We Are the Best!

We Are the Best! is a heart-warming coming of age story.   The three main characters undergo personal growth when they embrace their differences and disregard other people’s negative perceptions of them.  We can see this when they perform at Västerås.  Their unreserved attitudes and retaliation against hecklers causes a riot, and we see their transformation in confidence and self-respect.

The editing in this scene is very fast paced, allowing us to gain a "sense of their aspirations, impatience, energy and their emotions" (Jutel, "Week 5 editing").  It allows us to understand their excitement at being able to be themselves, and the intensity of the moment in which they are completely ignoring what society says about them, a moment which is extremely significant in their development.

The cinematography also adds to the sense of transformation.  The scene is filmed using a hand held camera which "involves the audience more immediately and concretely in the action" (Corrigan and White 118).  Thus involvement allows us to experience the scene as if we were there, providing us with a sense of the immediacy of the moment,  It gives us a more personal perspective on the scene; we feel as if we are in the crowd (see fig. 1), and can therefore appreciate the extent of the backlash against the girls.  This further emphasises their confidence and self-belief, as we can see their perseverance and commitment to the band, to each other and to themselves, even in the midst of the rioting.

Fig. 1; We see the girls from the audience's perspective; still taken from We Are the Best!

The mise-en-scène in this scene also helps to show us their transformation, which we can see through their physical relationship to the other people in the room (see fig.2).  The fact that they are above the crowd gives the impression of power and confidence; they cannot be touched or assaulted physically, nor can they be affected emotionally.  The have distanced themselves from those who do not understand them and this is represented in this scene.

Fig. 2.; The girls distance from the crowd mimics their emotional distance; still taken from We Are the Best!

The performance of the actors also adds to the idea of their transformation in confidence.  All three of them stand (or in Bobo’s case sit) tall.  Their body language shows their growth in self-assurance.  Hedvig in particular can be seen as making a significant transformation in this scene.  A key moment in which we can see this is when she pokes her tongue out at an unruly audience member.  For her to go from a shy, lonely Christian girl who did not talk to anyone and always kept her head down, to someone who will give attitude back to a bully demonstrates an immense transformation in her character.

The contrast of this scene with earlier ones in the movie demonstrates their transformation.  They are no longer submissive or politely accepting of the criticism launched at them, but brave, outspoken and confident.  The elements of film form used to portray this transformation allows the viewer to gain a much better understanding of the characters, and to experience their coming of age alongside them.

Works cited

Corrigan, Timothy and Patricia White.  The Film Experience: An introduction. 3^rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. Print.

We are the Best! Dir. Lukas Moodysson. Film i Väst; Memfis Film. 2014. Film.

Jutel, Thierry. “Week 5 editing”. Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. 31 March 2015. Lecture.