We Are the Best!

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