The Lukas Moodysson Collection

The Lukas Moodysson Collection

Ever since his debut was heralded as “a young master’s first masterpiece” by none other than Ingmar Bergman, director Lukas Moodysson has been hailed internationally as one of Sweden’s greatest filmmaking talents, delighting and confounding audiences in equal measure.

Moodysson’s first film, Fucking Åmål (released overseas as Show Me Love), tells the story of awkward smalltown teenager Agnes and her crush on popular classmate Elin, which unexpectedly blossoms into real-life romance; it was quickly heralded as a new queer cinema touchstone and one of the most authentic portrayals of youthful relationships on film. He swiftly followed this with the bittersweet, satirical 1970s set Together, in which the inhabitants of a commune try to reconcile their ideals with their hearts’ desires.

Having made a name for himself as the new master of tragicomic, feelgood humanism, Moodysson suddenly frustrated expectations with a trio of startlingly confrontational works: the hauntingly bleak Lilya 4ever, based on a real-life case of a Russian girl sold into sex trafficking in Sweden; the abrasive and semi-improvised A Hole in My Heart, detailing the messy (un)making of an amateur porn video; and the avantgarde Container, narrated in its English version by Jena Malone (Donnie Darko).

After making his mainstream English language debut with the expansive Mammoth, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams, Moodysson returned to his roots with We Are The Best! (based on a graphic novel by his wife and ‘consigliere’ Coco), the charming and funny tale of three schoolgirls starting a punk band in early1980s Stockholm.

Available together for the first time, Moodysson’s eclectic filmography can now be appreciated as the work of a singular filmmaking voice, as avowedly uncompromising and unabashedly political as it is keenly observed, deeply felt and frequently hilarious.

The Lukas Moodysson Collection
  • Show Me Love

    1998 • Sweden • Directed by Lukas Moodysson

    Åmål is a small insignificant town where nothing ever happens, where the latest trends are out of date when they get there. Young Elin has a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to guys, but the fact is that she is inexperienced in that matter. Anothe...

  • Lilya 4-Ever

    2002 • Sweden • Directed by Lukas Moodysson

    Lilja lives in poverty and dreams of a better life. Her mother moves to the United States and abandons her to her aunt, who neglects her. Lilja hangs out with her friends, Natasha and Volodya, who is suicidal. Desperate for money, she starts working as...

  • A Hole in My Heart

    2005 • Sweden • Directed by Lukas Moodysson

    Eric is a teenager who lives in a shabby flat with his father, Rickard. Eric spends most of his time holed up in his room, blaring industrial music in order to drown out what's going on around him. This is due to Rickard being an amateur filmmaker spec...

  • Container

    2006 • Sweden • Directed by Lukas Moodysson

    Poetic, experimental and different, Container is described by Lukas Moodysson as "a black and white silent movie with sound" and with the following words; "A woman in a man's body. A man in a woman's body. Jesus in Mary's stomach. The water breaks. It ...