We Are the Best! (2013) User Reviews

If I didn't know any better, I would have totally believed it was a documentary (almost)!

[Hellmant · 8/10 · 30 January 2015]

'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.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/fbw9P594Crc

The girls endearing teenage logic is hard to resist as much as their punk lyrics

[dipesh-parmar · 8/10 · 1 December 2013]

Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson returns with 'We Are the Best!', an adaptation of a graphic novel by his wife. The story is a fictionalised account of her own teenage years as a punk rocker.

'We Are the Best!' is set in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1982. Pigeonholed as outcasts by other children, the bespectacled Bobo (Mira Barkhammar) and mo-hawked Klara (Mira Grosin) try to create their own punk band. Unable to play a single instrument, Bobo and Klara's youthful spirit can only take them so far before they have to learn to play. Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne) has been singled out even more by the kids in her school because of her Christian beliefs, but everyone knows she's a gifted classical guitar player. With some resistance, she is coaxed by the girls into their band. Bizarrely, we don't know the name of their band, but a punk band is born nonetheless. What these collective outsiders lack in skill is bypassed with enthusiasm, determination and a refusal to be told what they can and can't do.

Moodysson concentrates on the exuberance of youth, celebrating the highs of friendships and the chaotic lows of arguments, boyfriends, parents, jealousies, growing up and everything else! Everything is treated with a lack of cynicism, everyone is treated with a sense of perspective and affection. Of course, it helps that you've got three genuine and utterly infectious teenage girls to make you laugh constantly. Hedvig, Klara and Bobo display in their own individual way their sensitivities and uncertainties with life.

The girls collective hatred of sport, religion, beauty products ("We're anti make-up!") and the mainstream is moving and very funny, their endearing teenage logic is hard to resist as much as their punk lyrics ("Abort the sport!"). Throw in a great Scandinavian punk soundtrack that will have you singing along after the film has finished, and there's no denying that the punk spirit lives on! "Brezhnev, Reagan. F*** off!"

This was the Best!

[bbickley13-921-58664 · 7/10 · 1 June 2014]

I can't recall the last time I saw such an awesome movie about punk rock.

There's nothing like being a preteen like Bobo, who comes from a single parent home and dislikes her parents and takes comfort by getting into punk rock. What makes her situation better is finding a rebellious preteen like Klara who has similar interest in punk rock and disliking her parents (who are actually really cool but understandingly embarrassing from a 12 year old's point of view.) And when the two "weird kids" in school find each other, they find the best way to express their uniqueness in Stockholm 1982...by starting a punk rock band.

They didn't own their own instruments or even know how to play anything, and no matter what the boys who thought their Motorhead rip off band, Iron fist said about them they got the job done, and kept punk alive when it was "dying". Adding to their mixed a talented guitar player in Hedvig, they tell the tale of possibly every great band's origin.

What I love most about the movie is the binding friendship of the girls. Like when bass player and vocals Klara had a problem with Guitar player, Hedvig's Christian upbringing or when drummer Bobo and Klara are face with a "Bros before hos" situation. They stand together, even when everyone thinks they suck, they stand together. A lesson most bands should take into consideration.

This movie kicks-ass on some many levels. It's for everyone who loves the spirit of punk rock. We are the Best!!!

A joyful experience which captures the spirit of Youth

[johnnymurphy15 · 9/10 · 25 June 2014]

'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!

good friendship movie

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 25 August 2015]

It's 1982 Stockholm. Bobo and Klara are outcast 13 year old girls. Bobo lives with her single mom. Klara is angry, political and rebellious. They want to play punk despite people telling them that punk is dead. The only problem is that they don't know how to play music. They befriend shy religious Hedvig who teaches them how to play music. The girls' friendships go through a haircut, some boy troubles and band disputes. In the end, they get a gig and cause a minor riot.

The puppy punk is cute but kinda meaningless. Sometimes they are more brats than rebels. I guess rebelling against gym class is important when you're that young. It doesn't dig that deep. The girls' friendship is the more compelling thing in this movie. It's best when the girls deal with the ups and downs of their relationship. The characters are well-drawn and the girls are fair actors.

Excellent feel good movie

[zetaflickan-1 · 10/10 · 12 October 2013]

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.

Mildly enjoyable but DON'T watch it for the music!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 5 March 2016]

"We Are the Best!" is a Swedish film about some very young ladies who want to be a punk band. The only problem, and it seems a minor one to them, is that Klara and Bobo know absolutely nothing about music...but at least they have decent punk rock hair. Eventually, the decide to ask a very non-punk sort of girl at school to join them because Hedvig actually knows how to play. This story is about these three and their friendship and really doesn't have a lot more to it.

The story is a slice of life but don't expect much of a resolution or fireworks. It's slow and also a bit embarrassing to watch...particularly when you see these 13 year-olds chasing boys...they are so, so awkward. But it also is unique...and therein lies its charm.

Nostaligia== Brilliant

[skinsk-1 · 9/10 · 3 May 2014]

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!

Ambition Goes Haywire. ♦ 58%

[nairtejas · 6/10 · 10 December 2014]

It is very rare that you see two callow girls with rebellion/ignorance as their sole weapon try to thwart a universally accepted notion. This film tries to introduce this setup but goes haywire once hormones kick in.

The film talks about three 12/13-year old girls who have certain things to worry about like religion, relationships, haircuts, etc.. They believe that punk music is still alive and burning, while the world knows it is dead. With no resources or even an idea of where to start, they play with the it. I should say these girls perform exceptionally well and it didn't look like they were acting. Sporting semi-Mohawks and punky clothes, they try to find happiness in small things as they figure out music creation is no child's play, yet do not care to accept it.

Several elements like family, revolt, youth, atheism, adolescence, etc. find mention in these girls' activities and that is where we start to notice that the drama goes off-topic and we don't really know if it was purely intentional. Beauty hampers these girls' mindset as one of them finds it hard to attract boys of her age or older. This deviates the theme and climax bears the brunt. If I were to draw a graph of the storyline, it would be like a gradual response of an analogous low pass filter.

Direction is brilliant and so is the music that occasionally plays when the groove picks up. It gave me an idea how Swedish rock music is. Camera seems to be handled by a 2-year old; all shaky and bumpy throughout. Editing is fine and the film never really goes off-tune. The central characters and their escapades manage to keep you hooked.

All said and done, I am not very happy with the story build, yet I enjoyed what I could deduce of it. It's all about being self-satisfied at the end of the day, and not caring about what others think, isn't it?

BOTTOM LINE: We Are The Best! is how youth-led, non-violent, innocent rebellion looks like in the snow-clad suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Punk is well and truly alive in Stockholm – just don't call them a 'girl band'!

[sarah_venn · 9/10 · 17 December 2013]

'We are the Best' is focused on three 13 year old girls as they form a punk band. The film has all the highs and lows of adolescence intertwined into the quest of being the best punk band ever; teenage angst, first love, friendship, crushes, family, identity and the disastrous consequences of drinking too much too young!

Klara (Mira Grosin) and Bobo (Mira Barkhammer) are two androgynous looking girls who don't fit in with others at their school, and are bullied for looking different. They love punk and live by the values of anti-establishment mentality and reject mainstream society and commercial disco music. One day at their after school club in order to get heavy metal band Iron Fist to stop playing their offensively loud music Bobo and Klara decide to fight music with music and start a band of their own. They don't have any instruments or indeed know how to play any, but that doesn't stop them, and I'm pretty sure there are some famous bands out there that started similarly. Outspoken and mouthy Klara nominates herself as lead singer and bassist, forcing Bobo onto the drums. Their song 'Hate the Sport' is about their dislike for PE and their fascist teacher. Whilst they can master the lyrics their musical ability does not improve. Bobo sees an opportunity in recruiting Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne), a classical guitar player who is also a social outcast due to being a strict Christian. In a quest to convert her from Christianity to punk they cut off her long blonde hair to fit in with Bobo's crop and Klara's Mohawk.

The girls meet up with an all boy punk band that perform their catchy anthem 'Brezhnev and Reagan, F*ck Off!' Tensions between the friendship of Klara and Bobo arise when they both have feelings for one of the boys. However, friendship wins out and the band goes on to perform in a neighbouring town, where there is a great punk-fuelled ending to the film as they shout and hurl abuse at the audience in the venue.

Lukas Moodysson's We Are the Best! is certainly one of the most honest, heart-warming and endearing films about female friendship I've seen. It is adapted from his wife, Coco Moodysson's graphic novel, Never Goodnight. The story is a fictionalised account of her own teenage years as a punk rocker. It is definitely a film that can be enjoyed by adults as well as teenagers. The acting was amazing in the film and all girls gave a great performance, from Liv LeMoyne's wonderful folk playing and singing, to the comedic timings and playful nature of Grosin and Barkhammer, also special mention to the highly amusing, clarinet playing father of Klara played by David Dencik.

So far the film has picked up three awards; The Reykjavik International Film Festival Audience Award, Tokyo International Film Festival Grand Prix Award and Philadelphia Film Festival Best Ensemble. Will it win the Bath Film Festival audience award? I sure hope so as it definitely deserves it and it would wholeheartedly have my vote. I loved this film.

See the review on the Bath Film Festival blog: http://bathffblogger.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/we-are-the-best/

Can somebody translate the graphic novel that inspired this ?

[Giz_Medium · 7/10 · 1 November 2020]

Can somebody translate the graphic novel that inspired this ? Ever since the trailer of the english version, I had been wanting to watch this movie. In the end I was not disappointed, and watched it twice in a week, as A. wanted to watch it too. When we talked about it later, criticism were made about the fact that the characters were awful kids, selfish, almost forcing each other to look punk, but to me it felt like this was exactly the good aspect of the movie : how much I could actually relate to it, from the good side of making your own music and being a young punk, blatantly atheist and anti-religious, to the awful fact that most of us come from a privileged part of society. I liked the provocation of the band of 13 years old punk insulting back the crowd calling them names before they even played a chord. But as much as I can relate to this, the punk I can relate to is the one that made things being broadly political beyond mere shouted slogans. I'm glad they didn't mixed up the two and romanticized punk. but now I want to read the graphic novel, and I don't read swedish...

Charming, but slight

[adamk-2 · 3/10 · 3 January 2016]

"We Are The Best" features two just-about teenage girls in Stockholm in the early 80s who, fascinated by what seems to be a lingering punk scene, accidentally start a band, recruit a third girl who actually knows how to play and...well, that's about it. There is, of course, the climactic debut gig which is something of a triumph for them, if not for the audience, and if you didn't see this coming you should get out more.

It's a charming but utterly inconsequential film, boasting some nice acting from the leads, but that's about it. The three kids are all middle-class and, while one is being raised by a single mother who obviously likes to keep her, um, options open, she doesn't seem particularly alienated just somewhat embarrassed by her behaviour. The third girl, the slightly older Hedvig, is a serious, Christian classical guitarist, and at this point the film falls down seriously in plausibility, as Hedvig goes along all-too swiftly with the two exuberant punks and abandons her old identity. She also seems to come from a single-parent family, but her mother, while Christian, is sensitively portrayed as a fair and balanced woman. When Bobo and Klara cut Hedvig's hair, her approach is sly but perfectly reasonable: to make them realise not only the consequences of their actions, but that there are different forms of consent. And yet....Hedvig appears at school in an ugly knitted hat, apparently to hide her haircut, but then proceeds to tell Bobo and Klara that she was embarrassed by her mother's behaviour and loves her haircut and...no, I didn't buy it for a moment. This grave, serious Christian girl just jettisons not just her faith but any emotional baggage that might go with it (I'm speaking as an atheist, here) and it's all too glib. She teaches them chords, they teach her attitude to rebel against...well, not a lot, to be honest. None of them seem to be rebelling or making much of a statement, but they take to the stage, enrage the locals, seem very pleased with that and...that's the end. There's an end-credits scene that shows them larking about that adds nothing to the film or the narrative, and that's the end.

You won't learn much about being a teenager or about being a punk from this film. Or even much about Stockholm. You won't learn much about anything, to be honest, apart from the names of some 80s Swedish punk bands.

Film from Sweden, preteen tomboy girls want to start a grunge rock band.

[TxMike · 19 June 2017]

I watched this at home via Netflix streaming movies. I was intrigued by the description, non-talented tomboys want to start a rock band. My title calls them preteens, I believe they are actually supposed to be 13 but they seem a bit younger.

The streaming movie has English subtitles, these two good friends with very short hair visit a recording studio, they actually get their hands on instruments for the first time and absolutely can't play. They can't really sing either and they make up anti-establishment lyrics.

They are forced at school to sit through a student talent show and hear another 13-yr-old girl play guitar beautifully. They hatch a plan, maybe they can befriend her and she can teach them to play.

They never really form a rock band that anyone would want to listen to, but the story is more about family and friendship and how to look at options for yourself as you grow towards young adulthood.

I only found the movie "OK", others might like it more.

A very good, funny, innovative, modern, deep and tought provoking film!

[alexanderliljefors · 7/10 · 26 September 2023]

Ive watched two of Lukas Moodysson other works (Tillsammans and Show me love)

I enjoyed them (Show me love abit more then Tillsammans) I like Moodyssons way of making film, exploring the coming out of age genre, which he's really good at making films with that theme and that he is enlightening important subjects of lives different periods.

"Vi är bäst" is focusing of the different political movements under the 80s in Sweden. It focuses alot of the freedom movement about sexuality, friendships and breaking norms in society and being yourself. A very modern, innovative, very good, deep, funny and thought provoking film.

Its very well put together. And very well made!

It's guided by a very well written script that fits the age of the actors, which makes the film feel very authentic and real. Aswell the acting is very good! Filming aswell! Cinematography is great! Its very well made giving the right atmosphere to the 80s.

Moodysson manages to capture those climps on the rollercoaster of emotions, actions and consequences throughout life and growing up.

I really recommend it!

less a coming of age drama, more a gentle (and funny) Swedish family comedy

[RealSmiff · 8/10 · 13 November 2014]

It's been a while since i saw a Moodysson film. You forget just how effortless he makes film-making seem, but then you only have to watch almost any other movie with actors these ages to realise what a feat this is. If anything, the actors here are too young for their characters (unsusual!) - there was a scene near the end where the two leads are fighting that was hard to take seriously, and more seriously, the actress playing Bobo looked a little lost here as well!

It lacks the depth or profundity of some of his earlier work, such as Show Me Love. That was 16 years ago, i remember it so clearly! Will I be thinking about this one for days after? i don't think so. Does Moodysson not make darker films any more? That's a shame, but for what this is, a light comedy suitable for all, plus a gentle homage to Sweden in the early 80s, it succeeds brilliantly. He's a little bit like the American John Hughes at showing a child's POV without being patronising, but unlike Hughes also without painting the adults in two dimensions.

I'm hoping he'll make more films like this, maybe a bit longer and less afraid of upsetting the audience (that doesn't mean they all have to be like Lilya 4-ever either,there's a balance somewhere!). I'm being picky because i'm a fan - highly recommended and needs wider exposure like all of his films.

A Loving Ode to Growing Up

[Josh_Friesen · 10/10 · 13 January 2015]

While We Are the Best! may not be the best film of the year, it was my favourite film of the year. I can't remember the last time a film contained so much genuine warmth and pleasure. This heart warming and beautifully written story about the aimlessness of being a teenager had me smiling from ear to ear for the entirety of the running time. Unlike Boyhood, which provides the perspectives of both children and parents over an extended period of time, We Are the Best!, is a time capsule of a film, giving us the subjective perspectives of three young girls during a key part of their childhood. Veteran Swedish writer and director Lukas Moodysson, provides us with a glimpse into the lives of these young girls as they form a punk band despite two of them having no musical experience. They are indeed terrible, but the film isn't about punk music, it's about the punk attitude that perfectly captures the defiance of being a teenager. A loving ode to growing up, We Are the Best! Is easily the most charming film of the year.

Learning how to grow up with punk rock

[ericbobg · 9/10 · 18 December 2014]

For full review: http://ericsgoodstuff.blogspot.com/2014/12/film-we- are-best.html

One token of a great movie is that it helps you expand your circle of humanity. I've never found MMA cage fighting to be enjoyable, and yet while watching Warrior I was on the edge of my seat. You might never have associated punk music with the fragile yet hilarious stage of life of coming-of-age of preteens but through these girls' characters you come to love punk music for the opportunity it provides them to grow up and accept new people. Although they might resist the notion, the love these girls develop for each other is just the same that a group of cheerleaders might. We Are The Best reiterates the fact that you already knew that life for punk rockers is pretty much the same as it is for the rest of us. Roger Ebert said, "The movies are like a machine that generates empathy." This is something I'm always looking for and We Are The Best takes you into the space of being a 13 year old. From a goofy dad that wants to embarrass you by bringing a clarinet to your punk band rehearsal to the joy of serendipitous friendships turning into lifelong relationships, this movie reminds you of yourself - whether you've had the same experiences or not - in a fresh way.

Young grrrrrl power at work

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 1 June 2015]

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!

Wanders

[laserdanger · 4/10 · 18 June 2014]

We follow Bobo and her best friend Klara through their tween years. Both of these girls share little in common with their classmates and by default are relegated as misfits. The world they inhabit is not particularly cruel to them and because of this it is hard to sympathize with their radical views surrounding God and good taste.

The lack of compression in conjunction with the relative length of the film led to a lackluster ending. The events all fell into place relatively easily. I never saw a raw drive in these girls. It has to be noted that what was portrayed was not necessarily the world rejecting them but their choice to reject the world around them. Because of this these characters must compel us and win us over. The big show at the end lacked the emotional weight and significance that it could have attained mostly because the girls really didn't fight that hard for the band.

I relate to Bobo and am sympathetic to her but the film simply didn't go anywhere. The weak narrative structure necessitates a strong narrative voice which the story lacked. Bobo is interesting in that her body image issues, environment, and views give the story a lot to work with. The mousiness of her character held back the film especially considering that there was no defined antagonist acting against her or Klara.

I would not recommend this film. It is the particulars of their world that make them unique and quite frankly punk could have been substituted for any number of things and the film would not have been much different. The film does not capitalize on the rich history of punk, it is merely a window dressing.

I had a BLAST watching this film

[acforever_36 · 9/10 · 11 November 2015]

As usual I was rather late on the "We are the best" party but I just finished watching it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could not stop laughing at the scene when they were begging for money in the metro station as well as the scene when they were cutting Hetvig's hair. There was so much shameless and good-spirited humour within the film but those two scenes definitely stuck out for me.

Personally I could relate to some parts, especially those that involved havoc during rehearsals. When I was still in school I formed a "band" with two friends that were two grades below me and one of them was beyond immature and could not keep still; practices became humour sessions and the buffoon-esque feel to it was so contagious that it didn't matter at times that we did more mucking around than actual practicing. Seeing this film reminded me of that time and I'm feeling quite nostalgic at the moment. I'm about to write to one of those friends telling him (not suggesting) to watch it and how we should definitely form a band once we're in the same country again.

Anyways back to the film. It was almost hard to believe how good the actors were. Seriously they were like small adults, it made me feel sort of clueless looking back to when I was that age. It's got a cute vibe and just before you start questioning whether or not those kids are twelve or not, there's a fight over a boy that is there to remind us that we are dealing with young teenagers after all. I loved Klara's character as well as Hetvig's personal progression throughout the film, holding down the fragile friendship between the other two as well as letting loose with her more traditional ways while still managing to be the same person. I did not like Bobo's character as it was really self-centered although you could understand where she's coming from; not getting any action when those teenage hormones start kicking in can stir things up a bit.

Oh and seriously? The crowd wanted to fight the teenage trio?? Lol if a group of teenage girls came to my town and started insulting it I would laugh like a madman and probably join them in their chorus. Respect.

Love this Swedish Film about Kids and Punk Music.

[christopher256_98 · 9/10 · 5 December 2017]

"We Are the Best" I an exhilarating drama/comedy by Swedish director Lukas Moodysson that tells the story of two outcast, tomboyish 13-year-old girls in 1980's Stockholm who, sick of being told punk is dead, decide to start a punk band. It's a floundering effort in the beginning for best friends Bobo and Clara, neither having any real musical training and owning none of their own equipment, just having their genuine passion to songs like "Hate the Sport." To improve their prospects they enlist in the help of a another girl, an older one names Hedvig who has musical talent but outwardly appears to be opposite of them: an obedient, conservative-dressing, Christian girl. But Hedvig actually has more to relate with Bobo and Clara than it initially seems, being an outcast and wanting more from the staleness of life.

The turns these three characters make together are fun, sometimes heartbreaking, and always a joy to watch. The strong, distinctive performances by Mira Barkhammer, Mira Grosin, and Liv LeMoyne (as Bobo, Clara, and Hedvig respectively), and the fascinating way the film gets them to act against one another in different situations (none of which feel ham-handed or forced) are what really makes this film work. The parents and other authority figures are well-done, and not riddled with the sort of clichés you sometimes get from adult characters in movies centered around youth. But it's all about the kids, these outcasts, who don't pander to fit in while attempting to rock and to have fun, through setbacks and all.

Wildly entertaining, insightful, and true to its creed, "We Are the Best" is a blast with a guitar, bass drums, and yelling, and even better when it comes to the human spirit. It's a story that should leave you smiling.

Grossly, Grossly, GROOOOOSSSSSLY Overrated!

[PatrickBatman · 4 April 2015]

I saw this movie 2 years after it came out, and everyone told me I must see it. Everyone said it was an underrated gem, and reading the reviews about this film, I was excited as ever! It even had a 97% on rotten tomatoes, which is really impressive.

So what did I get? Well, for everyone who said this movie is "unique", you probably think that a movie like Boyhood has never been done before., (Look up 35 up, 49 up, and 56 up) This movie felt like a made-for-TV movie that was delayed for 20 years. Hell, this movie wouldn't even connect with kids in the 1980s (which is when the movie takes place)

OK fine, enough of me complaining I'm gonna list all the flaws and go in further detail about them.

1. You have seen this film already (a billion times) This is your ordinary "oh I want to do something that I have to do with other people so I need to find another person/people to help me" type of film. And then they have to work hard to get that person to get them into doing what they want and then later they get into a fight, and everything turns out OK and then they do the thing they wanted to do and the film ends. Unique right? This film makes Synecdoche, New York look like something a 10 year old would come up with (obvious sarcasm 2. How the kids are "so punk" This is probably the thing I hate the most. I love punk music, and I know it's tough to make an aggressive and hateful human being likable, but that doesn't count as an excuse. The kids are REALLY REALLY unlikeable. They are just egotistical pieces of crap and you really hate them. And when we are supposed to feel sympathy towards them (because the other kids make fun of them) you really don't feel anything.

These things pop up a lot in the film, so thats why I give this film a negative review. Other than that, nothing above average happens in this film. The directing is OK, the cinematography is OK, the acting is OK. The only praise I have for this film is that the band doesn't become amazing at the end (and that's realistic for a band that didn't practice a lot and goofed off.

A Charming Celebration of Friendship

[mistercsays1 · 8/10 · 31 August 2014]

Scandinavian filmmakers seem to have mastered the art of telling serious stories with just the right amount of humour and whimsy to prevent their films from becoming bogged down in earnestness. Of course, we can't apply such a sweeping generalisation to every filmmaker from the Nordic regions, but there certainly has been a series of such films in recent years (Simple Simon, The Liverpool Goalie) that have been as amusing as much as they have been insightful. Furthermore, several Scandinavian films of recent times – from Lilya 4 Ever to Turn Me On, Dammit to Let the Right One In and many more besides – have placed young characters front and centre of the narrative, often relying on hitherto unknown actors to carry the film, usually with surprisingly effective results. With We are The Best, Swedish director Lukas Moodysson (F***king Amal and the aforementioned Lilya 4 Ever) continues such traditions in presenting a bittersweet comedy that manages to effectively assay the trials and tribulations of teenage life in Stockholm in the early '80's.

13-year-old Klara (Mira Grosin) is desperate to be a rebel, even if she has no idea what she might be rebelling against. She shares a love of punk music with her best friend BoBo (Mira Barkhammar), a fellow outcast amongst the cliques and social factions of their high school. The girls are all but inseparable and, initially in an effort to spite a group of older boys at the local youth club, they decide to start a band, even though neither of them can play an instrument. Their initial attempts to write a song are farcical and they soon recruit Hedwig (Liv Lemoyne), a quiet Christian girl who just happens to possess considerable skill as a guitar player. There is a great naturalness to these characters as they react and interact with each other and the various other people in their periphery, such as their parents and two well-meaning but utterly clueless supervisors from the youth centre. The girls know that they don't really fit in with the other kids, but they are yet to find their own place in the world. The characters seem very real; laden with the uncertainty and the search for identity that we all experience at that time in our lives. Klara's tough exterior masks her inner vulnerabilities and insecurities, while BoBo is all but invisible to everybody except her best friend. At one point Bobo's mother is so focused on entertaining a potential new boyfriend that she is completely oblivious to the fact that her daughter isn't home; it is only a phone call from BoBo that alerts her to the fact. For Hedwig, meanwhile, these new friendships lead her to question the values and ideologies – instilled by her pious mother – that have thus far shaped her life.

Whilst the film looks a little rough around the edges at times and there are moments that, in the hands of Harvey Weinstein, would have been lost in the edit, it seems a deliberate ploy by Moodysson to linger on the awkward silences and seemingly banal conversations to reflect the everyday-ness of this world in which these girls exist. Much of the humour comes from Klara's attempts to find an outlet for her anger through song. The problem is that she doesn't really have anything to be angry about, or much of a talent for song writing, so it is the school PE teacher becomes the target of her 'fury'. Despite only having one song in their arsenal – Hate the Sport – the girls are given an opportunity to perform at a local band showcase, an appearance that brings the film to a chaotic and downright hilarious end; a climax that is as surprising as it is perfect for these three clueless but utterly endearing wannabe rebels.

As you might expect from a story revolving around three teenage girls, experiments with alcohol and the pursuit of boys form part of the story and Moodyson elicits spirited, engaging performances from his three inexperienced young leads. Whilst the film is certainly not a celebration of punk music as an intellectual exercise – epitomised by the song Brezhnev and Reagan, F**k Off that is performed by the all-male band with whom the girls develop a relationship – We Are the Best most certainly posits the appeal of punk as an outlet for those who don't fit in anywhere else. Delivered with a warm-hearted vitality, We Are the Best is, first and foremost, a joyous, vibrant celebration of adolescent female friendship.

Surprisingly good

[zentist-563-976986 · 8/10 · 2 March 2015]

Great movie, it looked at adolescent confusion without getting into pedophilia. They closed it down while I still wanted more. By the way I hate "coming of age" movies and had this one for months before watching it. It took me back to my own adolescent days. All three of the principal actresses were convincing, The story was pedestrian, but that is the life of most adolescents in the developed world. They do not all do heroine and go out at night to get money for our habit. Most of us suffered our teenage angst like these three girls. If I had to make a criticism it was the shallowness of the adult characters, but I guess that is how adolescents see us.