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Parents' Guide to

We Are One

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Docu helps activists gain world attention; violence.

Movie NR 2020 86 minutes
We Are One Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • We Are One Movie: Broulaye, a leader in the albino commuity of Mali
  • We Are One Movie: Scene 2
  • We Are One Movie: Scene 3

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What's the Story?

WE ARE ONE begins with sobering statistics, that around 70 million people around the world have been displaced by war, conflict, and persecution. Then it jumps to melting ice caps, then mentions the problem of groups advocating for the dominance of the white race. It's also a movie about a movie, about a guy trying to make a music video about an inspiring group of multinational musicians who have a song about solidarity (called "Solidarite"). He wants the song to celebrate the work of several activists he admires. Mara, a Parisian from the projects who was wrongly imprisoned, has organized people in his community to create a food bank for homeless refugees. Panmela is a battered Brazilian woman who now holds graffiti-painting workshops for women to help them speak out against violence. A marginalized albino community in Mali is also represented by Broulaye, as are genocide in Sudan by a woman named Afaq, and racism and sexism in the United States and France. Tamara, a French woman of Chinese descent, reports that anti-Asian prejudice is rife in France and that Asians, believed to be wealthy and carrying around cash, are frequent targets of violence. The movie tells us that "true artists are healers," as it features Lamomali, a group of musicians who support the solidarity it will require to rid the world of many social problems.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3 ):

This is an ambitious, big-hearted but disjointed attempt to help, but it never decides what it is about. French director Stephane de Freitas is filled with good intentions as he turns the spotlight on a number of pressing issues affecting populations around the world. He's great at finding inspiring people to represent those issues, and his efforts to promote their causes seem genuine.

But We Are One falters as he tries to do too much. Initially, he structures the movie as a countdown to a music video that will feature "Solidarite" by the musical group Lamomali, but that is shot halfway through, leaving us puzzled as to what the rest of the movie will be about. De Freitas brings all of his far-flung activists to Paris for meetings with fundraisers and facilitators, so you really can't knock him for making this effort to make the world a better place. All the more reason to wish that We Are One was a better, more watchable movie instead of the muddled, good-hearted mess that it is.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the terrible conditions so many people around the world live in. Of the issues highlighted in We Are One, which would you most like to help with? Why?

  • A woman in Brazil works to empower battered women by teaching them to paint murals about women's issues. How do you think that helps women?

  • What are some ways people can help to fight social problems in our own communities?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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