We Are the Best! (Lukas Moodysson)

[Stay Puft]

WE ARE THE BEST!
Dir. Lukas Moodysson

IMDb page

[Stay Puft]

My reaction from TIFF:

The most entertaining film I saw at TIFF, quite easily, but also a smart and gentle film. It has the utmost respect for its characters, for their youthful, counterculture rebellion, and for everything about them that is naïve and inexperienced. It respects the processes by which these youths attempt to discover themselves and forge identities. It's ridiculously funny, it's full of energy, it's sad and touching and beautiful and uplifting and amazing. Highly recommended to every Match-Cutter.

[Spinal]

I'm glad this film exists. I'd love for my son to see it as a 12-year old aspiring musician. I would have liked to see the stakes raised a little more. I think Bobo's brief moment with the mirror was the high point for me in terms of emotional investment. And the finale just happens so quickly. Still, I liked the authenticity in how they treated the girls learning to play together. I believed the timeline and their gradual improvement. Always nice to have a new Moodysson film.

[dreamdead]

A thoroughly relaxing and humane study from Moodysson, a filmmaker whose work I've glossed over since A Hole in My Heart. Great conflicted characters in Bobo and Hedvig, and while Klara basically exists to demonstrate how self-motivated many of her actions are, she's still interesting on a narrative level.

Like Spinal notes, the lack of stakes in this are the main hindrance in elevating my reaction to this film. It's basically a series of vignettes, but there's so little at stake, or rather so little forward momentum, that it undercuts how strong the achievement of the film is. In some ways, that means that the film remains character-based rather than plot-based, like Whiplash's conclusion, but the finale of that film remains tense and climaxes; this one just wraps up.

It's good and certainly an upper echelon 2014 film in how assured it is, but it doesn't quite do enough for me to feel confident it'll end up being one of the best films of the year.

[number8]

A thoroughly relaxing and humane study from Moodysson, a filmmaker whose work I've glossed over since A Hole in My Heart.

Hah. Same here. I used to be a fan, but after that movie, I had this weird idea embedded into me that all of his subsequent films will be that unpleasant to watch (I've no idea if Container and Mammoth are). But I took a chance with this and was very pleased. Reminded me of Fucking Amal Moodyson.

[Spinal]

Hah. Same here. I used to be a fan, but after that movie, I had this weird idea embedded into me that all of his subsequent films will be that unpleasant to watch (I've no idea if Container and Mammoth are). But I took a chance with this and was very pleased. Reminded me of Fucking Amal Moodyson.

Mammoth is a pretty conventional film. Container is very experimental, but not in a way that is particularly grueling. I think both are well-worth watching.

[Yxklyx]

A Hole in My Heart was dogme no? A bit late to the party... I think he's just trying out different styles.

[Spinal]

A Hole in My Heart was dogme no?

Not a dogme film.