We Are Little Zombies is a movie that has been on my mind a lot these past few months. My initial viewing inspired me to write about it for OTAQUEST, the movie captivating me not just with its characters or story or incredible chiptune-infused soundtrack but with its brilliant execution. It’s hard to believe that this is the director’s debut feature film. It even won an award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and has won other awards on the festival circuit on top of that, and I personally believe it deserves every single award and bit of praise it has received so far. Thing is, if you don’t live in Japan or you can’t attend one of these film festivals, it’s impossible to experience this film for yourself. That’s all about to change very soon though, with the news that the entirety of We Are Little Zombies will be streamed online for free on the movie’s official website for 24 hours only on August 31.
Starting from midnight on August 31 for 24 hours, We Are Little Zombies will be released for free on the movie’s official website, realizing one of the wishes Makoto Nagahisa had with the film when he made it. ‘I want children to see this movie’ he stated, his reasoning being that ‘I made this movie for middle and high school students who are worried right now, just like I was worried when I was that age.’
As I think more about the movie, and my thoughts on the movie develop further as I ponder the meaning of the film further over time, I think this is an admirable idea to hold. Although the movie engages in a lot of rather absurdist imagery and very much exaggerates many of the events that occur on screen, our four 13-year-old main characters each feel like real children, with the worries and concerns that anyone at that age would have. Although their circumstances may be different, I can see this movie connecting a lot with both people who struggled during their teenage years or are of a similar age and feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. These are kids facing a lot of adversity in their lives and are trying to come to terms with it in their own unique ways, and for all this movie revels in its imagery and use of color, it all serves the purpose of putting us in the mindset of these young kids, making us feel what they feel and bringing us along on their journey.
At the end of my article on the film, I recommended that if you ever get the chance to catch this film for yourself you should jump at the opportunity, as you surely won’t regret it. I stand by this view, and now, with We Are Little Zombies set to become freely accessible on the movie’s official website for streaming for a limited time on August 31st, there’s no excuse not to experience this movie for yourself. If you can, I implore you to sit back, relax, and enjoy this movie for yourself while you can. Hopefully, the stream that is uploaded will include English subtitles, considering the film has been shown at various international film festivals and has an English-language movie trailer available online, but we will have to wait and see.