Together (2000 film)

Together is set in one of the sharehome 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 more practical issues, such as whether doing the dishes is bourgeois. The sharehome's dynamics are significantly shaken when Göran's sister, Elisabeth, 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 named Fredrik; 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.

The character "Birger" (Sten Ljunggren) had previously appeared 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.

• Lisa Lindgren as Elisabeth
• Michael Nyqvist as Rolf, Elisabeth's husband
• Emma Samuelsson as Eva, Elisabeth's and Rolf's daughter
• Sam Kessel as Stefan, Elisabeth's and Rolf's son
• Gustaf Hammarsten as Göran, Elisabeth's brother
• Jessica Liedberg as Anna
• Ola Rapace as Lasse
• Axel Zuber as Tet, Anna and Lasse's son
• Shanti Roney as Klas
• Olle Sarri as Erik Andersson
• Anja Lundqvist as Lena, Göran's girlfriend
• Sten Ljunggren as Birger
• Cecilia Frode as Signe
• Lars Frode as Sigvard
• Emil Moodysson as Måne
• Henrik Lundström as Fredrik

Although set in Stockholm in eastern Sweden, the film was actually shot in western Sweden, mainly in cities Trollhättan and Gothenburg. Filming began on 27 October 1999 and wrapped 20 December 1999. Artist Carl Johan De Geer created the film's contemporary environments.

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 90% based on reviews from 79 critics, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads "Managing to be both satirical and warm-hearted in its look at the inhabitants of a commune, Together successfully captures the spirit of a time."[2] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]

The New York Times called Together "A funny, graceful and immensely good-natured work",[4] while Salon described it as "The kind of picture that makes you feel that there are many good reasons to actually like mankind."[5]

• ABBA – "SOS"
• Maggie Bell – "Caddo Queen"
• Hoola Bandoola Band – "Vem kan man lita på?"
• Pugh Rogefeldt – "Här kommer natten"
• Ted Gärdestad – "Jag vill ha en egen måne"
• Tony Hung – "Paddy Fields No. 1"
• Peps Blodsband – "Onådens år"
• Nazareth – "Love Hurts"
• International Harvester – "It's Only Love"
• Ted Gärdestad – "Så mycket bättre"
• Bo Hansson – "The Black Riders (Flight to the Ford)"
• Shit & Chanel – "Jorden Vinden Fuglene"
• Shit & Chanel – "Fandango"
• Bo Hansson – "Leaving Shire"
• Nationalteatern – "Hanna från Arlöv"
• Tony Hung – "Morning Stroll"
• Bo Hansson – "At the House of Elrond and the Ring Goes South"
• Marie Selander – "Vi är många"
• Turid – "Song"
• Ted Gärdestad – "Come Give Me Love"

• Tillsammans at IMDb
• Together at Box Office Mojo
• Tillsammans at the Swedish Film Institute Database
• Tillsammans at AllMovie
• Together Movie Review