A favorite among festival audiences, Lukas Moodysson makes a successful return with the subjects that brought him international fame. Just like in his debut film, Fucking Amal, he focuses on Swedish teenagers – with sympathetic irony, he follows them and their parents, who are not always qualified guides when it comes to the world of adults. The screenplay for We Are the Best!, an adaption of a comic by Moodysson’s wife, is set in 1982. Two 12-year-old girls, Bobo and Klara, are model students when it comes to youthful rebellion – with their mohawks, dislike of Abba, and strike at phys. ed. classes. The two clever tomboys decide to try out the world of music, but they do not know how to play anything. This minor problem is solved by Hedwig, a talented Protestant in a dull sweater, who, in exchange, undergoes her own punk conversion. Following the screening, you might want to yell out, "Punk is not dead, it’s for children," but Moodysson’s film is not only for young audiences. Although not as uncompromising as his first films, We Are the Best! is an insightful portrait of the hardships of growing up and a manifesto for youthful girl power.
Mariusz Mikliński
Reykjavik IFF 2013 - Audience Award; Tokyo IFF 2013 - Tokyo Grand Prix
Born in 1969 in Lund, Lukas Moodysson is one of Sweden’s most acclaimed directors. Following the premieres of his first two films, Fucking Amal and Together, Ingmar Bergman himself recognized Moodysson as a worthy heir. He made the most expensive film in the history of Swedish cinema (Mammoth), as well as the controversial experimental films A Hole in My Heart and Container, which were part of the competitions at the fifth and sixth editions of New Horizons, respectively. He is also a novelist, short-story writer, and poet.
1998 Fucking Amal / Fucking Åmål / Show Me Love
2000 Tylko razem / Tillsammans / Together
2004 Dziura w sercu / Ett Hål i mitt hjärta / A Hole in My Heart
2006 Kontener / Container
2009 Mamut / Mammoth