ivana wrote:So hello!
I am a new member here, but have been reading forum for some time, surprised at the commitment and longevity that it has sustained for years, which is unusual for internet forums, and also the depth of discussions about films and art here.
I watched all Moodysson's feature films, except the last one "We are the best", put I plan to watch it soon.
I watched "Ett hål i mitt hjärta" 9 years ago in cinema, but since then it didn't leave my mind. I still vividly remember many scenes and dialogues, as well as my thoughts and impressions. It was one of rare films that made me feel fascinated and nauseous at the same time.
This discussion is very interesting to read, as it touches upon many themes. I agree with kant 1718 that there is something like "Moodysson-verse" - the view of the world characteristic for him, where all of the characters and topics of his films feel connected. Also, it is very fruitful to think about "Ett hål i mitt hjärta" as grimmer and darker version of "Fucking Amal". I like that interpretation and find it useful when thinking about how and why his first two films differ from the next two films he made. He did change in style, but not in theme. It is still depiction of lost innocence, outsiders, young people inhabiting soul-crushing capitalist world and surviving via dreams and love.
However, maybe i am the only one who didn't actually mind the preachy and obvious stylistic devices Lukas used in this film. I actually liked that the message is so obvious and so crude, even when it's overdone, I think it provoked people to ruminate more on it. He didn't want people to enjoy the film, au contraire, his intention was to disgust them and create cognitive dissonance that would inspire them to think deeper about the film.
But I did enjoy some aspects of the film: I enjoyed the way it was acted and directed, sometimes I really like when directors go over the edge, and are not afraid to give in to their creative impulses, even if they know that they are creating messy and flawed art (someone said John Waters) and that is what I appreciate the most about this great film.
I remember an interview where Lukas said that at some point in his life he began watching regularly some reality show (probably "Big brother"), and thinking about that, he wanted to find out why people have the need to watch this kind of a "product". You can see that they way he directed "Ett hål i mitt hjärta" resembles in a way those reality shows (shocking images, sexual and aggressive behaviour, shallow characters, the way the camera moves, "realistic" style of filming etc), but he decidedly goes much deeper than that and decides to show us the other, humane side of those characters and depth of their desperation. So, in a way, this film feeds us with all the filthy media images, but not in order to shock or amuse us, but in order to purify us, to help us overcome them. And that is exactly how I felt when I walked out of the cinema 9 years ago: cleansed, excited and thoroughly shaken.
There, those were my two cents
Wow well written discussion on what I think is Moodysson's most underrated film Ivana. I think it's a hugely flawed and self indulgent film but Moodysson still lets moments of tenderness shine through. I loved the scenes between Eric, the son and Sanna Bråding fame hungry porn star wannabe just chatting. The quiet moments to me are when the film is at it's best. I think it's a film that tried to hard to shock, I think Moodysson wanted to try and upset people. It did derail his career which although it did get back on line with the wonderful We are the Best! this year, that film sadly went unnoticed by a lot of critics. If you have A Hole In My Heart on DVD, The "Fake" making of on the DVD is actually better then the film itself though. Having Moodysson falling out with his cast and it's side splitting stuff.
But, maybe, some day, if I find it somewhere, I will surely take a look.