"We are X" or "We-X Japan" To describe the film or review it, without going into details in a few pages, you need to tell the story of the cult Japanese rock band, and one Japanese - Yoshiki Hayashi, who are interconnected as a whole. If it were not for the tragedy of childhood, after which an exemplary sick boy playing the piano did not learn about Kiss and drums, there would be no band. If there were no rock music and band, he would not have survived the death of his father.
The film "We are X" was shot in 2 years by a great director Stephen Kayak. Who, if not him, the director who made films about the Rolling Stones, Backstreet Boys, the film “Scott Walker – The Man of the 30th Century”, could make a film about Japanese rockers strange to our understanding?
The main character and narrator of the film is Yoshiki Hayashi, leader, drummer and pianist of the band X Japan. This is a man who rebelled in school, assembled rock bands, but at the same time studied well and played the piano superbly. It combines the softness and melody of classical music and a storm of emotions and the protest of rock.
"We are X" is the story of a band that blew up the Japanese scene of the 80s by mixing hard rock and punk and adding wild performance energy and vibrant makeup. This is the story of a man who, without hiding anything, tells about his father’s suicide; who speaks with trembling in his voice about the death of guitarist Hide; who survived the breakup of the band, which is everything to him, a quarrel with his best friend, Toshi, the vocalist of the band, who got into the cult and spent 12 years in it. Moments from the life of Yoshika and the group are shown: trips to the doctors, which have become regular for the musician, a visit to the Hide grave, rehearsals before the cult concert for the group in Madison Square Garden, archival shootings from concerts to disintegration, photos and shooting clips.
The story of a group that reunited 10 years later and conquered America and the world.
They recorded a song for Saw IV, toured the world during a world tour, created a new direction in Japanese rock and reached the hearts of millions of people.
The film was shot by the most talented filmmakers and directors, already evaluated at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW. A film about the creation of a “new style”, about the group, about Yoshiki.
Magnificent shooting, brilliant work of the director, mind-blowing music, sad but exciting story about a rock band that conquered the world - the best recipe for a good film.
10 out of 10