We Shall Overcome (Le Rêve)
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Thirteen year-old Frits has fallen out of favour with the headmaster of his provincial school. The year is 1969. The world is changing rapidly and corporal punishment has been banned. The tyrannical headmaster, however, hasn't bothered to notice. Frits' mother has bought the family's first television. Frits spends his summer holidays glued to the screen, allowing himself to be influenced by the winds of change. When the headmaster steps over the line during punishing Frits, the boy takes up battle against the authorities.

As far as I'm concerned, Martin Luther King is one of the most inspiring personalities of the last 100 years. However, I largely thought of him as an inspiration to the American Civil Rights movement. I hadn't really thought of him as someone with global impact. I was proven wrong with Niels Arden Oplev's Danish drama We Shall Overcome.

I'm sure most of us have been moved and inspired by a teacher sometime in our lives. Upon arriving at the local high school (or whatever the Danish equivalent is), young Frits is mocked for being a country bumpkin by both his peers and the school's staff. But when a new teacher steps in with nearly equally long hair, Frits finds his kindred spirit. Fighting injustice in the school, Frits uses his teacher and a record of the great King as inspiration for his fight.

Buoyed by likeable characters and the ever-dependable super teacher construct, We Shall Overcome builds into a better-than-solid underdog story. Even if there's little new in the story's approach, there's always something satisfying about seeing a film where you want to cheer – literally.

Video: How's it look?
The film's bright and colourful palette comes through with the excellent widescreen transfer (1.78:1 aspect ratio).

Audio: How's it sound?
Unfortunately the only audio choice is a somewhat drab 2.0 stereo Danish track. English and French subtitles supplement it.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• Sadly, this DVD has absolutely no bonus features or extras.

Closing Thoughts
While the film itself is very good, overall this DVD is not. There's little choice other than whether you want your subtitles in French or English.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com