We Are the Best! (2013)

Three girls in 1980s Stockholm decide to form a punk band -- despite not having any instruments and being told by everyone that punk is dead.

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writers:

Lukas Moodysson, Coco Moodysson (comic book)

Stars:

Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne

13 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mira Barkhammar	...	Bobo
Mira Grosin	...	Klara
Liv LeMoyne	...	Hedvig
Johan Liljemark	...	Kenneth
Mattias Wiberg	...	Roger
Jonathan Salomonsson	...	Elis
Alvin Strollo	...	Mackan
Anna Rydgren	...	Bobos mamma
Peter Eriksson	...	Bobos pappa
Charlie Falk	...	Linus
Lena Carlsson	...	Klaras mamma
David Dencik	...	Klaras pappa
Emrik Ekholm	...	Klaras lillebror
Ann-Sofie Rase	...	Hedvigs mamma
Lily Moodysson	...	Hedvigs lillasyster

Storyline

In early-80s' Stockholm, Bobo, an ordinary thirteen-year-old schoolgirl who lives with her divorced mother, takes inspiration from bands like KSMB and Ebba Grön, refusing to accept what others say about Punk being dead. Sharing the same taste in music with her classmate, Klara, and with the help of the talented but introverted eighth-grader, Hedvig, the girls decide to put a band together, getting their hands on musical instruments for the very first time. But, surprisingly, what started as a joke, will soon become a reality--and with a song already in their hands--this aspiring Punk band fuelled by youthful rebellion, will aim for the stars without any concern about what others say, simply because THEY ARE THE BEST.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | punk | band | friendship between girls | teenage girl | 

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Taglines:

Three Girls Vs. The World

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Site

Country:

Sweden Denmark

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

20 June 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

We Are the Best!

Filming Locations:

Södermalm, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,664, 30 May 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$180,222, 5 September 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film i Väst, Memfis Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(~1:40:58) At the end of the credits, there is a clarinet solo of an undefined song by Klara's father.

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Quotes

Klara: What's a chord?
Hedvig: You play many tones at once, you hit them at the same time, they make harmony.

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Connections

References A Respectable Life (1979)

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Soundtracks

Helan går
Public Domain

User Reviews

Human and punk - to the core

This is punk! Even more punk than Julien Temple's "The Filth and The Fury", the great documentary about the Sex Pistols and England in the late 1970s. Presented are a few young individuals who think alike and don't waver for a second to present their own opinions. They're unique - just like the rest of us - and just so you know, just because disco came around, doesn't mean punk's dead.

We're shown families, their lives, their honesties and lies, and what makes them tick; I think this is one of Moodysson's biggest strengths as a director. And he's used unknown actors, which is another one of his strengths.

This film is not nostalgia, but a document of what life can really be like. Just as Joakim Thåström sings in one of the soundtracks to the film, you're encouraged to stay a rebel - and this is just one of the many ways to stay one.

It's a hardcore film that's cute, sad, very funny, very Swedish and human from the core on out. The script is great, the dialogue should be a blueprint on how Swedish realism should be, Moodysson still claims the throne as the best living Swedish director, and this film will live on forever. I really hope this gets syndicated throughout the world, because that's what it deserves.