We Are The Best! Review
Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson returns to the improv-style charms of his earlier films (like Together and Show Me Love), a welcome break from his more recent grim experimental dramas (see Mammoth or Lilya 4-ever). This light-hearted film explodes with youthful energy, drawing engaging performances from the three lead actresses that completely win over the audience.
In a boring Stockholm suburb in 1982, 13-year-old Bobo (Mira Barkhammar) is utterly humiliated by everything her mother (Anna Rydgren) does, so she of course rebels, chopping off her hair to go punk with her best pal Klara (Mira Grosin). They decide to start a band, but neither knows anything about music, so they draft in Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne), a musician in their class. Hedvig may be a devout Christian, but Bobo and Klara think they can change that with their rebel music. And as they begin to take shape as a fiercely anarchic pre-teen punk band, they decide to enter a local competition.
Of course, everything changes when they meet two teen boys (Jonathan Salomonsson and Alvin Strollo) who play in their favourite local punk group, and the jealousy that sparks between the girls gives the film a semblance of a plot. Otherwise, it's a joy to watch these three girls express their feelings through their music. Their first song Hate the Sport is a brilliant rant against their annoying PE teacher. And their stream-of-consciousness dialogue is just as witty, leading to ill-advised antics and relational stress.
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