What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Discuss Lukas Moodysson's other films and films featuring actors in his films here.

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Re: What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Postby M83 » Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:57 am

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 :D ) 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.
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Re: What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Postby M83 » Sun Dec 21, 2014 1:05 am

fish wrote:As I've said in the past I haven't seen "Ett hål i mitt hjärta", mainly because it got such bad reviews that I thought it would be a waste of money.
In fact I think yours are the most positive words I've ever read about it.
Maybe I need to have a fresh assessment of it in the near future.


It's worth watching Fish as long as you know you are going into a film that's very much Art film and nothing like Fucking Amal. It's not a film that you come out smiling from, but it's a interesting idea that doesn't quite pull it off but you have to admire it ambitions. 4.6 on IMDB is a little unfair imo. It's not a lost classic by any means (the scene of puking up and sex is a little bit OTT plus real scenes of female parts been operated on weren't really needed) but some of Moodyssons real shining moments in the film are the quiet talky moments which there are a few that make the film worthwhile. It Moodysson's second worse film imo (Container takes that honour) but you need to see it at least once.
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Re: What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Postby fish » Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:15 am

M83 wrote:... (Container takes that honour) ...

I'd have to agree with you there.
I bought the dvd and was really disappointed. *:|*

And I'm still building myself up for Ett hål i mitt hjärta.
One of these days I'll get there. :oops: :lol:
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Re: What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Postby M83 » Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:13 pm

fish wrote:
M83 wrote:... (Container takes that honour) ...

I'd have to agree with you there.
I bought the dvd and was really disappointed. *:|*

And I'm still building myself up for Ett hål i mitt hjärta.
One of these days I'll get there. :oops: :lol:


Yeah it's something that could cure insomnia if you had any :D. It's a load of self indulgent crap to be honest. Moodysson should have just released it as Art Gallery piece imo.

Ah its a tough watch fish but it has moments of Moodysson at his best. Good luck when you watch it.
I got it as a part of the Moofysson boxset (the only way to get Fucking Amal in Ireland was to get the boxset). It's a decent film that's got a bad rep cause it's not of the high quality of his first three films.
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Re: What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Postby ivana » Tue Dec 30, 2014 1:01 am

M83, I am glad that you managed to see at least some goodness in "Ett hål i mitt hjärta". I can agree that the film is not the best Moodysson made, but it is not entirely crappy xD Moodysson was going through his private exorcism, and made a film about it, in order to enable the same to other people. For me it had the same effect, for many more others it didn't. "Container" on the other side was unwatchable for me, too. I gave up after 20 minutes, it was merely self-indulgent "artistic" practice.
As I wrote, I watched "A Hole in my Heart" at cinema, and in my country it was not released on DVD, so, unfortunately, I didn't see the fake making of the film, that you mentioned. :( But, maybe, some day, if I find it somewhere, I will surely take a look.
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Re: What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Postby fish » Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:54 am

ivana wrote:... if I find it somewhere ...

There's always Ebay.
But I've only ever seen it in the "Moodysson box set".


Still building myself up to it. :oops: :oops: :oops: :lol:
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Re: What does everybody think? [Ett hål i mitt hjärta]

Postby ivana » Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:36 am

Yep, that could be a good solution :)
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