Some theories... are they too far-fetched?

[JimmyC]

#1. Lukas Moodysson chose the town of Amal because of its sonic qualities... it sounds like the word "normal"... You can hear this if you listen to the scene where Jessica is like "You're not normal. You're not fucking normal". Which, under this interpretation is interesting because if normal=Amal, then she's also saying "You're not fucking Amal"! I think there is credence to this theory because 1. the film wasn't actually shot in Amal, it was shot somewhere else, so Amal was obviously just chosen as "anytown" not really b/c it was where the director SAW his vision and wanted to film. It could be anywhere! 2. Moodysson was a published poet at 17, and as a published poet myself I can see this attention to the sound of words in myself and I don't think it's as big of a stretch considering that.

#2. The man they hitchhike a ride from, I think he is the link to the "dark side" in this movie. What I mean is that this man seems like one of the few things that reminded me that the same director also did Lilja 4-Ever. The man is clearly kinda creepy, he looks at the girls when they get in in this kind of perverted way. There is no way this sinister element wasn't intentional because it disrupts what is going on in the surface of the story. It gets in the way, so there must be a reason he was written in like this: to remind us that the movie is sort of in its own world, these girl's problems and feelings are in their own little world where they are oblivious to the dangers outside of it (just like they were oblivious to the creepiness of this guy). But that at the same time this "world" they live in is the same world as Lilja's and the situations could very easily be reversed. Also, it reminds us that these girls really want to get out of the "boredom" of Amal (both the place and the state of mind is implied here), but at the same time they have no idea what that means... it means also leaving the safety and comfort of Amal, leaving the innocence of Amal and into the hardships and dangers outside of their own rather sheltered lives and problems.

Fortunately the man was not able to start his car. In Lilja 4-Ever, the guy who cons Lilja into going to Sweden was also in a car when they first interact, and he was able to drive off with her. I think this is very depressing but also a very important point. It's almost like Moodysson is, through 2 very different movies, reminding us that great things are going on at the same time that horrible things are going on. And also that the situations could very easily be reversed in a matter of seconds.

What do you think? Am I completely wrong? Am I way over-analyzing it?

~j.

[Katana]

Hey! I'm afraid your first theory is wrong. The name of the town is "Åmål", and "å" isn't pronounced like "a" in English. The closest sound in English is the "o" in "rock" or "love".

[kant1781]

Interesting points Jimmy! I'm negative on the first, positive on the second.

#1 was once discussed at that mind-shatteringly stupid imdb board I think (one of the very few meaningful discussions to be found there), and personally I'd stick with Katana as that's what the Scandinavian people at imdb argued (plausibly) too: It's only for untrained ears that the vowels in "normal" and "Åmål" sound alike. And even I can hear that the words are not stressed on the same syllable, which makes them sound differently: The stress is on the second in "normal" and on the first in "Åmål". Lastly, Jessica doesn't actually say "fucking normal", it's just "Du är fan inte normal", which means about the same all right, but then the supposed analogy with the title gets a bit thin.

#2 appeals to something I deeply believe in, the unity of Lukas's work despite appearances, and the deep connection between "Åmål" and "Lilya". So I'd say, yes, I have always viewed that guy as creepy and that scene as threatening, with a clear scent of danger and evil in the air. I love the idea of seeing him as a messenger from the dark side, it's brilliant! Is it overinterpretation? Well, if you mean to ask whether Lukas intended or intentionally wrote him to be that way, probably. But if you mean to ask whether it makes sense to read that scene like this today because in the light of "Lilya" this is a natural way of taking it, no, it makes perfect sense to me.
It's only fair to point out however that obviously most people somehow manage to find the scene just funny. They love the "candid camera" joke. Of course it is funny because it bursts into the kiss and the Foreigner song, rupturing any thought of conventional sugar-sweet teen romance (that was your point, remember! And I think it is also the point Lukas actually intended), but most of all I think because it lifts the threatening atmosphere from before, which many people seem to miss.