Karl Moodysson is considered to be of the most successful Swedish film directors. First appearing in public as an ambitious poet in the 1980s, he had his big public and international success directing the 1998 romance film “Fucking Åmål”. He has since directed a string of films with different styles and public appeal, as well as continued to write both poetry and novels.
Background
A misfit in school who turned to poetry to express himself, Moodysson penned five poetry collections and a novel by the age of 23. He later turned to film in order to explore the world around him, and in the process he claims he became less “self-centered”.
Career
After graduating from the institute, Moodysson shot three short films, but his directorial breakthrough came with “Fucking Åmål” which was an enormous success with both the Swedish public and the critics. The next film, 2000's Together (Tillsammans), depicted the antics of life in a commune in suburban Stockholm. The two optimistic films were followed in 2002 by the brutal “Lilya 4-ever” which is mainly a Russian language film portraying a young girl who lives in an unspecified country in the former Soviet Union who is forced into prostitution and kidnapped into sex slavery. The controversial “A Hole in My Heart” is more of an experimental film than a traditional narrative. It was followed by an even more experimental film, “Container”. His latest project, “Mammoth”, was released in 2009. Unlike his previous works, it is a narrative film and also his first English-language piece about a successful New York couple.