WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES
Four emotionless orphans become an overnight viral sensation when they form a zeitgeist-capturing chiptune rock band in this zany ode to the power of pop.
Unable to shed a single tear after his parents die in a freak bus accident, Hikari (Keita Ninomiya) finds like-minded, apathetic tween souls in orphans Ikuko, Takemura, and Ishi. Though their parents all suffered horrific fates, the nihilist quartet takes to grieving by imagining their world as a video game — retro 8-bit level screens and all — instead of confronting reality. When the four decide to pick up instruments, including the wok-turned-cymbal that incited Ishi’s parents’ fatal fire, they become the “alive but dead inside” Little Zombies. A radical DIY music video announcing their anthemic manifesto goes viral when it captures the hearts of the entire nation. Faced with record deals, photo-ops, and idol status, the Little Zombies must now grapple with their newfound responsibility of being cynical role models to an admiring sea of impressionable teens. The most original, anything-goes debut of the year, Makoto Nagahisa’s We Are Little Zombies is a hyper-eclectic rainbow road into the psychedelic mind of an exciting new filmmaker.
CAST: KEITA NINOMIYA, SATOSHI MIZUNO, MONDO OKUMURA, SENA NAKAJIMA
In Competition: First Feature Award
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