The inspiration for this little gem comes from Lukas Moodysson’s wife Coco, who penned a semi-autobiographical account of her coming of age in 1980s Stockholm in graphic novel form. Rebellion, mischievousness and a fresh faced trio of girls with a punk manifesto all come together perfectly in this riotous comedy exploring early teen life. Full of the arrogance of youth, Klara (Grosin) and Bobo (Barkhammar) decide to take on the establishment (school) by starting their own band. They can’t play any instruments, but their determination to prove themselves leads them to enlist talented guitarist Hedvig (LeMoyne) to help them in their endeavours.
In awe of her ability, the girls are proud to show off their new friend and she is welcomed with open arms into their little gang. Hedvig does a wonderful job with her renditions of folk inspired music, while mohawked Klara takes on singing duties and Bobo is on drums; together they come up with hilarious lyrics such as ‘the world is a morgue but you’re watching Bjorn Borg’.
Films about female friendship aren’t often as much fun as this, and Moodysson strikes a spot-on portrayal of both the boisterousness and insecurity of those fragile formative years. As such, the thrills of youth, experimentation and pushing the limits are expertly handled in this rowdy and positive piece.
