WE ARE THE BEST! (A) - This is the first time all year that I hated for a movie to come to an end. I was lost in its world. When was the last time a film felt too short?
Lukas Moodysson ("Together," "Lilya 4-Ever") offers up a uniquely quirky story: It is Stockholm in 1982, and three Swedish early-teen girls -- outcasts among their classmates -- come together to form a ragtag punk rock group. Rarely will you find a more winning depiction of both the exhilaration and the heartache of growing up.
When we first see the androgynous pair Bobo (Mira Barkhammar) and Klara (Mira Grosin), they are trying to educate a couple of classmates (more girly girls) about the hazards of nuclear power. Outspoken Klara wears a Mohawk spike and a Billy Idol sneer. Bobo, with short kinky hair, broods behind a pair of Lennon specs, and she defers to her alpha-female pal. At home, the girls are gloomy; ignored by the adults, they burrow into their bedrooms, connected to the outside world through headphones that blast angry, political music and connected to each other by old-fashioned land lines.
Back in the school environment, the girls are scoffed at, while a bunch of metal-head boys in the band Iron Fist are admired and promoted by the music teachers. When the clever girls notice that Iron Fist forgot to sign up for its studio rehearsal time, the girls take over the space, despite the fact that they have zero musical knowledge. (The rivalry between the bands will provide the movie's climax and its title.) There are a set of drums and a bass lying around, so the girls start experimenting.
Moodysson somehow captures the very essence of the DIY ethic promulgated by the original punk movement of the '70s. We watch the girls pick up that bass (Klara, being bossy) and settle down behind the the drumkit (Bobo, resigned) and just bang and twang aimlessly (and cocaphonously). But no matter how tuneless their clanging is, they feel the thrill of discovery and manage to find the kernals of their first song -- "Hate the Sport," a screed about the shallowness of rabid fandom in a suffering world. And that was the ethos of the era -- pick up some instruments, any instruments, create a clatter and scream your grievances.
Later, at a school concert, they watch Hedvig (tall, blonde Liv LeMoyne) masterfully play classical-based guitar. Hedvig, too, is an outsider, and Bobo and Klara invite her into their world and into the band. Hedvig teaches them some actual chords and structure; they rudely repay her by forcefully hacking off her hair to boy-short length.
Bobo, the chronic second banana in her friendship with Klara, will meekly and politely air her own personal grievances to Klara about being denied the bass gig and about the general imbalance of their relationship. Klara will remain mostly clueless. Enter a boy.
Once again, like our last entry, we find ourselves deep in a coming-of-age story. Here, the love troubles are not blown out of proportion, but rather are used expertly to deepen our understanding of Bobo and her struggles in that transition to adulthood. (Klara, the foul-mouthed provocateur and virulent atheist, already seems like an adult.) Bobo discovers another cool band and contacts its leader, Elis, and arranges a meeting of the band members. As they awkwardly hang out with the older boys, Klara (with big bright eyes and pouty lips) wins the affection of Elis, ignoring Gal Code and her devotion to Bobo.
Bobo will later get revenge on Klara (who naively thinks that she and Elis are dating, even though he never followed up their meeting with a phone call or text) by sneaking off to meet Elis. She doffs her glasses on the train and dabs on a little makeup. We can tell that she's not being herself -- and she knows it, too -- and she later confesses to Klara her trespass.
The extended sequence -- the half-hearted competition for Elis -- underscores the bonding process between these girls beyond their rhythm section. The tone of the film, in fact, is perfect. Moodysson is adapting a graphic novel by his wife, Coco, and the movie feels like a fond, wistful look back at a quaint era in popular culture. Yet, it doesn't drown in sepia-tone syrup. It is vibrant and fundamentally human. The dialogue is authentic and fresh and direct. The scenes are often funny and touching.
The three girls are all first-time actors. They have been tossed together in a brand new setting. Through sheer spirit and determination, they make a joyful noise together.
Up Next: "Boyhood"
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