COMING-OF-AGE DRAMA SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
AS AMERICA continues to navigate the results of the 2020 presidential election, director Luca Guadagnino takes viewers back to the 2016 vote as the backdrop to his first foray into the world of TV.
The Italian film-maker, best known for his drama Call Me By Your Name, returns to teenagers finding their way in the world with his new series.
We Are Who We Are tells the story of two young people living on an American military base in Italy, and explores themes around identity, friendship and teenage angst.
“I think that the show being set in 2016 is so crucial,” says star Jack Dylan Grazer, who plays shy and introverted 14-year-old Fraser, who moves from New York to a military base in Veneto with his mothers, (played by Chloë Sevigny and Alice Braga), who are both in the US Army. “Everyone was experiencing this sense of fear of the unknown and the future and what lies ahead and there’s a scary thing in that.
“And aside from the political view, these individuals are struggling with themselves.
“These kids and these adults are scared for their future because they’re asking questions of themselves. They want to develop and they have this yearning to evolve but they don’t know how and they don’t know which way. They’re learning about themselves and it’s a journey and we are who we are because of these questions.”
Jack, 17, and his co-star Jordan Kristine Seamon, who plays the seemingly bold and confident Caitlin, who has lived with her family on the base for several years and speaks Italian, were given the freedom to improvise as they found their way into the roles.
“It was a challenge for me initially because I actually had to apply the capabilities of acting that I didn’t really know I had,” Jack says.
“I learned a lot about myself as an actor in that way. But Luca was so supportive of me and the other actors. He helped us and he guided us and he gave us an insight for our characters.
Jack adds: “He assumed that we know our character better than anybody, which I think is true; as long as we are in the shoes of the character, we’re good.”
The series also addresses questions of gender identity as Caitlin and Fraser form an intimate friendship that deepens when they learn they are navigating the same issues.
“That was amazing,” says Jordan, 17. “It was really really great to be a part of something that looked at gender identity and gender fluidity and what so many people go through, but also not making it as the only thing. There are so many themes, there’s something for everyone to watch and something for everyone to relate to and feel comfortable with.
“I love that so so much, and it’s amazing to see because you don’t see it all the time.”
Jack nods in agreement.
“Yeah, because it is just a part of life, and it doesn’t need to be a big stage show, right? It’s just about the struggle and the tackling of these issues.
“I mean, they’re not even issues, it’s just questions having to be answered by yourself and they are essential questions.
“I think the show couldn’t come at them at a better time, because these conversations are being had now by many people, and I think that these feelings exist inside all of us.”
The whole series of We Are Who We Are is available to stream now on BBC Three via iPlayer. The series also airs on BBC1 on Tuesday nights at 10.45pm.
We Are Who We Are follows army offsrping reckoning with their own sense of identity.
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