With Every Heartbeat
After they meet at their parent's engagement party, Mia and Frida are intrigued by and attracted to one another, despite Mia's own upcoming engagement to Tim. Mia must decide whether to continue her life with Tim or to follow her heart with Frida.
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- Cast:
- Ruth Vega Fernandez , Liv Mjönes , Lena Endre , Krister Henriksson , Joakim Nätterqvist , Tom Ljungman , Josefine Tengblad
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Reviews
I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
In this movie, the most credit goes to the director, camera and cinematography dept., because it was really beautifully filmed. Acting was also decent, considering the story. My score is based only on that.The story itself is quite dumb and unrealistic. Not the first part. In it we have two girls, both in serious relationships, who meet, feel the attraction and have a weekend fling. I can buy that, it happens all the time, no matter the sexual orientation.It is the second half of the movie that bugged me. In it we're to believe that after a roll on the hay and (I have too mention this, because it is important) very few words in between, these two feel that they're meant to be, that they're soul mates and that they can't live without one another. The words they exchange, in both love and anger, and the havoc they wreak after is something that might happen after a long affair, but not after 2 days.To me, this movie is nothing more than a filmed pulp romance novel - lesbian edition.
There were a couple things I like about this movie. One, that the lesbian character is in a relationship. Way too many of these straight-woman-in-a-relationship stories have the lesbian hanging out in an isolated world where, of course, she MUST convert a straight woman to her ways in order to have a lover. By taking that factor out, we can more easily believe Frida and Mia like each other, because they like each other. My second winning thing about the movie, Mia's bisexuality as a factor. Once that "comes out", it adds a layer to things that again helps makes this less about 'the only two that could must be' . Only this comes out WAY too late in the film. Life is complicated, but film's should unfold in a linear fashion where the viewer can justify character's actions along the way and if you show me a woman having sex (and seeming to enjoy it) with her man and then half way through the film have herself throw herself at a woman - then damn near run away from it. I'm still thinking she's a woman who's thought herself straight up to now and this 'new' emotion is causing conflict, fine, I'm on that journey with the character. Then to say 'hey, I've actually known I might be bisexual for awhile' feels like a cheat. I shouldn't have to re-watch the movie with the intent of redefining that character journey. There are twist and there are cheats, this just felt like a cheat. A lesbian movies that pulled off the questioning female with a past relationship well was 'Loving Annabelle' - as much as that was about the build to a love scene it at least was a logical build to a a love scene. It set up a character reluctant to deal with conflicts in her perception of her own sexuality really early in the film with simple visual clues to a pre-existing relationship.The thing that really turned me off about this film was the lack of respect for existing relationships. To have the feelings and walk the fine line of what to do with them is one thing - and great dramatic tension. Throwing people under the bus because there's a jones in your crotch is another. I think 'Imagine, Me, & You' did this particular bit about a thousand times better as did 'When Night is Falling'. In 'Imagine', in addition to developing a relationship between the characters for me to root for, I freakin' loved Heck. I didn't want him hurt and I respected Luce, because she didn't want to hurt him either. In 'When Night is Falling' Petra is aggressive in putting her interest for the other woman out there, but respects whatever line she draws in the sand - she also has NO relationship with the character's boyfriend. So while there is an affair present there, as in this film. Her mother isn't marrying the other character's father (as in Kyss Mig) or they haven't hung out and had dinner together (as in Imagine Me & You). Frida just doesn't seem to care how this affects other people. Frida not only had no issue with seducing her future Step-Father's daughter, she threw her girlfriend under the bus. And she'd had a longer relationship with the father than she had with Mia. Yet, she aggressively pursues Mia despite the stress it might put on her mother's relationship with Mia's father, who she allegedly likes. I never got over thinking Frida was a jerk for the way she treated those characters. And poor Tim. So he was picky about where they lived and had some grand opinions on there wedding. The dude wasn't a bad guy and it seemed like the movie wanted me to believe he was. Yeah, he gets aggressive once in bed, but he backs off when he realizes she's not into it. Also, if Frida and mom and new step-dad were all thrilled to have Tim around, why wasn't Elin hanging out with the fam? He obviously doesn't mind that Frida is gay as she isn't his daughter. They blatantly say this in the film. So if lovers are being invited to the table and Frida and step-dad get along so well, Elin's absence seems quite odd. Another slap in the face viewer 'cheat' early in the film is not revealing the lover exist earlier in the film. And what was the point of not even speaking Elin's name? Hiding Frida's sexuality until later in the film? She's practically undressing Mia with her eyes in the first two seconds, attraction, I get it. She likes girls. There's no value in hiding the girlfriend from the viewer, even if you hide it from Mia so she can have her 'so you like girls moment'. Also once you find out Mia is aware of her own bisexuality, all these moments feel a little like lies to the viewer. I bought sexual confusion in 'Loving Annabelle' (thin as plot was there) way more than I bought it here. The two women the film wanted me to root for were such horrible unfeeling people to their lovers in this film, the people and relationship I rooted for was the one between the parents. That stood the greatest test and showed far more character.
Wow. Somehow I doubt that words can express how much I have enjoyed watching this film, but I simply must give it a go.The story starts with the celebration of Lasse and Elisabeth's engagement. Having found each other late in life, Lasse brings two adult children into the marriage, the youngest of which, Oskar, already has connected beautifully with Elisabeth's daughter, Frida. When Lasse's daughter Mia joins the party alongside her fiancé Tim, we immediately feel she is quite the unpolished element in the newly-composed family. It doesn't take very long however before we realize how she is going to blend in.Mia and Frida's first impressions of each other are exposed solely through body language. The secret looks they throw at each other radiate mutual curiosity, but whereas this curiosity is clearly of the welcoming kind on Frida's part, it is shrouded in a cloud of inexplicable caution on Mia's part. For the time being, that is. And this is the only scene in which I grew a little too aware of my own willing suspension of disbelief: the first kiss. Five extra minutes to waltz us to the moment where Mia lets her guard down would have been nice. Whereas the kissing scene makes it clear that Mia's initial reluctance to get to know her stepsister was fueled by self-protection and not aversion, it would have been so much more powerful if we also got to see what exactly had caused the sudden turnaround. One might attribute it to Frida's undeniable charm, her dazzling smiles and hypnotic gazes in the scenes running up to that precious moment, but then, she did not exactly save these up for those first private encounters. Rewind and you will notice that Frida wasn't any less endearing the very first moment you laid eyes on her. Or when Mia did, for that matter.From there on, the storytelling is pretty much flawless: the gradual and natural unraveling of two people who cannot stay away from each other and who eventually have to deal with the obstacles that prevent them from being together permanently. Sure, the final scene does reek a little of Hollywood, but thank god for a film that deals with same sex attraction and that does not end in total disaster! Generally speaking though, the film has quite a realistic feel about it, which probably has a lot to do with the performances. I don't know what it is that makes some couples work on the big screen and others not, but this couple definitely works. Works as in fireworks.Which brings me to the actors. Ruth Vega Fernandez as the beautiful tormented Mia, Lena Endre as the wise and caring mother, and Krister Henriksson as the-not-so perfect-that-it-almost-makes-him-perfect father are outstanding. But Liv Mjönes's portrayal of Frida is divine. It is impossible not to fall in love with those storytelling eyes, those quirky gestures and priceless renderings of trivial words like 'ja', 'absolut', 'precis' and, a little less everyday, 'vebab.'The amount of attention given to the subject of sexuality perfectly mirrors European present day society. Especially for the older generation, it's okay to be gay as long as you're far away. If it affects their inner circle, they will need to go through a small crisis before reaching the okay stage. All in all, it is still the case that, despite all the progress that was made, one cannot be gay without being explicitly defined as such. In short, 'Kyss Mig' is a wonderful film about love in contemporary European society. It is intelligently written and beautifully shot; a feast for the eye and balsam for the soul. Also, did I mention it has Liv Mjönes in it?
Without much stash around it, it tells a love story anybody can relate to or believe in. That they are lesbians, to me a plus, has nothing to do with the story - it's a love story. It helps that it's Swedish - such a great language - and so far from Hollywood.A lot of great lesbian love stories has been made around the world in the last 20 years: Intimates (China), Fire (India), Produceing Adults (Finland), Between Two Women (GB), Aimée & Jaguar (Germany), I Can't Think Straight (Middleeastern, but UK) and (of course) Imagine You and me (UK) - not to mention all the rest from eastern Europe, Malaisia, Japan and South America - and all the other countries who are breaking the boundaries. Cudos to you all. But "Kyss Mig" kind of beats them all of the above for me because of it's honesty. All hypocrisy was set aside - it was what it was and people got hurt. I like that. To me that's life. Get a few blows - give a few blows. We are what we are - we do what we do.The two leads, Ruth Vega Fernandez as Mia and Liv Mjönes as Frida, gives beautiful performances, as do Lena Endre as the mom and Krister Henriksson as the rather confused and in denial father of Mia. And I loved Mia's brother, Oscar, played by Tom Ljungman. Actually - the only one I did not get a feel of was Tim, the boyfriend of Mia, played by Joakim Nätterqvist. Maybe a script thing but he came over too one dimensional to me. As for cudos: Great one to you, Alexandra-Therese Keining, writing it and for directing it !!! AND to you Josefine Tengblad, producer, playing Elin, Fridas girlfriend. Great job!!And for "rumpanbar" (meening in Swedish "bare ass") who gave it a 1 !! Are you for real ???All in all: I love this film !