When Mia and Frida first set eyes upon one another (with a look that lingers just a fraction too long) we see in the two women an instant attraction.
When I first saw the trailer for the Swedish, the lesbian film ‘Kiss Me’ (or ‘Kyss Mig’) I remember thinking, “Oh…so another ‘Imagine Me And You,’ hmm…bit trite.”
But alas, I was too quick to judge! Based on a story by Josefine Tengblad and Alexandra-Therese Keining, although ‘Kiss Me’ does indeed follow a slightly clichéd storyline – boy meets girl, boy proposes to girl, girl says yes but then finds herself attracted to another girl, girl and girl fall in love, chaos ensues etc. etc. you know how it goes – the film-reviews delivers this story arc with such an emotional punch that it practically floored me!
In the opening shot, we are introduced to Mia (Ruth Vega Fernandez), a thirty-something, brown-eyed, dark-haired beauty with eyes like Bambi, and her boyfriend of several years, Tim (Joakim Natterqvist), a dude with a beard. Through Mia and Tim we are initially presented with a picture of perfect happiness; the long-term couple, both well-to-do architects that own their own design company, have recently gotten engaged and are on their way to the country for a family event.
Mia’s father, Lasse is celebrating his sixtieth birthday as well as an engagement of his own to a woman named Elisabeth.
Once at the party, Mia is introduced to Elisabeth’s daughter, a blue-eyed, blonde-haired, free-spirited girl named Frida.
When Mia and Frida first set eyes upon one another (with a look that lingers just a fraction too long) we see in the two women an instant attraction.
The story escalates when Mia’s father invites her to the island of Fyn, a ferry ride away, with the hopes that she could advise on an extension to be made to his second property whilst at the same time get to know better his future wife (Elisabeth) and her daughter (Frida).
Mia reluctantly agrees and goes along with Frida whilst Tim stays behind to work. Here, we find the scene set for our two leading ladies to spend some one-on-one time together and explore the unavoidable chemistry between them. The story moves along and Mia inevitably finds her life turned upside down as she begins to realise that her feelings for Frida are not something that she can ignore.
Not only a visual masterpiece, with breathtaking cinematography and love scenes that don’t shy away from portraying realistic and sensual lesbian sex (the kind that will have you reaching for the rewind button!), the film’s dialogue also rings with so much truth that each scene carries its own weight in gold.
The chemistry and tension between the two leading ladies are played with such honesty and acuteness that it’s almost tangible. With scenes that practically sizzle off the screen, to this we owe thanks to the incredibly talented Ruth Vega Fernandez and Liv Mjones.
Each actress seems to have invested real emotional depth in her role and manages with ease to capture the true messiness and desperation of two women falling madly in love.
Not to mention all of this is carried out to the backdrop of a great soundtrack, including the likes of Jose Gonzalez.
