En Armé Av Älskande (Swedish Documentary) [An Army of Lovers]

An Army Of Lovers is a visual journey into the history of queer self-presentation in Sweden. Combining newly shot 16mm and Super-8 material with rare archival footage, this documentary tells the story of the brave activists who in the 1970s picked up their film cameras in order to tell their own truths to the world – defying the ‘illness classification’ attributed to homosexuality and the dominant homophobic imagination.

In 1977, the same year that the first liberation march paraded through Stockholm, three pivotal queer films began production: Bögjävlar/Damned Queers, Kvinnan i ditt liv är du/The woman in your life is you and Eva & Maria. For the first time, open lesbians and gay men were granted state funding for depicting their own realities, stories about finding love and community and confronting society’s rampant homophobia and traditional gender roles. In this documentary, rich archive is brought to life and recharged with urgency in dialogue with newly shot documentary scenes and interviews with the film activists of the 1970s, capturing the strength and magic in creating another world and living one’s own life. By reclaiming the image of themselves, the fearless queer filmmakers of the 1970s took revolutionary steps out of invisibility and stigma. These vital and empowering moving images are crucial testimonies of a history of activism and resistance in dire need of becoming part of our cultural memory today as we face the new threats of right-wing extremism.

It’s a beautiful and fascinating piece of history, and is recent enough to have most of the main players still around. Ryberg reunites them and has them reminiscing, which they do with gusto. Several lived together in radical communes, and even had schedules on the refrigerator on who would sleep with whom that night. After a couple of decades in oblivion, these films are now being seen again, by an appreciative new generation. Sweden became the first country in the world to remove homosexuality as an “illness”. Just around the corner, HIV would cause a great deal of damage, and still today, homophobia is very present in many places. Our radical heroes worry, but they also look both back and forward with positivity. It's a reaffirmation that nothing should be taken for granted. I feel the idea behind the documentary was quite interesting to see these film makers and how their life turned out between the 70s and current times and them reminiscing old days. But from an entertainment perspective, it leaves a lot to be desired. I do understand that documentaries are not always supposed to be seen from fun angle but from knowledge, but I have a feeling maybe Swedes may appreciate the film more or the folks who have a better idea of the three films it talks about. (4/10)