''We Are Who We Are'' is a 2020
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
television miniseries co-created and directed by
Luca Guadagnino
Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are often characterized by their emotional complexities, sensuality and sumptuous visuals. He is also known for his frequent collaboration ...
for
HBO and
Sky Atlantic
Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States, and holds the domestic rights to HB ...
. A coming-of-age story set on a fictional U.S. military base in
Chioggia, Italy in 2016, the series follows two American teenagers, Fraser Wilson and Caitlin "Harper" Poythress. The cast includes
Chloë Sevigny,
Jack Dylan Grazer
Jack Dylan Grazer (born September 3, 2003) is an American actor. He began his acting career by playing guest roles in film and on television and had his breakthrough playing the role of Eddie Kaspbrak in the 2017 and 2019 film adaptations of ...
,
Alice Braga
Alice Braga Moraes (; born 15 April 1983) is a Brazilian actress and producer. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, starring as Angélica in the acclaimed '' City of God'' (2002), Karinna in ''Lower City'' (2005), and Dolores in '' Only ...
, Jordan Kristine Seamón,
Spence Moore II
Spence Duane Moore II (born December 16, 1997) is an American actor best known for his main or recurring roles in a number of television series debuting in 2018: '' Five Points'' (2018), '' A.P. Bio'' (2018–2021) and '' All American'' (2018–p ...
, and
Scott Mescudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
.
The series premiered on September 14, 2020, on HBO in the United States and on October 9, 2020, on Sky Atlantic in Italy.
Premise
''We Are Who We Are'' focuses on two American teenagers who live on a fictional U.S. military base in
Chioggia, Italy in 2016. 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.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Chloë Sevigny as Sarah Wilson, a colonel in the United States Army and Fraser's mother
*
Jack Dylan Grazer
Jack Dylan Grazer (born September 3, 2003) is an American actor. He began his acting career by playing guest roles in film and on television and had his breakthrough playing the role of Eddie Kaspbrak in the 2017 and 2019 film adaptations of ...
as Fraser Wilson, a 14-year-old who moves from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to a military base in
Chioggia, Italy with his mothers
*
Alice Braga
Alice Braga Moraes (; born 15 April 1983) is a Brazilian actress and producer. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, starring as Angélica in the acclaimed '' City of God'' (2002), Karinna in ''Lower City'' (2005), and Dolores in '' Only ...
as Maggie Teixeira, a major in the U.S. Army, Fraser's mother and Sarah's wife
* Jordan Kristine Seamón as Caitlin Poythress / Harper, a seemingly bold and confident 14-year-old who is struggling with her gender identity
*
Spence Moore II
Spence Duane Moore II (born December 16, 1997) is an American actor best known for his main or recurring roles in a number of television series debuting in 2018: '' Five Points'' (2018), '' A.P. Bio'' (2018–2021) and '' All American'' (2018–p ...
as Danny Poythress, Caitlin's older brother
*
Scott Mescudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
as Richard Poythress, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, Caitlin's and Danny's father
* Faith Alabi as Jenny Poythress, Caitlin's and Danny's mother
* Francesca Scorsese as Britney Orton, an outspoken, witty, sexually uninhibited girl
* Ben Taylor as Sam Pratchett, Caitlin's possessive boyfriend, and Craig's younger brother
* Corey Knight as Craig Pratchett, a soldier in his twenties, cheerful and good-natured, who is also Sam’s older brother
*
Tom Mercier
Tom Mercier ( he, טום מרסייה; born 30 November 1993) is a French-Israeli actor and comedian.
Background
Tom Mercier was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the son of French-born hairdresser and entrepreneur Michel Mercier and Israeli diamo ...
as Jonathan Kritchevsky, a major who works closely with Sarah
;Featured
*
Blood Orange
The blood orange is a variety of orange ( ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'') (also referred to as raspberry orange) with crimson, almost blood-colored flesh.
The distinctive dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of polyp ...
as himself
Recurring
* Beatrice Barichella as Valentina, Craig's nineteen-year-old girlfriend
* Sebastiano Pigazzi as Enrico, a playful eighteen-year-old boy from Veneto, who has a weak spot for Britney
* Vittoria Bottin as Sole, a friend of the group
* Nicole Celpan as Giulia, a girl interested in Harper
* Maria Teresa Cerantola as Teresa, a bar proprietor who secretly buys fuel from Richard
Guests
* Hans Bush as Colonel McAunty, the exiting base commander who is replaced by Sarah
* Jim Sweatman as Colonel Martin
* Tomeka Campbell Turley as Mel
* Gaia Schiralli as Monica
* Lisa Lazzaro as Loredana
* Brixhilda Shqalsi as Marta, Jonathan's girlfriend
* Giulia Manzini as Anna
* Jacopo Brigotti as Angelo
* Arturo Gabbriellini as Luca, Fraser’s love interest whom he meets while on their way to the Blood Orange concert in Bologna
* Emma Segat as Futura, a bartender that Harper meets at the Blood Orange concert
Episodes
Production
Development
In February 2019, it was announced that Luca Guadagnino was in talks with HBO to work on a new one-hour, eight-episode show tentatively titled ''We Are Who We Are''. Guadagnino would direct the series and write the script with Paolo Giordano and Francesca Manieri. Lorenzo Mieli and Riccardo Neri were named as prospective executive producers.
The
US Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...
was initially supportive, and the show was to be filmed at the
US army complex at Vicenza, which would also provide the
extras. Guadagnino later commented that they must not have read the script; the Department of Defense later withdrew all offers of support and, according to Guadagnino, would have preferred the show not to happen. Ultimately HBO had a
set
Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics
*Set (mathematics), a collection of elements
*Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively
Electro ...
built nearby to represent the base.
The set was recreated in an ex Italian Air Force base that served as the logistics area of a
Nike Hercules
The Nike Hercules, initially designated SAM-A-25 and later MIM-14, was a surface-to-air missile (SAM) used by U.S. and NATO armed forces for medium- and high-altitude long-range air defense. It was normally armed with the W31 nuclear warhead, bu ...
missiles site in
Bagnoli di Sopra
Bagnoli di Sopra ( vec, Bagnołi de Sora) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about south of Padua. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,837 and a ...
(PD), the
80° Gruppo I.T..
The first reports described the main characters, Fraser Wilson and Caitlin Harper, as "a detached teenager who hails from New York City" and "a character
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
is hard to describe—beautiful, sometimes disapproving, poetic," respectively.
Casting
On July 17, 2019, the cast was revealed by
HBO and it includes
Chloë Sevigny,
Scott Mescudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
,
Alice Braga
Alice Braga Moraes (; born 15 April 1983) is a Brazilian actress and producer. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, starring as Angélica in the acclaimed '' City of God'' (2002), Karinna in ''Lower City'' (2005), and Dolores in '' Only ...
,
Jack Dylan Grazer
Jack Dylan Grazer (born September 3, 2003) is an American actor. He began his acting career by playing guest roles in film and on television and had his breakthrough playing the role of Eddie Kaspbrak in the 2017 and 2019 film adaptations of ...
,
Spence Moore II
Spence Duane Moore II (born December 16, 1997) is an American actor best known for his main or recurring roles in a number of television series debuting in 2018: '' Five Points'' (2018), '' A.P. Bio'' (2018–2021) and '' All American'' (2018–p ...
, and newcomers Jordan Kristine Seamón, Faith Alabi, Corey Knight,
Tom Mercier
Tom Mercier ( he, טום מרסייה; born 30 November 1993) is a French-Israeli actor and comedian.
Background
Tom Mercier was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the son of French-born hairdresser and entrepreneur Michel Mercier and Israeli diamo ...
, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Taylor and Sebastiano Pigazzi.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
on the series was expected to begin in Italy in late May 2019, with production set to run through October, but production began in late July.
Release
The series premiered in its entirety at the
68th San Sebastián International Film Festival
The 68th San Sebastián International Film Festival took place from 18 to 26 September 2020 in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain. The festival opened with Woody Allen's ''Rifkin's Festival''. Viggo Mortensen was awarded the Donostia Award for lifet ...
on September 20, 2020.
The series premiered on television on September 14, 2020, on HBO in the United States
and on October 9, 2020, on Sky Atlantic in Italy.
The finale aired in Italy on October 30, 2020, ahead of its broadcast on HBO. In the United Kingdom, the limited series was released in its entirety on November 22, 2020, by
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
via
iPlayer
BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services de ...
.
Reception
Critical response
Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported an approval rating of 90% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "''We Are Who We Are'' doesn't move mountains, but by focusing on the little details and allowing its central teens to just be, Luca Guadagnino creates small-screen poetry."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave the series a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Darren Franich of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' gave the series a B+ and said, "Despite some flat characters, Guadagnino exuberantly spotlights his cast of up-and-comers, especially Corey Knight." Writing for ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'',
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He ...
gave a rating of 4/5 and wrote "Few transplants from the big screen to the small have as keen an eye, or ear, as Guadagnino, so the voyeuristic nature of the storytelling feels inviting rather than indulgent. (Mostly)."
Caroline Framke of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' described the series as "so visceral as to become unsettling—but what else is being a teenager like, if not immersive, visceral and unsettling?". Matt Roush of TVInsider and ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' stated that the series wants to be "shocking" like ''
Euphoria'', "but soon grows monotonous."
U.S. Ratings
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Sky Atlantic
2020 American television series debuts
2020 American television series endings
2020 Italian television series debuts
2020 Italian television series endings
2020s American drama television miniseries
2020s American LGBT-related drama television series
2020s Italian television miniseries
English-language television shows
HBO original programming
Sky Atlantic (Italy) television programmes
Television series about teenagers
Television series set in 2016
Television shows set in Italy
Television series by Fremantle (company)
2020s Italian drama television series
Bisexuality-related television series
Male bisexuality in fiction