Lukas Moodysson is in many respects like the Lars von Trier of Sweden. Both controversial directors. Both exceptional at their craft, pushing boundaries other film-makers wouldn’t even touch with a stolen tweezer. A lesbian feminist exposing her hairy muff at the breakfast table? No problem. A full-frontal sex orgy with characters pretending to be mentally retarded? Nothing to it!

The scandals aren’t fewer in their public appearances either. I will never forget Guldbaggegalan 1999 (sort of like The Oscars of Sweden, but boring). Moodysson had just debuted with his smash hit Fucking Åmål (a.k.a. Show Me Love) and decided to spice up his acceptance speech by wearing a teddy ear headband (which you can watch here on YouTube) and flipping…

After a series of experimental misfires, director Lukas Moodysson is back on more familiar ground with this nostalgic and spirited coming-of-age drama. Based on his wife’s graphic novel, We Are the Best is the story of youthful rebellion as three teenage girls in 1980s Stockholm decide to form a punk band. The fact that punk is dead and they have no musical instruments doesn’t deter them from their dreams.

Moodysson has created a rousing and heartfelt story of feminist empowerment and teenage defiance. Although only thirteen-years old the female protagonists embrace the have-a-go attitude of the punk movement whilst not letting their lack of talent and instruments get in the way of progress. The three girls are great giving their…

After multiple viewings, I feel like I can finally rank the kids of We Are the Best! in order of coolness:

3) KLARA. Klara has the best hair and the best attitude, but her fealty to punk is so obsessive it almost looks like a conservative streak. Anyone who looks down on their older brother for listening to Echo and the Bunnymen can never be truly cool.
2) BOBO. Deeply impressed by how Bobo has achieved the look and airs of a distracted Marxist professor at the age of twelve; I've been working on it for much longer and still haven't got it this right. She is very appreciative of Klara's brother's musical taste but does get distracted from the…

Here's an autobiographical anecdote: when I was 12-13, I made a few close friends at the small K-8 Catholic school I attended. They were two girls and a boy in the grade below me. They liked watching anime and writing fanfiction; I liked watching anime and writing fanfiction. Suddenly, I was that much less alone. Suddenly, I had friends whose birthday parties I could attend, whose houses I could visit, and in whose company I could spend my heretofore solitary recesses. It was a very powerful change for a very lonely kid. Which is to say that I recognized many of my own experiences in We Are the Best!, sometimes with affection but mostly with discomfort.

The early teenage years…

Part of jvince's Top Ten Films of 2014

What's It About?: Best friends and school outcasts Bobo and Klara decide to start a punk band... except neither of the two know how to play instruments. They befriend Hedvig, a sweet but shy Christian with mad guitar skills who teaches them the basics. This is seriously fucking awesome, you guys.

Who's In it?: Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, and Liv LeMoyne. Directed by Lukas Moodysson (Lilya 4-Ever, Show Me Love, Together). Based on the graphic novel Never Goodnight by his wife Coco Moodysson.

The Good: There's one thing you need to know about me: I love these kinds of movies. I fucking love them. Coming-of-age movies about bands are the most enjoyable…

We Are the Best! is a touching, honest, punk-rock smile factory. I had tears in my eyes by the end of it from smiling so much, so while I could stick to my normal routine of humorless, emotionless analytical examination, my big takeaway from this is how it made me feel.

It's not all laughs and happiness, though. The story follows a trio of outcasts and how they mediate their loneliness and alienation through their musical friendship. Each of their home lives is drastically different from the others': Bobo's parents are divorced and inattentive, Klara's parents try too hard to be cool, Hedvig's parents are overprotective devout Christians.

In spite of their differences, what they all have in common is…

Lukas Moodysson + Punk + Sweden + Girls

We Are The Best! truly is the best

Another amazing film from the incredibly diverse Moodysson, which acts as a perfect anthem for all of the teenage outsiders 

Wonderful performances from all of the well-casted child actors and actresses... my favorite of which are our main girls, Bobo, Klara, & Hedvig. They all do a surprisingly mature and realistic job in spite of their age, crafting characters that are entirely believable and we are entirely sympathetic towards

The story could’ve been a bit more interesting and layered in regards to teenage drama and punk (it’s very punk-lite), it was still enjoyable nonetheless. Moodysson showed us a perspective that we rarely get to see…