Are We Lost Forever plays at the Best of Sweden film festival at the BABYLON in Berlin on the 25th and 29th of January. The showcase will celebrate 60 of the best films from the Kingdom of Sweden made in over a century of Swedish filmmaking between 1917 and 2023. As part of my ongoing research into European pop music culture, director David Färdmar offered an in-depth commentary on the soundtrack. Thanks to Michael Whiteside for musicological input.
Praised for its modesty and emotional depth, Are We Lost Forever builds upon the subtlety of David Färdmar's previous work No More We (2018) in its exploration of the break-up of a long-term relationship. In Dan Meier’s review, he characterised the movie as ‘100 minutes of Scandi sadness, beautifully acted and sparsely populated (Meier 2021). However, it is his emphasis on the soundtrack that sets his interpretation apart from other critical responses: ‘The only music is diegetic, and the silences speak volumes’ (Ibid). The protagonists of Are We Lost Forever, Adrian and Hampus, are played by Björn Elgerd and Jonathan Andersson, who deliver nuanced performances as they embrace the desultory charms of the Gothenburg dating scene while negotiating the sadness emanating from the demise of their previous romance. While their paths inevitably cross, the space between the pair is negotiated by the expertly compiled soundtrack, which captures both the exhilaration and sadness of their newly single lives. For an international audience, unfamiliar with the mores of Scandinavian Pop beyond Melodifestivalen and Denniz Pop, the soundtrack to Are We Lost Forever is particularly refreshing. Färdmar eschews R&B rhythms and stadium rock choruses in favour of something more subtle and melancholic.
The vernacular of 80s synth-pop haunts the diegesis of Are We Lost Forever in a way that dislocates the film from other temporal discourse markers. However, according to Färdmar, this evolved during the post-production process: ‘The choices of music in the film kind of evolved during the editing process really when I more and more understood that we had many scenes where we could add music’ (Färdmar 2022). From the outset, it would seem, the sparseness of the sound design was part of the desired aesthetic: ‘We very early on decided that the film was not going to be drowned in too much score music’. Instead, the diegetic use of pop becomes a character and a barometer of the inner world of Adrian and Hampus. The soundtrack curated is not accidental: ‘My aim for the music was that it was going to be mostly Swedish acts, preferably new or upcoming acts and as many queer acts as possible’. The result is a soundscape, which offers its own shorthand to the secret feelings and reciprocal desires of same-sex attraction. What follows is a detailed analysis of Are We Lost Forever, with commentary from Färdmar exploring the music in both the context of the film and its wider cultural significance.
‘Mute’ (2001)
Written by Johan Renck, Martin Landqvist
Performed by Stakka Bo
Johan Renck is best known for his hit 'Here We Go Again' (1993), which made the 20 Top across Europe. Since 2001 has worked principally as a director of TV, film, and music videos. His debut feature Downloading Nancy (2008) lead to television work directing episodes of Breaking Bad (2009 - 2011) and The Walking Dead (2010). In 2019 he won an Emmy for his work on the HBO series Chernobyl (2019). 'Mute' (2001) originally peaked at number 20 in Sweden and comes from Stakka Bo's third album Junior (2001). The song is a desolate paean to the silence that characterises the truth of a failing relationship. Written predominantly in a minor key, the emptiness of the opening bars and high registered vocals give emphasis to the lyrics with their rhyming couplets. As the song progresses the pre-chorus uses a rising chord sequence to build anticipation, following the convention of shifting to the relative major key. This brings a sense of optimism that juxtaposes the bleak wordplay "I will be mute now and let the numbness shout to you now'. Ironically, Renck is celebrating silence in the busiest part of the song musically. The absence of non-diegetic sound is of course a key feature of Färdmar's film, which opens with a series of empty scenes in which the protagonists struggle to find the words to fill the silence of their breakup. It is not until 23 minutes into the film when Adrian and Hampus meet up for a platonic catch-up that the Stakka Bo track meanders into the sound design of a coffee shop. Adrian returns his engagement ring to Hampus and the couple finally explores some of the reasons for the estrangement, the finality brokered in the decision to change their Facebook status. The song acts as a prelude to a shift in dynamic as Hampus begins to regret his decision to instigate the breakup.
Färdmar: ‘That scene in the coffee shop and music store is the first scene where the main character Adrian finally realises that the relationship with Hampus is over, and he has to let him go. So, it marks a new "era" for Adrian, so I thought that was a good scene to add the first real music to the film. Before that, we've only had some very subtle score music in two scenes. And it's the first scene in another interior location for the ex-couple after their break-up, and where a pop song could fit in the background, hence it's a combined coffee shop and vinyl story. My connection with ‘Mute’ is that when it came out, I really liked that song a lot, it also marked a new deeper sound for the artist Stakka Bo, after his more playful ‘Here We Go Again’. And I thought that the lyrics were perfect in that scene and for the mood of the characters. It's very bittersweet.’
‘Catch 22’ (2016)
Written by Linus Erlandsson, Benjamin Trossö
Performed by NORDIK SONAR
Linus Erlandsson and Benjamin Trossö aka NORDIK SONAR are a self-produced duo hailing from Stockholm. Starting out in 2015 they came together through their love of retro music including Eighties synth-pop and Italo. The productions are defined by rough beats with strong melodies, synth pads, and memorable hooks. The elliptically titled 'Catch 22' illustrates its own theme musically in the repetition of a one-bar riff that provides the basis for the entire track. This begins in the open bars with the electric piano and is reprised in successive instrumental choruses that are layered with only minimal vocal interjections. Lyrically the song does not draw upon its title and instead invokes the inescapable dilemma in which the protagonists of the film find themselves. The song puts front and centre its Italo influences with its explicit use of the drum machine, clipped vocal phrases, and synth hooks. In Färdmar's film, NORDIK SONAR is used to provide the soundtrack to the scene in which Adrian visits a bar with a friend who is trying to encourage him to pick up a new guy, explaining that he doesn't need a boyfriend just some fun. Adrian, however, is not ready to move on revealing that he cheated on Hampus before they broke up, leaving him disgusted with himself and unable to touch him. The recurring turmoil of this narrative reveal is reinforced by the perpetual return of the musical soundtrack.
Färdmar: ‘I fell in love with ‘Catch 22’ the most because I wanted a semi-clubby song that you can hear in a bar at the beginning of an early night out. And when I listened to the lyrics, I found it perfect for that scene in the bar with Adrian and his friend Jack, because Adrian is still kind of stuck in limbo with his feelings, just like a catch-22 moment.’
‘For You and I’ (2019)
Written by Jenny Hansson, Mariette Hansson, Teo Rösarne, Helmer Norrby
Performed by TEEO
TEEO began his career at the age of 8 when he started to sing, write, and release his original songs under his full name Teo Rösarne. 'For You and I' (2019) was written in collaboration with Melodifestivalen star Mariette, who discovered the teenager via his YouTube channel and vlogs. The synth-pop sound draws heavily on the Nordic aesthetic of established artists like Robyn and Troye Sivan. Scandipop describes it as 'a blissed-out trip back to the 80s while waving a neon-coloured rainbow flag out of the window of the passenger side of your DeLorean' (Scandipop 2019). The confused teenage qualities of 'For You and I' draw obvious comparisons with Justin Bieber's 'Baby', who was likewise discovered at an early age via YouTube. However, the song betrays a level of sophistication that challenges traditional ideas of a verse-chorus structure. The song deploys successive choruses of different lengths with the final version weaving together ideas that have been explored previously in the composition. The electro-pop sound relies heavily on synth-riffs and drum machines in a way that gestures back to the dance music of earlier eras. Initially, the euphoria of the track contrasts the narrative loop in which Adrian is stuck mourning his relationship with Hampus and sequentially is an extension of the club soundtrack of the pick-up bar scene. However, when Hampus arrives and propositions Adrian it provides a segue into a sex scene in which the two are briefly reunited. The denouement of the sequence sees the couple try unsuccessfully to reverse sexual positions as the dialogue is encircled by a reprise of their toxic power dynamic.
Färdmar: ‘I'm a big fan of the 80s pop sound, but with a 20s updated touch. Since the subject in the film is a bit depressing, I wanted to have a more uplifting "light" sound in the music, as soon I could find a good place for it. It was also important for me to find as many queer artists as possible to include in the soundtrack, and I was very proud of my choice of TEEO when he later that year played at Stockholm Pride Festival here in Sweden, and this was his debut single. One of the songwriters is also the singer Mariette who competed a few times in our selection to the Eurovision Song Contest, what we call Melodifestivalen.’
‘Would You Believe’ (2015)
Written by Jonas Berggren
Performed by Ace of Base
Ace of Base needs no introduction, being the third most successful Swedish pop export after Abba and Roxette, achieved worldwide success following the release of their debut album Happy Nation (1992). 'Would You Believe' (2015) was the first single from Hidden Gems, a compilation of B-sides and unreleased tracks. It harkens back to an earlier era in which Swedish pop was synonymous with the unreconstructed sound of Eurovision. From the tick-box use of the title in the chorus to the rapid chord changes, used to propel the song forward, the track is a textbook attempt at a sugar-coated euphoric pop sound. The song is used in the film to denote a shift in the dynamic between Adrian and Hampus. Having struggled to process the news that Hampus has met someone new, Adrian meets with Rasmus unleashing a rush of romantic teenage feelings. Listening to the song through headphones, Adrian dances in front of the mirror, miming the upbeat lyrics and melody twisting the inference of the words 'I want you back’ from a romantic longing for Hampus to a sense of his old self. It is in this sense a rebirth.
Färdmar: ‘I dabbled with this because I had an idea of only having male vocals in the songs all through the movie. But Ace of Base was the only group/music I had written into the script from the very first version, I think. After all the sadness Adrian goes through up until he meets Rasmus, I wanted Adrian to have at least one fun and happy scene where he's playful and dancing and singing along to a "guilty-pleasure-song" (I wrote in the script). And here in Sweden, even though Ace of Base was huge all over the world, they never really got recognition for all their success in their own home country Sweden, so no one really wants to admit that they like Ace of Base and is listening to their songs. My first choice for a song was, of course, their worldwide number one ‘The Sign’, but when I finally got clearance for using it from the members of the group, the labels who owned it, just asked for a big chunk of money, so I couldn't afford it. And I was just about to shoot that scene and I needed to know what the actor Björn Elgerd (Adrian) was going to sing along to, so I got a bit desperate at one point. But then someone referred me to a man who had the label which released their Hidden Gems album, and he offered me to pick a song from that album instead. When I went through the songs again and listened to the beat and the lyrics to ‘Would You Believe" everything fell into place. It was perfect for that scene! Even better than ‘The Sign’.’
‘Before’ (2018)
Written by Ulrik Munther, Markus Lindberg
Performed by Ulrik Munther
Ulrik Munther hit number one in Sweden in 2011 with his eponymous debut album at the age of fifteen. Like TEEO, Munther is very much a Gen Z YouTuber with his million Vlog followers preceding his deal with Universal Records. 'Before' stands out for its 21st Century vocal stylizations, which are very much in the mould of Sam Smith and Shawn Mendes. While the subject position of men in Italo is characterized very much by machismo, in this form the vocal connotes vulnerability and emotional intensity. Musically the structure conforms to a modern pop ballad template. This is juxtaposed with the half-time dubstep beat, which gives the song a contemporary quality. The track is used to soundtrack Rasmus's visit to Adrian's apartment in which the two sit on the floors and eat Thai food. The scene progresses into physical intimacy with the intensity of the encounter underscored by the decorated vocal stylizations of 'Before'. The fresh quality of the track reinforces the newness of these phases in Adrian's journey.
Färdmar: ‘I wanted to try to change the sound of the songs after Adrian meets Rasmus, a bit away from the more 80s pop sound. I went to a show here in Gothenburg with the performer Jonas Gardell, where Ulrik Munther was part of the music act, and even though I've heard Ulrik's songs before on TV and Spotify, I was just blown away by his voice live on stage. So right after the show I listened to his catalogue and found this song "Before" which I wasn't too familiar with before, but which got me very emotional, and it made me cry. The week after I was sitting with my editor Christoffer Sevholt with the scene between Adrian and Rasmus and their sweet dinner date in Adrian's apartment, and it just hit me, I need that Munther song in that scene. It has the right melancholic sound, and the bittersweet lyrics are on point to accompany the feelings in the scene. So, I sent a DM to Ulrik on Instagram asking him about it and if we could talk, and we had a very sweet talk about heartbreaks and love and movies, and I told him about the scene, and thankfully he said yes to me to use the song in the film.’
‘Walk Alone’ (2018)
Written by Tobias Jonsson, Paul Rein, Marie Rein
Performed by The Lovers of Valdaro
In 2019 Lovers of Valdaro took part in Melodifestivalen with the song 'Somebody Wants'. 'Walk Alone' was originally featured on the EP Euphoric Melancholic Electronic (2018), in both its original form and instrumental version, which celebrates the shimmering waves of crashing synths. The anthemic quality of the track is emphasized by the explicit use of the title in the chorus, and reliance upon echo and reverb on the vocal. The track is first heard in the background of an awkward scene where Adrian runs into Hampus and his new partner at the gym. There is defiance to the message of the song, which recalls elements of Keala Settle's 'This Is Me' from The Greatest Showman. The call and response 'wow oh ohs’ providing a bridge between musical theatre and Italo (Baltimora/Raf etc). While lyrically the song re-works Gerry and the Pacemakers 'You'll Never Walk Alone' the theme of self-affirmation elevates the track to an 'I Will Survive' level of empowerment. 2021 saw the song rereleased to coincide with the international debut of Farmar’s’ movie with a new video incorporating new footage of Erik and Adam where they mime to the lyrics of ‘Lost Forever’ directed by Mehdi Bagherzade.
Färdmar: ‘I have known the singer Erik Gabriel Høiby since back in the day. When they were about to release their first single ‘Lost Forever’ he sent it to me to listen to, just to hear my opinion, I think. It was at the beginning of 2018, and I had just premiered my short film No More We and right from the first seconds loved the sound and the song. And then I started to listen to the lyrics "We can't go on no more, you know it's true" and I was like they are singing about Adrian and Hampus in my short film. I already had written the script for the feature film, and there was a scene where the character Hampus was going to write a song after their breakup. So, I wrote to Erik and told him about my plans for a feature film, and asked him if I ever do it, can I use that song? He and Adam thought it sounded fun. So, in the next version of the script, I added that song in that scene and made Hampus ‘write it’. The other song ‘Walk Alone’ was released after that and I thought it would fit that gym corridor scene well, both lyrically and the sound like it could be heard in a gym for sure, and Adrian is still kind of walking alone.’
‘SYS (Sorry You're Sorry)’ (2016)
Written by Pedram Djafari
Performed by Eddi Cayn
Eddi Cayn has worked for over ten years as a producer and songwriter in Sweden and has his roots in Persian folk music. He was inspired by his mother who was a well-known Persian singer in post-revolutionary Iran. Cayn was also part of the production trio "Beatslingers" and founder of the music collective The Order with a focus on production. SYS (2016) is a musical gear shift. The arresting opening vocal, which announces the title packs an immediate punch. The exclamatory mode of address and attitude makes the sentiment ambiguous. This confusion is enhanced by the filters and processors that are applied to the vocal as the song moves forward. This masks the clarity of the words, which are obfuscated further by the hip-hop beats and the percussive quality of the mix, which evokes a club culture soundtrack. In Färdmar's film, the track accompanies the awkward scene in which Hampus invites Adrian and Rasmus for dinner at his new partner Julian’s. Beneath the polite small talk, the couples trade coded barbed exchanges.
Färdmar: ‘As the movie goes along and when we came to that awkward couple’s dinner party at Julian's place, I wanted to have a different vibe in the songs that they are playing at dinner in his apartment, and I was looking for more soulful songs to go along with Julian's character more. I had heard Sorry You're Sorry’ before, but in a more club version that he had released, so when I told him about the scene and the vibe he went into the studio and did a new recording of the song but with a slower tempo to fit the scene better. It worked out great. Fun fact: Pedram's sister Negin Djafari wrote the song ‘Don't Matter to Me’ (2018) to Drake feat. Michael Jackson.’
‘Without You’ (2012)
Written by Christoffer Hiding, Erik Runeson
Performed by Christoffer Hiding, Erik Runeson
Born in 1983, Erik Runeson is DJ, producer, and singer synonymous with the Scandinavian soul music scene. Based in the picturesque Swedish village Dala-Järna and working from his self-built studio he has collaborated with other artists including Elleve and Christoffer Hiding on this ‘'Without You' (2014). The track is taken from Hiding's album Yes, Higher! (2014), which won Best Album at the Scandinavian Soul Music Awards. 'Without You' is perhaps the sweetest song on the soundtrack. The R+B stylizations evoke Craig David with nasal inflexions and a propensity to riff and utilize vocal runs. The structure adheres to the formula for modern pop. The verses tell the story, while the chorus hammers home the title and the sentiment. 'Without You' stands out for its narrative clarity and unambiguous soundscape. In the film, it accompanies the scene in which it is revealed that Hampus and his new partner are having a child together, something which Adrian had always longed for. It is the prelude to a private moment in which Adrian tells Hampus that he will always love him and expresses his fear that he will repeat the same mistakes, an exchange that reveals Hampus suspected Adrian's infidelity.
Färdmar: ‘The choice of Christoffer Hiding's song is a bit funny because many years ago he was competing in Swedish Idol, and I just loved his soulful voice. A few years when I was trying to find an actor for Rasmus, I came to think about Christoffer Hiding. He had the same colours and tone as Jonathan Andersson who plays Hampus. The thing I also like about that song, apart from the lyrics, is that it's a duet between two guys, Christoffer and Erik Runeson, which also co-wrote the song. And it's very rare for a duet with two guys, and I thought that was perfect for the vibe in that part of the dinner scene between the two main characters Adrian and Hampus and gives a more warm and heartfelt feeling after the first part of that scene. Maybe the lyrics both in ‘SYS’ and ‘Without You’ are a bit too explicit/outspoken for the dinner scene if you start to listen to them too precisely. However, I think it's fine at that point in the movie to help the audience a little because there is a lot that goes on in that scene and between all those four characters.’
‘Be Where I Am’ (2019)
Written by Richard Hagerty, Matt Pop, Eddy Philips
Performed by HUGUENOT
Standing out from the rest of the soundtrack geographically is Los Angeles-based Richard Hagerty aka Huguenot. However, his EDM-infused breezy dance-pop sits very comfortably next to both Lovers of Valdaro and NORDIK SONAR. In an interview with 'The Electricity Club' Huguenot says I am a chameleon musically, crossing genres starting in synth-pop and now in EDM and dance music’ (Browne 2020). Wearing his Eighties influences on his sleeve, Hagarty grew up listening to David Bowie, Morrisey, and Billy Idol in his father's painting studio. However, after purchasing his first Microkorg synth he became hooked on Soft Cell and developed a style of his own. "Be Where I Am' (2019) is anchored by an Avicci-esque synth riff around which other musical ideas ebb and flow mellifluously. The dreamy soundscape is further enhanced by vocal effects, which coalesce with a meandering structure to create a free-flowing experience for the listener. The euphoric quality of the track is underpinned by the classic 120BMP disco pulse and the nursery rhyme-lullaby quality of the lyrics and melody. We first hear this in the film in the diegesis of the penultimate scene in which we see Hampus dancing with Rasmus in anticipation of the two couples going clubbing. Crosscut with this is an exchange between Julian and Adrian in which the new partner tells the old one that the shared beau has moved on. A series of eye-line matches cut between muffled versions of the track position the audience in Adrian's role as the forlorn onlooker as the three others dance animatedly.
Färdmar: ‘Richard Hagerty and I became friends back in 2010 in LA when we both worked on the same film Going Down in La La Land (2011), directed by the Swedish director Casper Andreas (who also is one of my producers of this movie). He wasn't doing music back then, but we started to talk about the British group Erasure, which I've loved since the 80s, and I was so surprised and happy to finally meet an American who knew about them and also loved their music. So, we bonded thanks to Erasure. Many years later he started to release music under the artist-name HUGUENOT, and I just loved the debut single ‘Destroyer’ (2018) and when I was looking for music for the film, I thought it would be fun if I could include one of Richard's songs. At first, I tried ‘Destroyer’ at the bar scene but didn't work. Then he just released ‘Be Where I Am’ when we were at the end of the editing process, and both lyrically and BMP were a perfect match. I think we played ‘Walk Alone’ during the shoot of the dance scene to have something for the boys to dance to. So, in the end, despite that HUGUENOT wasn't a Swedish act (which was my ambition), I decided to use it.’
‘Lost Forever’
Written by Tobias Jonsson, Paul Rein, Marie Rein
Performed by The Lovers of Valdaro
The denouement of the film is soundtracked by 'Lost Forever' (2018), which poses a series of questions, which leave the narrative unresolved. There is an interplay between the main vocal and wordless breathy interjections in the background, giving the track an unexpectedly carnal quality. The song adheres to the Lover of Valdaro's penchant for the prominent placement of the song title in the chorus. The synth-lead middle-eight recapitulates material previously heard underneath the vocal giving an Eighties quality and evoking an optimistic and emotional ambience. The first time the track appears in the film is after Adrian and Hampus are briefly reunited for a one-night stand. Hampus retreats to his apartment and composes the song on an acoustic guitar, which is cross-cut with scenes of Adrian working with a topless male model on a photo shoot. This is reprised with the full studio version, in the closing scene in which Adrian is seen cycling through fields of wheat, freewheeling into the sunset with his arms outstretched.
Färdmar: ‘I knew that we also were going to play the original version of the song with The Lovers of Valdaro as an end-credit song because it was a perfect match with the sweet sunny footage. Later, I realized that one of the songwriters was the Swedish 80s icon Paul Rein, which I loved back in my teenage years so once again, everything had a deeper purpose and meaning. Serendipity! Since the short film was called No More We I didn't want to have the same title as the feature film, and many people wanted me to find a Swedish title at first, but nothing sounded right. Then one night I just realized, of course, the title should only be in English (since we aimed more for an international release) and of course, it also should be Are We Lost Forever. And after that, everything fell into place. It felt very poetic and romantic like I wanted the movie to feel, and I never wanted to have a question mark (?) at the end. For me, that sentence is not really a question, but more of a statement, and for the audience to figure out if it's true or not. On that note, I hope you saw whose bike Adrian is riding on ...?’
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