We Are Little Zombies

We Are Little Zombies, directed by Makoto Nagahisa, is a visually dazzling, heart-rending yet darkly humorous Japanese coming of age film from 2019. The movie breaks the mold in every sense, coming off as a whimsical yet trenchant reverie about adolescence, grief, and the power of friendship. The film's leads are Keita Ninomiya, Mondo Okumura, Satoshi Mizuno, and Sena Nakajima, who do a fabulous job of ushering the audience through the narrative's multitudes of emotional peaks and valleys.

In its simplest terms, the movie follows the disjointed journey of four 13-year-old protagonists – Hikari, Ikuko, Ishi, and Takemura – all bound by the common thread of grief. They may literally meet one another amid the ashes, at a strange crematorium where they are all intending to bid farewell to their deceased parents. Their introductory exchange stems not from common courtesies but an entirely unexpected shared response to their bereavement – an emotionally numbing, phantom-like detachment. Hence they fittingly self-label as "Little Zombies", walking through the path of life but not quite living it, much like the undead.

The film is less a continuous narrative and more an array of vignettes tied together by the unifying thread of the central characters. From the crematorium to a dumpsite, to a video-game parlour, and a rock-band yard, the film takes us through unconventional locations and varied shades of emotional revelation. The young adolescents are spurred to action, deciding to form the titular rock band, "Little Zombies", as a symbolic rebellion against the world and maybe, as a desperate bid to feel something again.

Makoto Nagahisa's second directorial venture, this quirky, touching film is packed with an experimental audacity seldom seen in the field of cinema today. The movie doesn't shy away from showcasing the stark realities of grief, loneliness and abandonment child protagonists bear. Yet, it manages to explore these grave themes without making the tale drab or depressive, imbuing a profound measure of continued optimism and surprise through its sophisticated humor and telling craft.

Visually, We Are Little Zombies is a feat to behold. Nagahisa showcases an imaginative array of colors, stylistic transitions and sequences, and near- hallucinatory fantasy elements that lend the film a unique aesthetic appeal. His deft use of 8-bit animation and video game-inspired visuals ingeniously demonstrates the importance of such metaphoric themes in the narrative.

Weaved in between these compelling visuals is a sterling score that remains a true hero of this film. The music is interwoven into the very fabric of the narrative, driving the plot, amplifying the emotional quotient, and often revealing layers of the characters' psyche that dialogues or actions don't. The playful turns of the script are balanced by a soundtrack that alternates between the energetic beats of youth and the melancholic underscores of sorrow.

Every member of the ensemble cast delivers earnest, tangible performances. Keita Ninomiya, as Hikari, sports an impressive range, proving equal to the task of portraying a confusing mix of nonchalance, curiosity and latent sorrow. Mondo Okumura, Satoshi Mizuno, and Sena Nakajima too, excel in their respective roles, each etching out distinct personalities for their characters, thereby enriching the diversity of the group dynamics further.

However, despite its title, We Are Little Zombies is not about zombies in any literal sense. It's a poignant, often perplexing exploration of young minds grappling with heavy emotional burdens. It reinvents the coming-of-age genre, oddly blending grief and humor, reality and fantasy, and along its psychedelic journey, it invites us to reconsider our understanding of loss, resilience, and what it means to feel alive.

In all, We Are Little Zombies is eccentric and enchanting, a grand piece of pop art and yet an intimately moving ode to adolescent suffering. It presents the complex world of adolescent grief, friendship, and survival with an element of fantastical realism, making it an absolute must-watch for those yearning for films that break the boundaries and challenge the norms. It will leave you in awe of its artistry, while also making you ponder deep themes of life, death, and everything in between. For cinephiles, it's a network of unexplored narrative trails and a testament to the wonder that offbeat cinema can be, thoroughly rewarding, beyond the norms of traditional storytelling.