Swedish film is funny, charming, real.
The more Swedish film I watch, the more I want to see. American film has a movie star problem. It’s hard for an actor to disappear into a role when their face is plastered across every form of media at the studio’s disposal.
It’s long been the tradition in the American cinema for movies to be sold based on the popularity of actors. Pretty faces sell tickets. And while I can appreciate this from a certain perspective (Brad Pitt is really an exceptional actor), the foreknowledge of how an actor behaves onscreen will always damage the authenticity of a performance. It takes great talent to for a performer to be truly convincing in the movie-star-driven environment.
However, I don’t know any Swedish film stars. Foreign language movies have a distinct advantage in this regard. Take for example Mise En Scenester’s latest film “We Are The Best.” It is likely the most authentic and endearing film I’ve seen this year. Every actor, every performance is highly skilled, and because I’ve never seen the actors in anything else, my ability to suspend my disbelief is enhanced and the experience is far more genuine. This isn’t to say that foreign film is inherently better than American; that’s clearly not the case. But sometimes you want more distance from the subject than can be achieved when staring at a familiar face.
“We Are the Best” tells the story of three young girls from Stockholm in 1982. Outcasts, the trio are desperate to identify themselves in a homogenous society. Like many youth at that time, these three find solace in punk music. They are fascinated by the rebellious attitude, rightly disgusted by the popularity of disco, and generally ostracized at their school. This story isn’t one of sadness and depression, however. Instead, “We Are the Best” is a celebration of childhood self-discovery and budding adolescence. Our three heroines are punks in name only; they are dipping their toes into the waters of political revolution without having the ability to swim openly in its depth. They harass fast-food workers into giving them free fries by arguing that feeding the hungry is “political” and anyone that would deny their mild cravings is “conservative.” They have conversations about Christianity and atheism without understanding either. They form their own punk band, having no musical ability to speak of, in order to sing songs about the tyranny of their gym teacher. All in all, the film is exquisitely adorable.
The themes on display in most punk music are anti-authoritarian and anti-conformity. Often, it serves as a shelter for kids that find themselves on the outside looking in. “We Are the Best” takes this insecurity and shines a light on it. Klara (Mira Grosin) is the leader of the group and most likely the one who introduced the mousy and awkward Bobo (Mira Barkhammer) to punk music. The relationship between Klara and Bobo is the focus of the film, wading into the subtle politics of female friendship and unspoken influence. The third wheel is Hedvig (Liv Lemoyne), a talented classical guitar player from a Christian family, who is soon to be corrupted by the influence of punk rock. These corruptions are tame, however, mostly involving wild haircuts and train trips to see boys.
If anything “We Are the Best” reminds us of how we were—awkward, experimental, emotional and confused. There is an enormous amount of joy of the story. Anyone who’s ever played in a rock band remembers those early days, when the thrill of making music outweighed the embarrassment of sounding terrible. The band is an excuse to hang out and work towards a common goal. It’s something every child should experience at least once in their life.
Not enough can be said about the performances of the girls. These are some of the best and most natural child actors I’ve seen in a film. Granted, this could also be related to the language of the film. I am far too aware of the cadence of English and it takes time for an actor to effectively deliver lines without sounding stilted or jumpy. Not knowing Swedish may have kept me from noticing any irregularities in the performance. Regardless, I felt as if I was watching real friends react in real situations. There are many films that never achieve this level of realism.
“We Are the Best” is a joy to watch. It is a heartfelt and quiet film that should connect with any audience willing to give it a chance. MES continues to bring quality independent movies for Chattanooga. This one is absolutely worth checking out.
MES Presents: “We Are the Best”8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 12.
Barking Legs Theater,
1307 Dodds Ave.
(423) 624-5347