There is little to do in the boring Swedish provincial town of Åmål. Gloomy teenager Agnes (Rebecca Liljeberg) has only lived there briefly and does not belong. She secretly loves Elin (Alexandra Dahlström), the most popular girl in school, but has nowhere to turn with her feelings. Against her will, her parents organise a birthday party for her and, lo and behold, Elin also shows up. But during the party, she makes a fool of Agnes. Afterwards, she regrets it because she has to admit that she has become fascinated by Agnes' courage. Slowly, the two grow closer.
This heartwarming feature debut by Lukas Moodysson was very well received everywhere. For instance, the online magazine Autostraddle for lesbian, bisexual and queer women put the film at 1 in their Top Ten Best Lesbian Films. In Åmål itself, people were less enthusiastic: they feared image damage. Meanwhile, people there, too, have embraced the film with the annual Fucking Åmål Pop Festival.