The (Now-Overrated) ILX Top 100 Films of the 2000s Poll Results

I'm now in a huge argument with a friend about this film (saw last night). I'm frankly appalled by the rape and the way the film sets up the rapist as a person to sympathize with.

See, I disagree. We often confuse "sympathize" with "interested in."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/etienne_saint/together-1.jpg

"Together" was so goddamned charming!

― Your body is a spiderland (polyphonic)

Together
Lukas Moodysson
2000
Sweden
(220.5 points, 9 votes, 1 first place)

taking a break for now...

^great screengrab, great movie

Funny -- kid named Tet -- need to see again.

Together is great, yeah! Too bad Moodysson decided he didn't want to do that sort of movies again. Despite the good intentions, Lilya-4-Ever was pretty awful, and from what I've heard his next movie was even worse.

I remember this was really hyped when it came out, but I never got to see it. Anything other than 'charming' or 'great'?

"Together" is on Watch Instantly for Netflix folks who haven't seen it, btw.

^yes, on my list

Glad to see Capturing the Friedmans placed as it was my #1. IMO the DVD of this one is essential, as all the many, many extras just escalate the bafflement. Of course it bears noting that I am obsessed w/the kind of stuff in the extras, such as transcripts of really poorly done, exploitative police interviews w/kids that go on for hours. I mean if they ever made a docu abt the McMartin preschool trial, my head would probably explode.

Everyone I've ever tried to play this for has fallen asleep tho.

Lilya 4-Ever wasn't too bad aside from the ending, but as soon as I sent my ballot I really regretted giving it the two points that I did. That ending killed the movie for me.

xxxpost

Together is ranked exactly right. I liked it a lot but always forget I saw it.

hmm let's see. of the ones so far i think dogville is the only one i voted for. (and it's great, u r all crazy.) i like tropical malady but it's my 3rd-favorite joe film so didn't make the cut. i think together was on my extended shortlist. the piano teacher made me want to punch michael haneke, even though isabelle huppert really is great in it.

It's about a 70s Swedish housewife getting fed up with his husband and moving to a leftist/hippie commune with his kids. It gives a somewhat bemused but alway sympathetic portrait of the sort of people who lived in communes during the 70s.

(x-post to Emily)

i thought 'together' was brilliant how dense it was in depth and # of characters for a 90 min film

also, you know, it may just be the little dutch kids aspect of it, but it reminded me a lot of the first half of 'fanny & alexander'

ah i guess i should say scandanavian look then

Moodysson is one of only three filmmakers who appeared on my ballot more than once.

the problem for me with Dogville was that it was so theoretical, it hardly seemed to be there at all as an experience

Yeah, I like how it's never "LOL hippies", but it doesn't present the commune as a hippie utopia either. Having hung out with 90s/00s versions of these sort of people, the way Together presented them seemed pretty spot-on. And the overall positive message of communality is certainly very nice.

(xxx-post)

it was there, like a teeth-cleaning. xxp

lol

i didn't vote for together (only voted for 28 films) but i probably should have, it's great.

And the overall positive message of communality is certainly very nice.

Really? this wasn't my take. Part of the film's slyness is the implication that this community was a collection of atomized humans who only made sense to each other when they were fucking or in conflict with someone else.

I agree with everything Abbott said about CTF. I was just spellbound for the whole movie.

i think it's both.

xpost

yeah, I think the communality isn't objectively judged except it's sort of good that these folks aren't bothering everybody else (kinda like the record store in High Fidelity).

don't agree w/ that

yeah Friedmans is super-compelling. im pleased by these first ten!

Plus, these folks smell.

xpost

The bleakness of Lilya underscores why Together manages to be so warm and charming without being cutesy and manipulative. He's no naif - he has genuine affection for idealism because he knows what it's up against, and at the same time he can still take the piss very shrewdly.

I voted for this, Friedmans and Sideways so I'm happy so far.

again like rec store (sorry)

xp

I didn't even realise Together was 2000s? Guess I missed it in the noms list. Would probably have crept into my 40. I rescreened it maybe 18 months ago. Solid.

I tried watching Happy-Go-Lucky with two different friends on separate occasions. Both times we had to stop the movie after 20-30 minutes because they found the lead character so repellant. I still haven't seen the whole thing...must give it a chance

itt ppl who are dead inside

i wouldnt read happy-go-lucky as an endorsement - theres some cruelty in her naiveté - but poppy's worldview is p seductive. really liked that movie tho

also lots of shitty lame movies but nothing so far is worse than dogville - truly monstrous if u liked that movie u r a terrible person

No you are not.

why "r u" terrible person for liking Dogville, Lamp? Please answer in a complete sentence with proper English spelling and grammar for extra credit - I know you're capable of it.

the only possible reason i can think for people hating dogville so much is some kind of basic misunderstanding of the movie. (nb: i understand not liking it, but people talk about it like it's some immoral or amoral or life-hating force, which is sort of perversely rong.)

lamp otm

Dogville is hated by me not just because it is a pile of wank, but because it is a 3 hour pile of wank.

is it ok if i hate dancer in the dark?

I vowed never too see any Lars von Trier movie again after that emotional torture porn extravaganza Dancer in the Dark, but several of my friends have told me I should see Dogville. I'm still not sure though...

Lol, xpost!

It's a trap!

von trier just strikes me as one of those trolls who is clever but not very clever, more momus than cankles for instance

I can see extreme reactions to DitD and Dogville following naturally.

I'm assuming the "terrible person" line is a joke, one I'd reserve for Gaspar Noe fans.

I absolutely do not agree with the end conclusions NK's character makes in Dogville, and I think Lars Von Trier is irredeemable as a human being, but the whole thing radiates a glowing rongness I imagine some others (obviously terrible people) get from Haneke.

Also, Von Trier is usually aware of its own ridiculousness.

i was just gonna say that's how i feel abt haneke