By EWAN McDONALD
(Herald rating: * * * )
Amal is one of those small towns in any country that is so behind the times that kids see stuff in magazines and know it'll be out of fashion before it even gets to their patch.
Amal, where this movie is set, is
so boring that the movie's original title was ****ing Amal, and that might as well be the town's real name because that's how the kids refer to it. Two words, like people over here say "Lower Hutt."
This gem of a teen movie has been around for a couple of years (it was a festival favourite some time back) but earns a release under the new title because American distributors have just figured out why it outgrossed Titanic to become the most successful film in Swedish history.
Okay, you've been put off by the phrase "teen movie". You'll be even more dubious when you hear it's in Swedish with English subtitles. Persevere, because this first feature by 30-year-old Lukas Moodysson is not one of those he said-she said school romances where the nerd gets the prom queen, the football team wins in overtime, and everyone has perfect teeth and great hair.
Agnes (Rebecca Liljeberg) is a new girl in town.
The "in" clique at school snipes at her because she's not cool enough and rumoured to be a lesbian. When her parents force her to host a getting-to-know-you party, the only people who show up are the popular sisters Elin (Alexandra Dahlstrom) and Jessica (Erica Carlson) — and they have plans to humiliate Agnes.
To win a bet, Elin kisses Agnes at the party, an incident that will have a profound effect on both.
But the movie isn't about sex; there is virtually none in it.
While it sounds trite, the documentary style, the amateur actors and realistic dialogue make Show Me Love a truthful, sometimes funny, often wrenching picture of what it's like to be a teenager.
Rental video: Out now
