Loveable

In the film’s opening shot, we see Maria standing in front of a mirror, drying her hair, as a woman’s voice on the soundtrack asks, “Can you tell me how you met?” And then we are taken back in time, like a soft breeze: visually, with fluttering images of summer dresses, sunshine, and white wine in glasses, and through Guren’s voice-over recounting that it was summer when she saw him at a party and thought, “There you are!”

After a restless and searching phase, where Maria tries to figure out how to “get him,” the two become a couple. This new phase is portrayed as a jubilant and sensual dance set to Petra Marklund’s “Händerna mot himlen”. Much like the song itself, this montage—a rapid series of scenes filled with sex, play, and laughter—has a life-affirming rhythm, evoking a sense that romance might burst through the ceiling, just as Marklund sings. Yet, underneath, other lyrics linger. A crisis forces Maria to reevaluate her life, her relationship, and herself.

The presentation is based on Anne Gjelsvik's analysis in Montages.