My article translations

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

Inspired by the fan-fiction section, I thought I'd put the translations from various FÅ related material I've done over the years here on the forum, in one thread.
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Swedish newspaper DN congratulates Rebecka Liljeberg on her 30th birthday

To Rebecka Liljeberg life as an actor was always just a paranthesis. Early on her descision was for something entirely different. Agnes in Fucking Åmål became a mother of three children and a doctor instead.

Film-making was always a sidetrack. Ever since I was 12 or 13 years old I wanted to be a doctor.
I had an appendectomy at St Göran's and I found the hospital environment exciting, she tells us.

That is what she thinks today as well - in medical "practical work and contact with different people are united in an intellectually stimulating environment".

Two years ago she got her doctor's degree at the Karolinska Institute. Last year she worked with severely ill people that got treatment at home. In february she got a job as AT-doctor at the Söder-hospital.

- I know the Söder-hospital well. A great deal of my studies were conducted there, and I like it here. At this hospital you are directed towards "ordinary" deseases, it's not so specialized like it is at for example the Karolinska hospital, and this suits me well. The working climate is nice here, and the co-operation between different staff categories is good.

The hospital is also nicely situated with a view to the Årsta bay. At present she is at the surgical department.

Ten years have passed since Rebecka Liljeberg had her breakthrough as Agnes in Fucking Åmål. Before that she had been in a few television productions after being "discovered" at the age of 9 when Swedish TV came to her school looking for talent.

- I did like everyone else and applied. Then I got a part in Sunes Jul. I got the part in Fucking Åmål when I was 16.
Lukas Moodysson had seen me in a short film at the Dramatic Institute.

By that time Rebecka had already moved from home. She lived in Nynäshamn and was about to start the Kungsholmen high school, she had rented a room to live in at the old Roslagstull hospital. But when filming of Fucking Åmål started she realized that filming and studying at the same time didn't work out. Filming took three months.

- It was a really fun time. We were a nice bunch of people who had a good time down there, several were from the area as you know. And it was a great script, the dialogue was very well-written. It was a low-budget film aimed at young people. Nobody could ever dream that it would have such an impact. Suddenly people recognised you when you walked in the city, and they came up to talk to you. It was a hard thing at that age - only 17 years old and you didn't want to be seen in that way.

She believes that the success of the film was due to the fact that many youngsters could identify with the film. All teenagers have experienced feelings of alienation. It was also an exciting love story

- Fucking Åmål broke new ground in depicting lesbian love. It's still not that common in cinema.

The success meant that Rebecka and her co-star Alexandra Dahlström travelled to film festivals in Cannes and Berlin. They were each given a Guldbagge award at a somewhat turbulent film gala in Stockholm, visited Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as a lot of places around Sweden were the film was shown.

The next year Rebecka starred as Sanna in the film Sherdil. It had been filmed even before the premiere of Fucking Åmål. In that film Rebecka saves the life of a horse from slaughtering by hiding with it at a deserted house in the forest.

But all this is history. It wasn't an actor she wanted to be. Instead she finished her high school studies and had a few odd jobs on the side. Today she lives in Bagarmossen with husband and three children. When asked how she could have time to accomplish so much and still even become a doctor, she laughs.

- It's not that hard, it's just that I became a mother at a relatively early age.


DN congratulates Rebecka

Birthday: 30 years at may 13

Occupation: AT-doctor

Lives: Bagarmossen

Family: husband and three children, 9, 6, and 2 years old

Roles in films: Agnes in Fucking Åmål 1998, Sherdil Eva & Adam and Där regnbågen slutar 1999. Födelsedagen 2000, Bear's Kiss 2002.
Short film Närkontakt 1997, TV series Sunes Jul 1991, and also Skärgårdsdoktorn, and Längtans blåa blomma.

Background: Born in Nykvarn, raised in Stockholm and Nynäshamn. Did some theatre. Was discovered at the age of nine at a casting for Sunes Jul.
Moved from home at the age of sixteen when she was about to start high school. Quit her studies to be able to film Fucking Åmål. Was given a Guldbagge together with Alexandra Dahlström for best leading actress. Completed her high school studies at Komvux (school for adults). Completed her studies to become a doctor in 2009.

Friends with Alexandra Dahlström on facebook

Holidays: summer house outside Norrköping

Favourite book: Halv elva en sommarkväll (Dix heures et demie du soir en été) by Marguerite Duras.

Reads to her children: classic childrens books

Favourite film: "Many, but Gudar och människor (French film: Des hommes et des dieux) that recently was shown in theaters was really good"
Apart from that she prefers older movies.

Free time: to spend time with family and friends

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

Clip from Swedish TV from the time of FÅ theatrical premiere in 1998, discovered and broadcast on the net in 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnhE-Kg6 ... tube_gdata

Interviewer: This friday the movie FÅ premiered in a whole lot of places in Sweden. I've seen it myself and I think it was bloody good, for god's sake don't miss it if you have a chance to see it. The film is also about this thing alienation.

Int: When was the last time you felt you were left outside?

Rebecka: Often when you come to a new place or a new environment you feel like an outsider to begin with, but that feeling usually passes after a while, you're always a little outside at the start.
Other than that I was pretty much an outsider in school.

Alexandra: I almost always feel like an outsider in school, it's wrong to say this but there are so many people I despise in my school. They are totally...
That's a good feeling of alienation I think.

Reb: Haha, to despise people is not a good example of alienation I think.

Alex: No, but I just know I don't want to hang out with those guys because it's no fun.

Reb: No...

Int: But what if they want to hang out with you?

Alex: No, I don't really exclude anyone, I just sort of choose the type of persons I want to be with, but I don't refuse anyone.

Reb: It was like that to me aswell, I pretty much chose not to be with certain people. Sometimes it was hard and then you tried to become a member of the crowd again. Maybe you succeded, but then it still felt you didn't belong with them.

Int: Did you try to fit in even though you felt you didn't belong?

Reb: Yes that happened, you tried to get the same clothes as the cool people, you begged and cried to mummy "Please I must have some money so I can buy this sweater".

Alex: You say the same things and you think the same things as the others do.

Reb: Yes you try to be hip, if for example someone says "Pelle in class 9 he's so damn good looking", and maybe you don't know who he is, you still go "Yeah yeah I know". You lie and do stuff like that.

Int: But have you ever helped anyone at some point who you knew was very much outside, have you thought maybe I should talk to this person?

Alex: You don't really have the courage to do this because then you get labeled. You're afraid to be kind to that person who is outside, even though you feel you could probably handle it, and you'd want to help, you still don't do it because you're a coward.

Woman at the end: Hi how did it go?

Int: It went really well, they were great girls.

Woman: Did you fall in love?

Int: No you don't fall in love with all great girls.

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

Interview from the magazine Nollarton in 1998

Two female rolemodels

Rebecca:
"It's not wise to become too dependant on the attention you get, cause it won't be there for ever. If you think that this is half of your life, then that half disappears when you are not famous anymore. I believe this is a problem for many celebrities."

Rebecca on...

Alexandra
-We are not best friends but there is nothing strange about that, after all the age gap is fairly big. She is very similar to me when I was 14, but I think she is a little more wild. The best thing about Alexandra is that she is good at what she does, the worst part is that she has silly behaviour sometimes. But this can also be a good thing...

Music
-I like different types of music, today I've listened to the Beatles all day long, but we have a rather big record collection at home, so it depends on what mood I'm in.

The Graaf Sisters ( Note: these were two blonde Swedish sisters with breast implants, who did some nude modeling and had a brief pop-music career in Sweden in the late 90s)
-In a way there is perhaps something good about the Graaf sisters. Of course it's bad to have bad role models. But nowadays it's easier for anybody to get fame and in the long run maybe this will make the hype about being a celebrity less big.

Rebecca arrives for the interview relaxed and with no make-up on. In spite of the huge success with FÅ and the exposure of herself, she seems very unaffected and not at all mannered. She is not particularly impressed by the "celebrity world", she says that she and her boyfriend get lots of invitations to premieres and parties, but that they hardly ever attend anything.
-If there is a good reason then we go. For example in a few days Colin Nutley's new film premieres, then we will go.

Do you think that your friends act differently to you now after the success of the film?

-No I have a few friends that I really trust. On the other hand there are some I don't hang out with that much any longer, who get in touch with me and want to meet me more often.

Dealing with media can be a hard thing she tells us, she feels a pressure to do more interviews etc than she really wants to.
-I don't want to do too many things, and of course I make my own decisions, but the movie company wants me to do most of the publicity stuff. I don't believe all publicity is good publicity. It's hard to know when the audience will get tired of you.

Just like Alexandra she says that the actual film-making was not hard to do. The hardest part was that it was made so far from home, in the town of Trollhättan.
-It was fun to get to know so many new people, the whole film-team became good friends.
-When I watch it I remember lots of things that happened when we made the film, things that the audience don't get to see.
Rebecca talks about intrigues and smiles when she thinks back.
-We will probably meet and have a party when the film reaches half a million visitors. I think this will be soon because the other day it had already reached 450.000 visitors.

She protests when I ask if there will be a Fucking Åmål 2.
-No I don't think Moodysson have this in mind.

Rebecca quit high-school when shooting was about to start, but she intends to resume her studies after the summer. In the future she wants to become a children's doctor. She says herself that she is bright and is an easy learner.
-This is a huge advantage for me, otherwise I probably would have become tired of school long ago.
-The worst thing about me is that I'm not so good at answering letters, make phone calls and keep in touch with people, to show people that I like them, even though I do like them. That's why I have so few friends, I don't have time for more.

A large part of her free time is spent making a homepage together with her boyfriend whom she also lives with.
It takes time and it's not at all ready yet, she says, but she looks pleased anyway.
-When I have some more time I hang out with my siblings or my friends.

Is there anybody you admire?
My mother, Rebecca says and smiles. -If you mean an actress then it's probably Maria Lagerkrantz. She has a sensible attitude to her profession, for example that you're not more important than others just because you're a famous actor.

Do you have a dream part?
-It would be to play someone very special, totally mad for example. I don't go around dreaming about the part of Ophelia or something like that, she laughs.
-I could do a television-movie if I found it really good.

What advice would you give to others who suddenly become as famous as you have?
-It's not wise to become too dependant on the attention you get, cause it won't be there for ever. If you think that this is half of your life, then that half disappears when you are not famous anymore. I believe this is a problem for many celebrities.

__________________________________________

Alexandra:
"Sometimes I wonder if people who see me in real life wonder "Oh how ugly she is!" since I don't normally wear make-up and mini skirts like in the film."

Alexandra on...

Rebecca
A little more reserved than me. She is very professional. If I'd worked with an eleven year old, we probably wouldn't have hung out together privately either.

Music
There are so many records I would like to have... Sometimes you want stuff that seem cool. E-Type is maybe underestimated, but I usually listen to stuff with more depth, with more of a sad feeling.
-But I like E-Type anyway, she adds.
PJ Harvey, Miles Davies, Marlyn Manson are some of the artists Alexandra listens to.

Vecko Revyn (Note: a magazine in Sweden aimed at girls and young women)
I have turned down an interview for Vecko Revyn four times now, I don't like that magazine, it's a result of a sick society.

-It's funny that when Rebecca and I are photographed, they always want us to look like we're best friends or in love, but we are none of that, Alexandra says in a matter of fact tone.
They don't hang out privately. Like Alexandra says there is a big difference between being 14 and 17 years old.

We are having lunch together with her not far from her school at Odenplan. She is in 9th grade and is a little stressed by all her work in school.

I ask how she got the part of Elin in Fucking Åmål and she tells me there was an audition at her school when she was in 7th grade, they were looking for suitable actors for the film.
-They tested everybody who were interested. I went there with some friends and I said "Hi I'm Alexandra and I play basket in my free time"or something like that. A while later they called me and told me I'd got the part.

Is it fun being an actress?
-I don't even call myself an actress. It's not a great acting performance I did. I mean I didn't exactly push myself to feel any deeper feelings, and I didn't study other people's way of expressing themselves. It just sort of happened. I did what they told me to do, she says while munching on her sandwich.

But the result turned out really good...
-Elin is like me in so many respects. Plus the film has the world's best script and the world's best directing. No wonder it all turned out so good.

However Alexandra doesn't seem very interested in continuing an acting career.

But if you're offered a really good script again?
-Yes maybe, if I have the time.
She is mostly focused on school at the moment, and is about to choose what type of high-school she should attend.
-I don't know which one yet. I want it to be a broad education so that I will learn a lot.
I wonder what she would think of eventually coming to Uppsala and study at the university there, but she doesn't want to make any plans so far ahead.
-But I know that I would be ambitious enough to handle it.

Alexandra thinks the hardest scene to shoot was at the bridge when it was cold and they didn't have much clothes on.
-They had to use a blowdryer on the bannister before I could lean on it.
-We had so much fun in Trollhättan, she tells me.

What was the funniest thing that happened?
-The most funny thing I'm not gonna tell you, she says and looks happy.
-Don't write that I said so because then everybody will wonder.

Are you as wild as Elin?
-Sometimes...but she is much more naive than I am. Maybe I think a little more, at least I hope so.

Some school mates throw a snowball at her and shouts when we photograph her. She thinks it's embarrassing when they all watch, and she laughs a little. I ask if her friends from school treat her a lot differently now after the success of the film.
-Still this is Vasastan, many here have been neighbours with other celebrities, and should be used to this. Possibly people from the suburbs shout more after me.
-Did I sound racist now?, she laughs.

A guy in school ask her all the time if they couldn't lock themselves in the toilet and then come out and tell everybody they love each other.
-No we can't I tell him.

She tells me that she gets a lot of fan mail. One guy had seen Fucking Åmål and was really in love with her.
-He wrote that he was almost about to commit suicide. Stop it! Or... take it easy I mean! she says and shakes her head.
-Maybe I have become a little more self-confident now after the film.
-I mean you get so much attention.
-Sometimes I wonder if people who see me in real life wonder "Oh how ugly she is!" since I don't normally wear make-up and mini skirts like in the film.

What do you like to do when you're not in school?
Recently I got a lot of books that I'm gonna read. Besides that I got about 4000 records from my sister that I'm gonna listen to.
-I go out sometimes too, but only on weekends that is.
Alexandra tells me she got an invitation from Café Opera one night but she didn't go.
-I went with a friend to Wallmans Salonger instead, she says and laughs at silly old men and their perfumed wives who followed them to see what they were going to do.

What's good and what's bad about you?
-What's bad is that I'm hysterical. I bite my nails off before a test in school. I'm a bad listener, I'd rather talk about myself instead. I'm kind, but I can be pretty mean sometimes when I'm too tired to be kind. I'm smart...although not all the time. One good thing is that I don't just accept things, I have to question everything.

Is there someone you admire?
-Erica Carlson, the girl who plays my sister in Fucking Åmål.

Is she as kind as she was in the film?
She is even kinder in reality! You get surprised by this.

When I ask Alexandra what she thinks about the Graaf Sisters, she gets irritated since everybody asks her what she thinks of them.
-I don't give a damn about them, they're not interesting! They are not female role-models. At least I don't hope so. You have to take one step back and try to see the reasons why things are the way they are, and always wonder about what you're doing and why.
-Although yesterday when I used face wash I thought to myself "Alright, I'm manipulated" . But it doesn't help to drop bombs on sex shops. I mean if you look at this problem as if it were a human being, it would be just like cutting your nails to bomb a sex shop. You have to go deeper than that.

[fish]

Excellent translations Magnus.
Thanks so much for posting them.

No you don't fall in love with all great girls.

Uh oh.
I failed again.

[Ian]

Nobody told me either!

Nice one, Magnus.

How about I make this a sticky?

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

Glad you like it

[snaps]

Thnaks for that Magnus When I get round to it I will be creating a ''Resources'' thread on the Fan-fic/fan-art board with pages linking to resources such as screenshots/ promo shots/ poster and publicity material / interviews / articles / reviews etc. I will link back to these translations when I do that

[Ian]

Very pleased with your enthusiasm here, snapsie.

[katka]

A now I found some article on Svenska filminstitutet - http://www.sfi.se/PageFiles/7794/FUCKAMAL.PDF
I don't know if you know, but when would someone have trans. or somewhere....

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

Why are you posting this in my translations thread, are you stupid?

I think Ian should move this because this just pisses me off

If you want stuff translated then post it elsewhere first

[katka]

Sorry but I didn't know where I should place it. In topic FA is so many themes that is dificult decide where with it... If with it Ian will agree whatever it so let's it moves

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

Sorry but I didn't know where I should place it. In topic FA is so many themes that is dificult decide where with it... If with it Ian will agree whatever it so let's it moves

You're cool because you're sorry?

This thread is supposed to be for stuff that has been translated by me.

Not for articles you find on the net in swedish that you'd like to have translated.

[katka]

I mean just if somebody have it translated somewhere here because I can't find it

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

No I don't think there is an english translation somewhere.

It's a small summary of what the film is about from the Swedish Film Institute.

[Agnes&Elin Forever!]

Btw, Ian don't move this.

Since we had this lengthy conversation you can just as well leave it be