We are the best! (Lukas Moodysson, 2013): Sweden

Reviewed by Moa Hellenaes. Viewed at Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

I enjoyed watching this film because it showed a problem many girls or boys can have. Children want to break free and be their own person without being judged. The movie has three main characters but only one of them have acted before, you could not tell who since they were all very good for being such young actors. I speak Swedish which I can imagine made it easier for me to understand the jokes and the drama than for those who read the subtitles. It is always harder to read lines than to hear them, since you do not know in what way they are saying them.

The film is about two 12-year-old girls who are not like the typical girl in their age. They have short hair, listen to punk and wear saggy clothes. Boys and girls do not like them or their attitude, they can be very cocky and always have answers to everything. They talk to each other about their family problems and how much they do not want to be home. The girls, Bobo and Klara, start a band without knowing anything about music. The only thing they know is that punk is not dead and that it is the best kind of music. Their school is having a music competition  and a girl named Hedvig is performing a song. Bobo and Klara immediately know what to do. They invite Hedvig to be in their band, mostly because they want her to teach them how to play the instruments. The band continues to rehears but problem with boys, families and attention occurs and they are all worried about how that will affect their band.

The story is from the 80’s and I love how it is shown with their hair styles, clothing and environment. The whole film’s color is a bit brown to make it feel older, it is not bright and colorful like the films today. The way they talk is also old fashioned, the words they are using. The director, Lukas Moodysson, made a great job with making the film feel like it is from the 80’s. I really enjoyed that. As I mentioned before, the girls acting were amazing. They got in their roles and made their personalities just the way they should be. One shy, one with attitude and one careful. From seeing just a couple of minutes I could tell what type of characters they were supposed to be.

I absolutely recommend people to see this film, it is one of few Swedish films that I like. It is entertaining and people of all ages are able to watch it and understand the girls’ problems.