We Are The Best! (Directed by Lukas Moodysson)

(Bobo is the youngest of the coming-of-age films all of which belong to their schooling days.) 

In We Are The Best! the conversations at the start are used as background sound whilst the opening credits are displayed. The sound here begins the film before we see any of the characters involved. This creates questions in the viewers mind as to what to anticipate and see in the opening scene. Once "Happy Birthday" is being sung in Swedish the accompanying visuals cross over with an objective POV shot of Bobo lasting about a second. "The specific object highlighted within a point of view is the shot's focus,"(1) and we take notice as she is the youngest one present. Bobo clearly looks unimpressed and out of place and does not participate in the birthday celebration spirit. 

The music used is diegetic as the first song played is during the party, and then Bobo puts her earphones in to listen to her punk music shown by a wide and then close up shot. The volume of sound is tailored to seem realistic such as when Bobo is in the bathroom the party music sounds soft. Then when she opens the door and walks through the main room the volume is much louder, which is how it would be in reality. 

In the over the shoulder shot of Bobo in the bathroom mirror the only sound is the

background song playing and there is an absence of dialogue. Only a sigh escapes her mouth and she appears sad when looking at her reflection. The viewer would come to the conclusion that she is not very happy with either what she sees on the outside and possibly what she knows is on the inside. Self doubt being relatable to the audience. 

Bobo and Klara are noticeably defensive when the two other girls question and insult their 'punk' appearance. So we see that they begin in the film with arrogance. Bobo's character is easily annoyed evident when the band boys sarcastically call them "the prettiest girls in town" which they later shout into the microphone turning the insult into music. Zooming and tracking shots are also frequently used by a hand held camera. Movement through a film shot "re-creates a quality of vision that has always been a part of the human experience"(2) but can be adequately represented through film technology. The camera movement in this instance is reflected from the two energetic young girls on screen. 

When Bobo and Klara are on the phone the sound the clip of Bobo listening to Klara's parents is muffled to imitate the real sound we would hear through a telephone. "We watch one actor begin a line and then watch the listener as he or she continues"(3) with the sound being muffled on the listeners side. There are also no voice overs inserted with Bobo's voice so we feel less of a connection to her compared with the other three films but we can still sympathise towards her character. Her young innocence playing a big part in our sympathy as the audience finds this relatable to their once young naïvety. 


(1) Corrigan and White. The Film Experience, Chapter 3, Framing What We See: Cinematography, Page 105. Bedford/St. Martin's. 
(2) Corrigan and White. The Film Experience, Chapter 3, Framing What We See: Cinematography, Page 116. Bedford/St. Martin's. 
(3) Corrigan and White. The Film Experience, Chapter 5, Listening to the Cinema: Film Sound, Page 192. Bedford/St. Martin's.