Wir sind die Besten

'Punk is dead' as they say in the film which is set in 1982. Punk fans from 1977 have moved on to Joy Division and young people are dancing in tacky attire to The Human League! Not these three passionate young 13 year old girls Bobo, Clara and Hedvig. They still think punk is very much alive and want to form a band, even though the founding members Bobo and Clara cannot play (They later recruit Hedvig who is a classical guitarist). A simple premise like this makes for one of the most enjoyable films this year so far.

Bobo and Clara are outsiders in their school. Bobo is the shy, androgynous type, whereas Clara is the outspoken type with naïve anti-establishment views. After a minor punishment in gym class for not joining in, they vent their frustrations at the seemingly unnecessary part of the school curriculum by writing a song titled 'Hate the Sport'. They pretend to be in a band when they are at their local youth club and manage to book a room where there is instruments. Since they cannot play a note between them, they need to recruit someone else. When watching Hedvig play classical guitar to a chorus of boos from the audience at a school concert, they recognise she is an outsider as well. There is discussion over whether Hedvig's Christian views would be fitting with their image. Clara amusingly thinks of it as a challenge to turn her from Christian into a punk.

The three girls boast the usual mixture of cynicism towards mainstream cultural ideals and a positive enthusiasm for changing the world. The actresses do a stellar job in making the conversations and interaction seem very believable. The film is often very funny and very relatable to anyone who was some kind of passionate outsider as a teenager. The parents of the girls are also well observed. Here we have burned out and embarrassing hippy parents who are sickeningly liberal and a single mum who floats from man to man to suppress her loneliness. They may have at one time been enthusiastic and idealistic in their formative years much like the central characters, but life has made them 'uncool'! The dialogue seems ad-libbed most of the time and done very well. The scenes are expertly edited so the conversations are not drawn out so much which happens often with improvised dialogue. It also has a social realism aesthetic to it which I feel is needed for a film like this it really encapsulates the energetic, youthful optimism which is also realistic.

After years of apparently making dark art films, Director Lukas Moodysson has made something here which encapsulates the spirit and energy of youth and punk. I feel it is Directed by someone who really understands punk as not just a genre of music, but a passion and attitude which lives in the hearts and minds of, in this case, the dis-enfranchised youth. The fact that it is based on his wife's comic book in which she writes of her own experiences as a teenager, it seems like a personal project too. I could not stop grinning throughout the whole film as I found it a particularly joyful experience. The film gives way to poignant moments like the scene when Hedvig plays an acoustic version of a song by Swedish punk band KSMB. It was a scene which made me nearly cry and really gave the lyrics a new perspective with the acoustic guitar. It made me want to go home and write a songs expressing my general vitriol towards the bureaucracy of sport, but could not come up with something as good as this. As they say 'We are the Best!'. And it's true!

'WE ARE THE BEST!': Four Stars (Out of Five)

Swedish-Danish drama flick about three teenage girls, that decide to form a punk band together; in 1982 Stockholm. It stars a cast of mostly unknowns; including Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin and Liv LeMoyne (as the three leads). It was written and directed by Lukas Moodysson and it's based on the 2008 graphic novel 'Never Goodnight'; by Coco Moodysson (the director's wife). The film received mostly rave reviews and it's appeared on many American critics' 2014 Top 10 lists. I found it to be inspiring and beautifully natural.

Bobo (Barkhammar) and Klara (Grosin) are two 13-year-old girls, growing up in 1982 Stockholm. They're outsiders at their school, due to their androgynous appearance and love for punk rock music; which many consider a 'dead art form'. They decide to form a band, despite not knowing how to play any instruments, as a way of rebelling against popular culture. Later they enlist a Christian girl named Hedvig (LeMoyne), from their school, to help them learn how to play chords and sing songs. Hedvig plays classical guitar, very well, and she's also a social outcast. The three girls form a beautiful team.

The movie is very impressive; in how it captures youth so realistically. The dialogue is really believable; and the three lead performances are super natural. If I didn't know any better, I would have totally believed it was a documentary (almost). The directing is completely fitting to the material and the story is beautifully inspiring. What a great movie for all kids, of almost any age, to see. Especially social outsiders and those that love punk music. The soundtrack is also totally awesome! I highly recommend it; to kids and adults alike.

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First off, I was a muffle school "punk" in 1982, so I couldn't resist catching a screening of We Are the Best at the Jeonju Film Festival (Korea). My previous experience with Swedish films has been limited, and resulted in spells of sleep (the scenes of Swedish TV in this film were reminiscent!).

The young actresses were amazing! Real, infectious. . . brilliant! The story-telling and script were first-rate. The filming fit the material perfectly. I could appreciate this both as a 40- something adult now and as a compatriot of the main characters from that time period-- even if I experienced adolescence half a world away.

It's a feel-good film, and serious issues are framed in the most palatable way-- but the movie makes no pretensions and it it was it is, and that is a first-rate film, great for all ages, that has everyone leaving with a smile!

As "We Are The Best!" (2013 release from Sweden; 102 min.) opens, we are reminded that it is "Stockholm, 1982". We get to know Bobo, a 7th grader, and her friend Klara. Bobo believes she has the uncoolest mother ever, and Klara feels the same way about her own parents. One day they are at the rec center, and on a whim sign up to use the music rehearsal space. Never having played an instrument before, the girls nevertheless attack the drums and bass with vigor. They have so much fun, but need a guitarist. Fortunately, they meet Hedvig, an 8th grader, at a school recital, and promptly ask her to join the band. At this point we're maybe 15 min. or so into the movie. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, this movie is so much more than just the girls forming a band. The movie looks at how 13 and 14 year olds fit in, or not, be it at home or at school. Later in the movie the girls are meeting up with the boys from another punk band. The girls think there's three boys (and they've already figured out who will pair up with who), but as it turns out, there's only 2 boys. Now what? Watch as we see the complex dynamics at play between the girls. Please note that, besides some (unnecessary) swear words, there is nothing inappropriate in the movie, and in fact we see the girls having a lot of fun, being the goofy-dorky-fun loving kids that they are, with mischief and a twinkle in their eyes and a lot of innocence about them. There are several laugh-out-loud scenes that are outright hilarious. Second, I can only assume that the makers of this film did a lot of research on what the punk scene in Sweden was like in those days, as we do get a fair amount of Swedish punk songs on the side. Last but not least, the no-names cast is brilliant, in particular the girls playing Bobo, Klara and Hedvig. My hat off to them! "We Are The Best!" had a brief theatrical run in the US last year, and in fact I had seen the trailer for it at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. Somehow I ended missing it when it played here ever so briefly. So glad that I finally caught up with this on DVD. If you are in the mood for a fun but top-notch foreign movie that looks at youth in a refreshing way, you cannot go wrong with this. "We Are The Best!" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Just saw this with my 11-year old (+ friend) and parents. We all enjoyed the film immensely. Lots of laughing out loud from everybody and squirming at embarrassing situations for the kids. High quality work in all areas of cast and crew. Very good description of the joy and energy of youth that are just beginning to form strong friendships, stand up for themselves (and each other) and explore their creativity and define themselves interacting with the world. Such a relief from most films about/for youth that are stuck in surface aesthetics, cardboard characters and and routine sexism. We will see this one again, more than twice.