Together Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Together Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 30, 2023

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Arrow Video's The Lukas Moodysson Collection.

When The New York Times is touting someone as "Sweden's most praised filmmaker since Ingmar Bergman", attention should probably be paid, even if some reading that description and then looking at the name of its referent might still be asking, "Lukas who?" Lukas Moodysson achieved a fair degree of success right out of the gate with his first feature Show Me Love (which had a somewhat more visceral original title, as can be seen on the poster I've included as the "cover image" for that individual listing), but unlike some "overnight successes", he has never seemed content to rest on his laurels, and has frequently thrown caution at least partially to the wind, resulting in a rather audacious array of films that vary from bright and breezy to decidedly dark, dour and depressing (maybe that's where the Bergman angle might be most relevant, and, yes, that's said in jest, at least kind of). Arrow Video has now aggregated a really appealing collection of seven Moodysson films, along with the label's usual penchant for some outstanding supplemental material, handsome packaging and non disc swag.

If you're like any number of people I've known (including myself), at some point in your life you probably lived in a shared home situation, something that seems to have been the case with a bunch of either college aged or just post-college aged people. Together seems to suggest that in Stockholm and environs in the 1970s at least that shared homes were actually a "thing", as in a cultural norm of sorts, that included people definitely well past college age, and who in fact in some cases had younger school age children of their own to contend with. This ensemble piece is often very funny, though it might be argued that Moodysson goes after some pretty easy targets, including the pretentiousness of folks out to create their own quasi Age of Aquarius (or something like that).

There are a number of intersecting stories here involving a wealth of both adult and child characters, but it is in fact the dysfunctions between some of the grown ups and the kids that provides some unexpected emotional heft. Once again Moodysson's facilities with young performers comes in handily, and while the film may have a slightly jaundiced view of some of the nascent "New Age" mentality the adults at least supposedly are experiencing, it's the ostensibly more "mature" reactions some of the kids have to events that give Together some of its most meaningful material.

Together Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Together is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Arrow lumps all of the films together on their page devoted to the transfers in the hardcover book included with this set, as follows:

All seven films in this collection are presented in their original aspect ratios (1.85:1 for Fucking Åmål, Lilya 4-Ever, Container, and We Are the Best!; 1.66:1 for Together; 1.78:1 for A Hole in My Heart; and 2.35:1 for Mammoth) with their original 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio mixes. Container is presented with both Swedish and English narration options in both 5.1 and 2.0.

Fucking Åmål was restored in 2K by the Swedish Film Institute and approved by director Lukas Moodysson and cinematographer Ulf Brantås. The appearance of the film is the result of an unusual production process. It was shot on 16mm film prior to cutting and then to 35mm duplicate negative which was lit for the final screening copy. For the digital restoration, the original camera negative has been used as source material; this also meant that the optical printer work had to be cut and recreated.

Together was restored in 4K from the original camera negative by the Swedish Film Institute and approved by director Lukas Moodysson and cinematographer Ulf Brantås.

The high definition video masters for the other five films were supplied to Arrow Films by TrustNordisk in association with Memfis Film. Additional restoration work on the digital video master for Container was carried out by R3Store Studios, London.

This is a very pleasing looking presentation that preserves a nicely organic quality while also supporting generally very commendable levels of fine detail. There is a lot of interior footage in the film, some of which is not abundantly lit, and so some detail levels can occasionally ebb. This transfer, kind of like Show Me Love, seems to skew toward yellow at times, as can perhaps be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review. That said, even with the somewhat jaundiced undertone, primaries like reds don't seem overly affected. Some of this may be due to the supposedly "natural" lighting in many of the indoor scenes.

Together Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Together features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio options in the original Swedish. This is an incredibly fun soundtrack that benefits from a glut of source material (including everything from ABBA to Nazareth), and the surround track definitely opens up the score and provides a more fulsome midrange and low end. The actual narrative of the film tends to often take place indoors in relatively small spaces, and as such ambient environmental sounds can be limited and sporadic. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Together Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lukas Moodysson on Together (HD; 15:49) continues Moodysson's conversation with Sarah Lutton.


• Working Together with Malin Fornander (HD; 23:21) also features Sarah Lutton as interviewer of the script supervisor for several Moodysson films.


• Servant of Art with Michal Lsezczylowski (HD; 30:49) is another Sarah Lutton moderated interview, this time with Moodysson's frequent editor.


• Deleted Scenes (HD*; 9:21) are windowboxed and have a timecode caption.


• Trailers and TV Spots

  Swedish Theatrical Trailer (HD*; 00:51)

  
  

  Swedish TV Spots (HD*; 1:24)

  
  

  UK Theatrical Trailer (HD*; 00;58)

• Image Gallery (HD)

*720

Together Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Together reveals that "togetherness" is not always what it's cracked up to be, but despite the manifest dysfunctions of any number of characters in this film, Moodysson's generally light touch makes this an often rather funny enterprise. Technical merits are solid and the supplements are very enjoyable. Highly recommended.