Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

We Are the Best! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 30, 2023

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Arrow Video's The Lukas Moodysson Collection.

When The New York Times is touting someone as "Sweden's most praised filmmaker since Ingmar Bergman", attention should probably be paid, even if some reading that description and then looking at the name of its referent might still be asking, "Lukas who?" Lukas Moodysson achieved a fair degree of success right out of the gate with his first feature Show Me Love (which had a somewhat more visceral original title, as can be seen on the poster I've included as the "cover image" for that individual listing), but unlike some "overnight successes", he has never seemed content to rest on his laurels, and has frequently thrown caution at least partially to the wind, resulting in a rather audacious array of films that vary from bright and breezy to decidedly dark, dour and depressing (maybe that's where the Bergman angle might be most relevant, and, yes, that's said in jest, at least kind of). Arrow Video has now aggregated a really appealing collection of seven Moodysson films, along with the label's usual penchant for some outstanding supplemental material, handsome packaging and non disc swag.

We Are the Best! is the outlier in The Lukas Moodysson Collection in that it has had a previous release on Blu-ray several years ago courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Those wanting a plot recap are encouraged to read Michael Reuben's review of that release. I'll only add that this film simply (re?)establishes the fact that Moodysson is an unparalleled director when it comes to working with younger actors, and this is another film that very smartly weaves both a certain kind of nostalgia and an evocative soundtrack into a story that is both heartfelt and at times rather rambunctious.

We Are the Best! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

We Are the Best! is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow lumps all of the films together on their page devoted to the transfers in the hardcover book included with this set, as follows:

All seven films in this collection are presented in their original aspect ratios (1.85:1 for Fucking Åmål, Lilya 4-Ever, Container, and We Are the Best!; 1.66:1 for Together; 1.78:1 for A Hole in My Heart; and 2.35:1 for Mammoth) with their original 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio mixes. Container is presented with both Swedish and English narration options in both 5.1 and 2.0.

Fucking Åmål was restored in 2K by the Swedish Film Institute and approved by director Lukas Moodysson and cinematographer Ulf Brantås. The appearance of the film is the result of an unusual production process. It was shot on 16mm film prior to cutting and then to 35mm duplicate negative which was lit for the final screening copy. For the digital restoration, the original camera negative has been used as source material; this also meant that the optical printer work had to be cut and recreated.

Together was restored in 4K from the original camera negative by the Swedish Film Institute and approved by director Lukas Moodysson and cinematographer Ulf Brantås.

The high definition video masters for the other five films were supplied to Arrow Films by TrustNordisk in association with Memfis Film. Additional restoration work on the digital video master for Container was carried out by R3Store Studios, London.

Based solely on the often iffy technique of screenshot comparison, this Arrow release looks largely interchangeable with the Magnolia Pictures Blu- ray. The production design here is given excellent support by the transfer, with a nicely saturated palette and some very expressive detail levels on the "vintage" (i.e., 1980s) outfits. Reds, blues and yellows are especially vibrant. Close-ups offer typically excellent fine detail levels on everything from those selfsame outfits to things like the soundproofing baffles in a recording studio. The presentation has a nicely organic quality throughout, and grain resolution encounters no issues.

We Are the Best! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

We Are the Best! features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio options in the original Swedish. Perhaps surprisingly given the musical emphasis of the plotline, the actual story here features relatively little on screen playing, and once again Moodysson prefers to utilize so-called "diagetic" underscore courtesy of a glut of source cues that can be heard in passing. Those do provide a bit of surround activity, but a lot of this film's sound design tends to favor front and center placement. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

We Are the Best! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lukas Moodysson on We Are the Best! (HD; 15:34) completes Moodysson's conversation with Sarah Lutton.


• Fly on the Wall with Ulf Brantås (HD; 32:38) is another Sarah Lutton moderated interview, this time with Moodysson's frequent cinematographer.


• A New Expression with David Andersson (HD; 22:14) features Swedish punk historian Andersson offering some context on the film.


• London Film Festival Premiere Q & A 2014 (HD; 16:15) features Lukas Moodysson, Mira Barkhammar and Liv LeMoyne, with moderator Clare Stewart.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:34)


• Image Gallery (HD)

We Are the Best! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

We Are the Best! serves as as somewhat complementary bookending pair with Show Me Love, in that both films offer a group of young friends, though in this case it's three females instead of two females (and there's not really any sexual undertone here). There's a real sweetness to this tale, and I have to say one of the final scenes was wonderfully funny for me personally since when I was a little boy one of my older sisters hosted a Swedish exchange student from Västerås. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.