The Director's Idea

Chapter 20

Lukas Moodysson: Empathy and Its Limits

Introduction

The opposite of empathy is contempt, and you can find both in the brief but powerful career of Lukas Moodysson. “Together” with Tom Tykwer of Germany and Catherine Breillat of France, these filmmakers represent a powerful new voice among directors. Bold, uncompromising, experimental, each of these filmmakers has quickly made a mark comparable to that of Martin Scorsese in the United States and Wong Kar Wai in Asia. In this chapter, we will look at the four films made by Moodysson in Sweden: “Fucking Åmål” (called “Show Me Love” in North America; 1998), “Together” (2000), “Lilja 4-Ever” (2002), and “A Hole in My Heart” (2004).

In terms of the director’s idea, Moodysson is examining ...