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Here’s the first look of Luca Guadagnino’s 8-episode HBO series ‘We Are Who We Are’.
HBO’s synopsis reads: “A story about two American kids who live on a U.S. military base in Italy, the series explores friendship, first-love, identity, and immerses the audience in all the messy exhilaration and anguish of being a teenager – a story which could happen anywhere in the world, but in this case, happens in this little slice of America in Italy.”
It stars Jack Dylan Grazer (It), pop star Jordan Kristine Seamón, Corey Knight (Nobodies), newcomers Francesca Scorsese, Beatrice Barichella, Sebastiano Pigazzi (Stupid Cupid), Tom Mercier (Synonyms) and Chloë Sevigny and Alice Braga (City of God) as Grazer’s mothers who work in the U.S. Army based in Veneto.
Dubbed as one of HBO’s prestige dramas in their Fall lineup, it is set to premiere this September.
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Of the two new HBO shows that premiered last night, I was far more entranced with “We Are Who We Are” than “The Third Day.” I found the mood and tone that Guadagnino and the writers set to be very captivating while also laid back and hazy. I’ve really enjoyed Jack Dylan Grazer in his more mainstream roles so far in his young career, and this is a massive detour for him into something a bit more complicated and raw. For the most part, I thought he sold the loneliness of a quirky fish out of water, but the character is written in opposition to the normal tropes of that kind of person. He isn’t precocious and shy, and he’s not taken in under the wings of the cool kids or the outsiders. If anything, the narrative is flipped and that makes me more drawn to understand Fraser’s story. I believe we’re getting the full dive into Caitlin’s story next week, but the glimpses I saw from Jordan Kristine Seamón have me excited. The vibe of the show was nicely set up in this first episode but, similar to another HBO teen drama “Euphoria,” I can’t exactly tell where the story is going to go from here and there is much more to unpack and find out. I’m looking forward to it for sure.
ReplyCopy URLThe pilot was very good. Pacing might have been a little too slow for my liking, but I can appreciate the time it has taken so far to really do some character/world building (which I find necessary for a show to be great).
I liked Grazer a lot here and, like others have said, I’m already fascinated by his relationship with his mother. Their dynamic is extremely unsettling. Sevigny was very good in her limited screen time. Braga and Scorsese were also standouts for me, especially Braga. I already kind of stan Maggie lol.
A lot of ground work was laid out here, looking back on the episode. There’s a lot going on and a lot that the show will seemingly tackle, yet I never really felt overwhelmed with the various plot lines that were sprinkled out during the pilot. Like I said, I’m already really intrigued by Fraser’s relationship with his mother but I’m also intrigued by his sexuality. I can’t remember the last time I watched a show or movie (someone remind if they know) that really explored the sexuality of a high school student. It’s obviously an uncomfortable topic and could be terribly depicted if executed poorly, but the confusion and curiosity at that age is so real and something I definitely dealt with in high school. I’m also interested in the base itself and what has gone on, and been covered up, behind the scenes and how Sarah will tackle and try to change that. Then there’s obviously the ending of the episode – exploding gender identity at this age will, like I said with sexuality, be uncomfortable and possibly off putting for viewers but I’m here for it. It’s important and I think Luca will handle it well.
I’m all in for the rest of this season (is it a limited series?).
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