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We Are Little Zombies

Play trailer 2:03 Poster for We Are Little Zombies Released Jul 10, 2020 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Four Japanese orphans form a rock band.
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We Are Little Zombies

We Are Little Zombies

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Critics Consensus

We Are Little Zombies mixes the playful and the profane with a stylish and visually inventive look at death, abandonment, and the grieving process.

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Critics Reviews

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Robbie Collin Daily Telegraph (UK) We Are Little Zombies' exploration of the mechanics of mourning, particularly the uneasy disjunct between inner and outer emotions, is layered and sincere. Rated: 4/5 Jul 11, 2020 Full Review David Ehrlich indieWire Whatever demented game its characters are playing, Nagahisa's live-action Twitch-fest is delightful for how it lets us watch along. Rated: B+ Jul 11, 2020 Full Review Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle Nagahisa's script dares to embrace true nihilism: not selfishness, not posturing decadence, but the genuine commitment to your core that the meaningless of the world isn't a bug, it's a feature. Rated: 4/5 Jul 11, 2020 Full Review Brittany Patrice Witherspoon Pop Culture Reviews Together with DP Hiroaki Takeda, Nagahisa’s hyper pop and exuberant style brings to life incredible imagery, visuals and an experience that is imaginative and inspiring. Rated: 4/5 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review Cody Corrall CINE-FILE Makoto Nagaisa has certainly proved the value of his unique, albeit intrusive, voice in this feature-and dares to challenge the standards of film form and execution as we know it. Jun 23, 2021 Full Review Alix Turner Ready Steady Cut An extremely impressive first feature film from Makoto Nagahisa, a musical comic drama about navigating life out of grief, both deep and uplifting. Rated: 4.5/5 Feb 10, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
nefasto r Stylish and visually insane, and definitely not recommended. Shame for the over-complicated script: wasn't necessary. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dave d A unique film, 'We are Little Zombies' is a visual experience you'll have to see and perhaps see again.  I found myself missing dialogue as I was so entranced by the visuals which had a distinct old school video game feel.  The soundtrack to this film constantly made me smile, but also served as a distraction.  It's a Japanese film and with it comes subtitles.  This could be a tough watch if you're not into a lot of things going on.  It's a spectacularly busy flick, but it's never uninteresting.  Final Score: 7/10 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review ari v The initial 35% or so is quite unusual and enjoyable. Then the 'enjoyable' begins to rapidly evaporate. Leaving only the 'unusual' behind. 2.24/5 Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Four kids meet and become connected when their parents are being cremated. The film starts out with the stories of what happened to their parents. Unable to deal with the grief associated with their loss, the kids form a band, Little Zombies. This is a film that is hard to describe adequately. It is a coming of age story. It is a film about young kids trying to deal with their feelings in the face of significant loss. It is also one of those movies about kids who form a band, create tunes that you cannot shake from your head, and become famous. There are some wonderful things about the film. The filming and camerawork are very inventive – the photographer captures the kids in motion from different and unusual angles. The shifting camerawork keeps the film moving forward and fun. One of the kids serves as the narrator, and he ensures you are never very far from the core of the friends' feelings. The screenplay is very well done; on the surface, it is one of those kid's programs that preteens watch on TV. But the stories of the kids and how they deal with their emotions (or lack of) feel very real and have substantial depth. And, of course, that song that just sticks in your brain. Big thumbs up for me for a film that is inventive, thoughtful, and insightful and told completely through the eyes of the kids experiencing loss. I loved it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review spencer p Explosively weird, but also enjoyably so, We Are Little Zombies is a colorful smorgasbord of creative filmmaking, as well as an exploration of dark emotional themes that speaks not only to the relatable kids out there, but to anyone trying to listen to their adolescent children. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
We Are Little Zombies

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Four Japanese orphans form a rock band.
Director
Makoto Nagahisa
Producer
Haruhiko Hasegawa, Shinichi Takahashi, Taihei Yamanishi, Haruki Yokoyama
Screenwriter
Makoto Nagahisa
Distributor
Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co
Robot Communications, Dentsu, Parco Co. Ltd., Nikkatsu, Sony Music Entertainment
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 10, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 10, 2020
Runtime
2h 0m
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