Image provided by Fantasia Film Festival
Makoto Nagahisa’s debut feature is the kind of debut most filmmakers can only hope for. It has a very unique voice, a particular atmosphere, and style for days. Hurtling us straight into this bizarre tale, we find ourselves in the presence of four recently orphaned children. They meet outside a crematorium where all their parents are being cremated. The group set out on an adventure, which eventually sees them forming a rock band.
The humour is beautifully interspersed with the tragic from the outset, as the children give their view of life and death. What’s even more impressive are the four leads, who keep it sombre and morose in their delivery and observations. Lead by Hikari (Keita Ninomiya), the group find themselves becoming the voice of the youth, while simultaneously manipulated by their elders. We delve into the backgrounds of each band member, each with an increasingly dark story regarding their parents’ death. These are still kept punchy and engaging with a hyperactive and disconnected series of vignettes.
The film plays out like a JRPG adventure in its presentation. We have birds-eye view aerial shots where the ‘party’ walk in single file, and all titles and transitions are reminiscent of older video games. Even the music and sound effects create a fantastical sense of nostalgia; video game fans will recognise the 8 bit sound of entering a building. All this is the perfect way to capture how the young protagonists view the world. Hikari has experienced the world mostly through video games and this is his biggest adventure yet.
Towards the end we see our little zombies grow into flamboyant rock superstars, and even go on to cover The Zombies’ This Will Be Our Year. They are exploited, and the view of the treacherous music industry feels very similar to Sion Sono’s Love & Peace (but with less talking toys). Despite feeling a little too long – the film does continue after the end credits, and I don’t just mean a stinger – there is certainly enough inventive creativity, a unique voice, and moments of hilarity that keep the film an interesting spectacle that signals some exciting emerging talent.
We Are Little Zombies was reviewed at Fantasia Film Festival 2019. We Are Little Zombies arrives on Digital HD and in select cinemas from Friday 10th July.
We Are Little Zombies
Summary
An interesting spectacle from some exciting emerging talent, We Are Little Zombies plays as if Edgar Wright had help from both Wes Anderson and Taika Waititi in making Scott Pilgrim.
