Fucking Åmål (Show Me Love) | |
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Directed by | Lukas Moodysson |
Produced by | Lars Jönsson |
Written by | Lukas Moodysson |
Starring |
Rebecka Liljeberg Alexandra Dahlström |
Cinematography | Ulf Brantås |
Edited by |
Moe Lester Bernhard Winkler |
Distributed by | Sonet Film |
Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
Country | Sweden |
Language | Swedish |
Budget | SEK 9,000,000 |
Show Me Love is the English distribution name for the Swedish film Fucking Åmål (pronounced [ˈfakɪŋ ˈoːmoːl]), which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 23 October 1998 and directed by Lukas Moodysson.
The film follows the lives of two seemingly disparate teenage girls who begin a tentative romantic relationship. It first premiered outside Sweden at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival under its original title. 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. 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.
For writer Moodysson, it was his directorial debut in a full-length film. Starring in the lead roles were Rebecka Liljeberg, as Agnes, and Alexandra Dahlström, as Elin. The film received an overwhelmingly positive reception and won four Guldbagge Awards (Sweden's official film awards) at the 1999 ceremony. Its international awards include the Teddy Award at the 1999 Berlin International Film Festival.
The Swedish title refers to the small town of Åmål in western Sweden. Only a few scenes were filmed in Åmål, and these were not included in the final version. The main shooting took place in the nearby town of Trollhättan, the location of Film i Väst's (producing company) studios.