"We Are The Best" features two just-about teenage girls in Stockholm in the early 80s who, fascinated by what seems to be a lingering punk scene, accidentally start a band, recruit a third girl who actually knows how to play and...well, that's about it. There is, of course, the climactic debut gig which is something of a triumph for them, if not for the audience, and if you didn't see this coming you should get out more.It's a charming but utterly inconsequential film, boasting some nice acting from the leads, but that's about it. The three kids are all middle-class and, while one is being raised by a single mother who obviously likes to keep her, um, options open, she doesn't seem particularly alienated just somewhat embarrassed by her behaviour. The third girl, the slightly older Hedvig, is a serious, Christian classical guitarist, and at this point the film falls down seriously in plausibility, as Hedvig goes along all-too swiftly with the two exuberant punks and abandons her old identity. She also seems to come from a single-parent family, but her mother, while Christian, is sensitively portrayed as a fair and balanced woman. When Bobo and Klara cut Hedvig's hair, her approach is sly but perfectly reasonable: to make them realise not only the consequences of their actions, but that there are different forms of consent. And yet....Hedvig appears at school in an ugly knitted hat, apparently to hide her haircut, but then proceeds to tell Bobo and Klara that she was embarrassed by her mother's behaviour and loves her haircut and...no, I didn't buy it for a moment. This grave, serious Christian girl just jettisons not just her faith but any emotional baggage that might go with it (I'm speaking as an atheist, here) and it's all too glib. She teaches them chords, they teach her attitude to rebel against...well, not a lot, to be honest. None of them seem to be rebelling or making much of a statement, but they take to the stage, enrage the locals, seem very pleased with that and...that's the end. There's an end-credits scene that shows them larking about that adds nothing to the film or the narrative, and that's the end.You won't learn much about being a teenager or about being a punk from this film. Or even much about Stockholm. You won't learn much about anything, to be honest, apart from the names of some 80s Swedish punk bands.

Cannot remember seeing a film I enjoyed as much as "We are the best!". Guess it helped being in a full cinema, noisy as well with so much laugh-out-loud laughter. At its heart the film is about two thirteen year olds, Bobo and Klara. Later a third girl, Hedvig, is introduced but it's the relationship between Bobo and Klara that makes the film. There's a scene with Bobo and Klara in bed together after a party held by Klara's older brother Linus which is especially poignant, reminiscent of the night time scene from "Stand by me" with Will Wheaton and River Phoenix. There are so many unforgettable scenes, some, because of their root in reality (like "Fools and Horses" for example) so belly achingly funny. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in front of and behind the camera is brilliant. It's mighty close to being the perfect film. I loved this film. It is the best!

'WE ARE THE BEST!': Four Stars (Out of Five)Swedish-Danish drama flick about three teenage girls, that decide to form a punk band together; in 1982 Stockholm. It stars a cast of mostly unknowns; including Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin and Liv LeMoyne (as the three leads). It was written and directed by Lukas Moodysson and it's based on the 2008 graphic novel 'Never Goodnight'; by Coco Moodysson (the director's wife). The film received mostly rave reviews and it's appeared on many American critics' 2014 Top 10 lists. I found it to be inspiring and beautifully natural.Bobo (Barkhammar) and Klara (Grosin) are two 13-year-old girls, growing up in 1982 Stockholm. They're outsiders at their school, due to their androgynous appearance and love for punk rock music; which many consider a 'dead art form'. They decide to form a band, despite not knowing how to play any instruments, as a way of rebelling against popular culture. Later they enlist a Christian girl named Hedvig (LeMoyne), from their school, to help them learn how to play chords and sing songs. Hedvig plays classical guitar, very well, and she's also a social outcast. The three girls form a beautiful team. The movie is very impressive; in how it captures youth so realistically. The dialogue is really believable; and the three lead performances are super natural. If I didn't know any better, I would have totally believed it was a documentary (almost). The directing is completely fitting to the material and the story is beautifully inspiring. What a great movie for all kids, of almost any age, to see. Especially social outsiders and those that love punk music. The soundtrack is also totally awesome! I highly recommend it; to kids and adults alike.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/fbw9P594Crc

"We must be careful not to discourage our twelve-year-olds by making them waste the best years of their lives preparing for examinations." Freeman Dyson This girl punk band is definitely not the best, but their story is one of the best little films you will see about adolescence, its ennui, and its creativity. Three young girls around 12 are stereotypically bored with their parents and in love with rock n roll, out of which love they transcend their soporific life by forming a band.If for nothing else, We are the Best! is exclaiming the transformative power of music to lift spirits and connect with the world, this time outside of Stockholm in 1982, when singing about Brezhnev and Reagan and the danger of nuclear anything makes electric music and connects young, disaffected pseudo-punk girls with excitement and a small part of the outside world.The actresses are natural, attractive, and invested in being adolescents although I suspect they long ago passed 12 years old. Director Lucas Moodysson, adapting his wife, Coco's graphic novel has caught the silliness and loneliness of young girls who, with little talent but loads of chutzpah can be happy with a life they, not adults, frame for themselves. Thus they become the best for themselves.