 = Henric de la Cour & Yvonne

| music2 = Henric de la Cour & Yvonne

| extra2 = Yvonne

| length2 = 3:53

| title3 = Whirlwind

| lyrics3 = Henrik Berggren

| music3 = Henrik Berggren

| extra3 = Broder Daniel

| length3 = 4:36

| title4 = Varför Måste Vi Bo I Fucking Jävla Kuk-Åmål?

| note4 = dialogue from the movie

| length4 = 0:04

| title5 = No Dinero No Amor

| lyrics5 = J. Hällgren & J. Sagrén

| music5 =J. Hällgren & J. Sagrén

| extra5 = Betty N' Boop

| length5 = 3:11

| title6 = Jag Vill Knarka!

| note6 = dialogue from the movie

| length6 = 0:09

| title7 = Blue Sky Black

| extra7 = Evelyn

| length7 = 2:58

| title8 = Sa Hon Det?

| note8 = dialogue from the movie

| length8 = 0:33

| title9 = När Vi Två Blir En

| lyrics9 = Per Gessle

| music9 = Per Gessle

| extra9 = Gyllene Tider

| length9 = 3:05

| title10 = Jag Vill Inte Va' Med Henne!

| note10 = dialogue from the movie

| length10 = 0:04

| title11 = U Drive Me Crazy

| lyrics11 = Hogblad & Lehtonen

| music11 = Hogblad & Lehtonen

| extra11 = Waldo's People

| length11 = 3:19

| title12 = Fan Va' Du Är Snygg!

| note12 = dialogue from the movie

| length12 = 0:10

| title13 = Fantasy Dreamworld

| lyrics13 = Stigsson & Rickstrand

| music13 = Stigsson & Rickstrand

| extra13 = Combayah

| length13 = 3:26

| title14 = Fantasi För Elorgel #34

| extra14 = Karl-Heinz Glockmann

| length14 = 1:00

| title15 = Adagio Per Flauto; Archi Ed Organo

| note15 = arrangement by Remo Giazotto

| music15 = Tomaso Albinoni

| extra15 = Gunilla Von Bahr & Stockholms Kammarensemble

| length15 = 8:40

| title16 = Vi Är Så Jävla Coola!

| note16 = dialogue from the movie

| length16 = 0:10

| title17 = I Want To Know What Love Is

| lyrics17 = Mick Jones

| music17 = Mick Jones

| extra17 = Foreigner

| length17 = 5:05

| title18 = Funny Bunny Boy

| lyrics18 = Lindgren and From

| music18 = Lindgren and From

| extra18 = Evelyn

| length18 = 3:40

| title19 = Hallå!?

| note19 = dialogue from the movie

| length19 = 0:15

| title20 = Danny's Dream

| lyrics20 = Lars Söderberg

| music20 = Lars Gullin

| extra20 = Lars Gullin

| length20 = 5:31

| title21 = I'll Be Gone

| lyrics21 = Henrik Berggren

| music21 = Henrik Berggren

| extra21 = Broder Daniel

| length21 = 3:39

| title22 = Jävla Lebb!

| note22 = dialogue from the movie

| length22 = 0:07

| title23 = Simplicity

| lyrics23 = Nordlund, Danielsson, Karlsson and Andersson

| music23 = Nordlund, Danielsson, Karlsson and Andersson

| extra23 = Souls

| length23 = 3:17

| title24 = ...Vi Ska Gå Och Knulla!

| note24 = dialogue from the movie

| length24 = 0:34

| title25 = Underground

| lyrics25 = Henrik Berggren

| music25 = Henrik Berggren

| extra25 = Broder Daniel

| length25 = 2:50

| title26 = O'Boy!

| note26 = dialogue from the movie

| length26 = 0:43

| title27 = Show Me Love

| note27 = title track

| lyrics27 = Robyn

| music27 = Max Martin

| extra27 = Robyn

| length27 = 3:27

}}

{{Portal|Sweden|LGBTQ|Film}}

• List of submissions to the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

{{clear}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title}}
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{{Navboxes

| title = Awards for Show Me Love

| list1 =

{{GuldbaggeAwardBestFilm}}

{{Teddy Award for Best Film}}

}}

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{{Authority control}}

Category:1998 films

Category:1998 directorial debut films

Category:1998 independent films

Category:1998 LGBTQ-related films

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Category:1990s coming-of-age comedy-drama films

Category:1990s Swedish films

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Category:Best Film Guldbagge Award winners

Category:Coming-of-age romance films

Category:Films directed by Lukas Moodysson

Category:Films set in Dalsland

Category:Films shot in Trollhättan

Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Guldbagge Award

Category:Lesbian-related films

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Category:LGBTQ-related romantic comedy-drama films

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Category:Swedish coming-of-age drama films

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