Review: We Are the Best!
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Grade: B+] Punk rock is often defined by what it rails against, and there’s a bit of that in Lukas Moodysson’s We Are the Best!
City Paper grade: B+
Punk rock is often defined by what it rails against, and there’s a bit of that in Lukas Moodysson’s We Are the Best! But more important to this gleeful coming-of-age tale is what punk can stand for: namely community rooted in an unruly individuality. Seventh graders Bobo (Mira Barkhammar) and Klara (Mira Grosin) come from relatively happy homes in 1982 Stockholm, so, on the surface, they don’t seem to have much to rebel against. Teenage ennui always finds an enemy, though, whether it’s starving children in Africa, nuclear war or gym class.
The girls decide to take aim at those subjects by forming their own punk band, never mind that neither of them has ever touched an instrument and that everyone around them insists punk is dead. These girls are true believers, however, and begin bashing away at bass and drums at a local rec center, liberally applying the punk philosophy that attitude takes precedent over talent. They import a touch of the latter when they recruit Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne), a friendless Christian girl who plays classical guitar. She teaches them a few basic chords and soon they’re relentlessly rehearsing a song (“Hate the Sport”) that turns their physical awkwardness into a virtue.
Together, the girls get drunk, hone their band’s competence, crush on the boys in a neighboring punk band and roll their eyes at everyone who isn’t them. Moodysson joyously captures the tedium and aimless frustrations of the teenage years, and spotlights the bonds forged by subcultures, no matter how passé. More importantly, the film shows the solidity of friendship, even when challenged by petty jealousies and disagreements. Each of them outcasts on their own, the girls find an increased confidence in their camaraderie until they’re able to able to defiantly shout the titular declaration in the face of all evidence to the contrary.
