Lukas Moodyson’s latest film is an utterly exuberant celebration of the optimism, awkwardness and adult-riling energy of teenagers. Based on graphic novel by his wife Coco and set in Stockholm in the early 80s, it chronicles the formation of a band by young punk fans Bobo and Klara, school outcasts for their weird hair and attitudes. Out of sync with fashion (post-punk and new wave are in ascendance) and mocked for being different, even by the school’s ridiculous metalheads, the pair (bewilderingly) enlist a Christian classical guitarist from the grade above and form the ultimate square peg gang-slash-band – despite having slightly less than a third of the talent they need to actually play music.
With its nostalgic trappings only extending as far as haircuts and a few records Bobo throws up on when she gets drunk trying to impress Klara’s older brother, We Are The Best! could be about teens from any era. Moodysson captures the naturalistic performances of his three leads in way that makes their story both relatable and timeless. Mira Barkhammar is wonderfully empathetic as the speccy, introverted Bobo, whose distracted, unlucky-in-love mother provides her daughter a long leash. Mira Grosin as Klara is her counterpart, a brash, impulsive punk brat with forgivingly liberal parents (including a hilarious clarinet-playing dad). Liv Lemoyne as Hedvig is the unlikely third, an ostracized straight-arrow with an uptight mum who survives Klara forcing her to listen to a song called Hang God to become the band’s one trained musician. When the three are together – crashing an older teens’ booze party, practicing after school, convincing Hedvig she has to cut her hair – the interplay fluctuates between hilarious and excrutiating (depending on your tolerance level for kids who have clearly been told by the film crew, “just pretend as if we aren’t here” – and then do so successfully).
A sub-plot involving the girls meeting up with young, semi-established punk boy-band (i.e. they can play) feels a little squeezed-in to provide some jealous tension between Bobo and Klara, but plot progression isn’t really the point of the whole exercise. The episode is funny and sad and recognizable from almost any teen’s life – hormones putting pressure on friendships – and it provides the girls one hurdle to overcome before the inevitable climax of any band-formation movie – the gig! This time at a Christmas-themed suburban youth event, alongside rival metalheads Iron Fist. Brief, shambolic and very funny, it may well be one of the most genuinely punk shows captured on film.
Only the most stone-hearted fogey could finish We Are The Best! without a grin. Though it might be a sheepish one for those who identify with the good-hearted but desperately uncool adults appearing in the infrequent gaps when the leads are out of breath. For everyone else, simply sit back and enjoy the cinematic equivalent of Swedish popping candy. (Note: unsure if said substance actually exists).
BY CHRIS HARMS
