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We Are X
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Kijak
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
  • Mako Kamitsuna
  • John Maringouin
Music byX Japan
Production
company
Distributed byDrafthouse Films (US)
Release dates
  • January 23, 2016 (2016-01-23) (Sundance)
  • October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21) (US)
Running time
101 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Japan[1]
Languages
  • English
  • Japanese
Box office$84,806 (worldwide)[3]

We Are X is a 2016 documentary film about the Japanese heavy metal band X Japan and its co-founder, drummer, pianist and leader Yoshiki. Directed by Stephen Kijak, it premiered on January 23, 2016 at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The film covers the history of the band, their influence on Japanese music and society, the band's break up in 1997 and reunion in 2007, and their attempts to achieve success overseas. It also covers Yoshiki's childhood with the X Japan's vocalist Toshi, the suicide of Yoshiki's father when Yoshiki was ten years old, and the deaths of two members of the band (guitarist hide and former bassist Taiji), and Yoshiki's various health problems.

The film features interviews from all the current members of the band (Yoshiki, Toshi, guitarists Pata and Sugizo, and bassist Heath, plus interviews and contributions from Western musicians such as Gene Simmons (Kiss), Marilyn Manson, Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses) and George Martin (producer for The Beatles); famous fans such as comic book author Stan Lee; and Japanese musicians influenced by X Japan including Mucc, Ladies Room, Luna Sea, Dir En Grey and Glay. We Are X won the Sundance Film Festival Award for Best Editing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition and South by Southwest's Audience Award for Excellence in Title Design.

Plot summary

X Japan's story is told through the life of Yoshiki leading up to their performance at Madison Square Garden on October 11, 2014.[4] Tragedy follows the musician and his band; his father committed suicide when he was still a child aged 10; his childhood friend, X Japan co-founder and vocalist Toshi was "brainwashed" by a cult leading to the group's breakup in 1997; guitarist hide died five months later in a reported suicide but what the band believe to have been the result of a accident when he tried to do a neck-stretching exercise while drunk, and former bassist Taiji died eleven months after performing with the group for the first time in 18 years after being arrested in an air rage incident.[5]

The film follows Yoshiki from his childhood friendship with Toshi who first met at the age of four, the formation of the band itself and the development of visual kei and their early successes.[6] It then deals with the band's problems, such as the sacking of Taiji from the group, Yoshiki's health problems including the requirement to wear a neck brace and asthma so severe that oxygen tanks were kept backstage for him, Toshi being brainwashed by a cult introduced by his wife that resulted in the band splitting in 1997, and hide's sudden death five months later.[7][8]

The movie then deals with Yoshiki following the band's split, where he went into classical music and composed a piece in honour of the 10th anniversary of the reign of the Emperor Akihito, then the band's reunion in 2007, Taiji's suicide in 2011, and their continuing attempts to achieve worldwide success.[7][8]

Throughout the documentary are interviews with the current band members, family members such as Yoshiki's mother, people who worked closely with the band, and other figures from the world of music and entertainment.[7][8] These include Stan Lee who co-created a comic book with Yoshiki entitled Red Blood Dragon;[9] western musicians such as Gene Simmons, Wes Borland, Richard Fortus, Marilyn Manson and George Martin; and Japanese bands who were influenced by X Japan including Mucc, Ladies Room, Luna Sea, Dir En Grey and Glay.[5][7][8]

Production

X Japan at Madison Square Garden in 2014. This show served as the framework of the documentary

The film's name comes from the call and response performed by X Japan with the audience during live performances of their self-titled song "X". Numerous times during a pause in the song a band member, usually Toshi, will yell "We are..." and the audience responds with "X!" before the musicians start the last leg of the song.[10]

Yoshiki was convinced to do the film by his agent, Marc Geiger of William Morris Endeavor, and according to director Stephen Kijak, had given the film crew a competely free hand.[11] Kijak said he had never heard of X Japan before getting a call from his producer to make the documentary. But upon learning the band's slogan of "Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock" he wanted to be a part of it.[12]

Despite having stopped listening to heavy metal at 13 or 14 years old in favor of new wave, Kijak listened to the band's music and was immediately drawn to it and surprised he had never heard it before. He bonded with some of the band members; learning that Kiss' Love Gun was the first album he, Yoshiki and Toshi had ever bought and talking with Sugizo about the British new wave band Japan and its bassist Mick Karn, who was a friend of the guitarist.[12]

Principal photography began on October 11, 2014 at X Japan's concert at Madison Square Garden.[4] The documentary was announced on July 5, 2015.[13] The director said that because Yoshiki had been documenting his life and X Japan for decades, the team had a lot of archival footage to dig through and use.[11] One such example is footage of David Lynch directing unreleased videos for the song "Longing", which Kijak included as Lynch is one of his biggest influences.[12]

Kijak revealed that upon thinking of Lynch's use of doppelgängers he was reminded of an interview where Yoshiki said he has two personalities, his public persona and a man wounded by the tragedies in his life. He made this the subtext of the film in order to have something deeper than the average rockumentary.[14] He said one of the hardest aspects was editorial, trying to balance all the characters, albums and drama with Yoshiki's life and work.[12]

Kijak, who is known for music documentaries such as Stones in Exile and Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of, said in February 2015 that "I might have to quit music films after this one. The story is so unreal, I don't know where else I could go after this."[15]

Title design

The title design, that was awarded Excellence in Title Design at South by Southwest, was made by Allison and Anthony Brownmoore of Blue Spill production studio. Kijak's requirement was to "blow people off their seats". According to Anthony Brownmoore, the project was a challenge, since he "was very taken by their [the band's] look but that can also be quite daunting. To try to make something and be creative with something that's already so mad and so creative". They worked on the title design for months, syncing it to the song "Jade" the way that the images would pulsate to Yoshiki's drum beats. When creating the background sequences, they used the band's slogan, Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock as an inspiration. They used old photos of the band members, pairing them up with pulsating, moving, otherworldly backgrounds, for example they filmed floating fluorescent paint in a fish tank with a GoPro camera. The scene where Toshi appears to be standing on top of a waterfall, was filmed in the couple's own kitchen sink with running tap water, while the camera emerging from the water to show the waterfall was actually filmed in Greece. Adobe After Effects and Smoke was used during the production.[16]

Release

Theatrical run and box office

Yoshiki performs during the Q&A panel in San Francisco

We Are X had its premiere at the Prospector Square Theater on January 23, 2016 as part of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Yoshiki and the film team attended the red carpet beforehand and held a Q&A panel after its screening. The film had several other screenings throughout Park City, Utah that week.[17] It was also shown at the 2016 South by Southwest festival.[18] The film was licensed for distribution in the United States by Drafthouse Films.[19] It had its US premiere on October 21, 2016 at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles. Yoshiki and Kijak appeared for the screening and a Q&A.[20][21] At the box office, the film made $45,270 in the US and Canada, and $84,806 worldwide.[3]

The film was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Wembley Arena in London on March 12, 2016. X Japan was to perform at the venue that same day with the event being called "X Day."[13] However, due to Pata being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness the concert was postponed a whole year, taking place on March 4, 2017.[22] The film instead made its UK premiere on February 28, 2017 at Picturehouse Cinemas in London, before being released nationwide on March 2.[23] The film was also screened at the postponed Wembley Arena concert on March 4, 2017.[24]

Critical reception

Stephen Kijak and Yoshiki at a 2016 Q&A panel for the film in San Francisco.

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 82% approval rating with an average rating of 6.6/10 based on 22 reviews.[25] Metacritic gave the film a rating of 64 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, describing the reviews as "generally favorable".[26]

Paula Mejia of Newsweek wrote that the film, "forces us to grapple with difficult questions of purpose, the inevitable role of pain in art, and how music acts as a force for salvation, as much for the fans as for the musicians who thrash these songs into existence", and finished by calling it one of the most uplifting films she has ever seen at Sundance.[27] Andy Webster of The New York Times wrote that We Are X was, "fascinating and assured documentary", but also commented on what he thought was an unfair R-rating saying: "We Are X is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian) for — what? Shredding?"[28] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter said that while the film does cover the deaths of two X Japan members and the "brainwashing" of X Japan's co-founder, it spends more time following the drummer perform press and preparations for Madison Square Garden.[7] Josiah Hughes of Exclaim! made similar comments and noted typos in the English subtitles. However, Hughes gave the film an 8 out of 10 and made note that these were only small complaints to an otherwise "outstanding rock documentary."[6]

Andrew Pulver of The Guardian gave the film a rating of three stars out of five, saying that it was: "A watchable and interesting – if a tad worshipful – study of soft-metal rockers X-Japan".[29] Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News also gave it 3 out of 5 stars saying that the film, "makes for an accessible ride, if not a particularly unique one", but also, "Whether or not the movie turns you into X-philes, Yoshiki is hard to shake."[30] It was also given 3 out of 5 stars by Tom Huddlestone in Time Out London, who said that while the movie, "contains its fair share of eye-popping anecdotes ... Kijak’s willingness to indulge the band’s rampant self-mythologising can get tiresome", and also expressed a personal view that X Japan, "are kind of awful."[31] Writing for The Village Voice Simon Abrams was more critical saying it was, "a maddeningly vague primer. ... All director Stephen Kijak's frustrated attempts at getting into Yoshiki's head leave little time for viewers to hear much of what X Japan's music actually sounds like."[32]

Accolades and recognitions

We Are X, which was entered in Sundance's World Cinema Documentary Competition, won the Special Jury Award for Best Editing.[33] It also won the Audience Award for Excellence in Title Design at South by Southwest.[34] We Are X was nominated for the Golden Goblet award for Best Documentary at the 2016 Shanghai International Film Festival.[35] It was also nominated for the inaugural Best Music Documentary award at the 22nd Critics' Choice Awards.[36] On December 13, 2016, it was announced that the film's ending theme song "La Venus" was one of 91 songs in contention for nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 89th Academy Awards.[37]

Before its premiere, Rolling Stone listed We Are X as one of the 25 movies they were looking forward to see at Sundance.[38] Also before its first screening, Dazed Digital listed it as one of the must watch music documentaries of 2016.[39] Yahoo! Music named it number 4 on their list of the 10 Best Music Documentaries of 2016.[40] When the film was released in the UK, We Are X reached number 2 in the Official Charts Company's Music Video chart,[41] and the Blu-Ray Steelbook version of the film reached number 50 in the Blu-Ray chart in the first week of its release.[42]

Home media

The film's home video rights were acquired by Magnolia Home Entertainment,[43] who released it on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD on April 25, 2017 in the US, Bermuda, and Bahamas.[44] In the UK, the rights to the film were picked up by Manga Entertainment, who released the film on Blu-Ray Steelbook with cover art by Becky Cloonan, and DVD on May 22, 2017. The release's extras are an eight-page booklet; deleted scenes featuring an interview with Yuko Yamaguchi the creator of a Yoshiki-themed Hello Kitty doll named "Yoshikitty", footage of Yoshiki attending Hello Kitty Con, Yoshiki appearing at the New Economy Summit, and Yoshiki revisiting his hometown of Tateyama, Chiba; extended interviews with X Japan's current band members; a series of promotional video interviews with Yoshiki discussing the film; video performances of the songs "Kurenai" and "Forever Love" from The Last Live concert; and a fan video of the song "Born to Be Free".[45][46] Francis Rizzo III from DVD Talk commented on the quality of the release saying that visually it is of mixed quality due to good quality of the more recent material balanced out by the poor quality of archive material that, "often suffers from artifacting and pixelation". However he also added that: "Black levels are solid, and there are no issues with digital distractions (other than those inherent in the archival footage)", and praised the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track.[45]

Soundtrack

Main article: We Are X (soundtrack)

The soundtrack to We Are X was released on March 3, 2017.[47] In the first week of the release of the album it reached number 4 in Japan's Oricon Albums Chart.[48] It also reached number 1 in the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, number 3 in the UK Soundtrack Albums Chart and number 27 in the main UK Albums Chart,[49] making it their first appearance on the UK chart.[50]

References

  1. ^ "Sundance Institute – We Are X". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  2. ^ "We Are X". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "We are X (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Yamato, Jen (2014-10-02). "'Searching For Sugarman' Exec Producer Plots Docu On Rockers X Japan". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  5. ^ a b Wolf, Ian (February 28, 2017). "Ian Wolf reviews We Are X". Anime UK News. Retrieved May 29, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b Hughes, Josiah (2016-01-25). "We Are X – Stephen Kijak". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  7. ^ a b c d e DeFore, John (2016-01-23). "'We Are X': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  8. ^ a b c d Wolf, Ian (October 7, 2016). "We Are X". On The Box. Retrieved October 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Creators". Red Blood Dragon. Retrieved May 29, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Kumano, Yoko (2010-10-05). "X Japan: Reborn in the U.S.A." CNN. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  11. ^ a b Chagollan, Steve (2016-01-22). "Prog Metal Group X Japan To Plant Flag in Park City". Variety. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  12. ^ a b c d Iwasaki, Scott (2016-01-19). "Metal documentary was a mind-bending journey for Stephen Kijak". Park Record. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  13. ^ a b Childers, Chad (2015-07-15). "X Japan Planning New Album + Documentary for 2016". Loudwire. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  14. ^ Rezayazdi, Soheil (2016-01-23). ""A Secret World of Doppelgängers and Demons": Director Stephen Kijak – We Are X". Filmmaker. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  15. ^ Lomax, Claire; Suggett, Charly (2015-02-18). "Backstreet Boys Documentary: Show 'em what you're made of". fluxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  16. ^ Perkins, Will. "We Are X (2016)". Art of the Title. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  17. ^ Childers, Chad (2016-01-20). "X Japan to Premiere 'We Are X' Documentary Film At Sundance Film Festival". Loudwire. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  18. ^ Opam, Kwame (2016-02-02). "The SXSW feature film lineup is here". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  19. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (August 1, 2016). "Music Documentary 'We Are X' Lands at Drafthouse Films". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  20. ^ "X Japan Documentary Opens in U.S. in October". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  21. ^ "Nuart Theatre, Los Angeles | Showtimes | Landmark Theatres". www.landmarktheatres.com. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
  22. ^ "X JAPAN Forced To Postpone Shows Due To Guitarist's Illness". Blabbermouth.net. 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  23. ^ Golder, Dave (February 6, 2017). "Manga Announces UK Released For X Japan Movie WE ARE X". MyM Buzz. Retrieved February 6, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "X Japan World Tour 2016 #XDAY *Rescheduled Date*". Wembley Arena. Retrieved May 5, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ "We Are X (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 30, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ "We Are X". Metacritic. Retrieved May 30, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Mejia, Paula (2016-01-25). "Day Three at the Sundance Film Festival". Newsweek. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  28. ^ Webster, Andy (November 3, 2016). "Review: 'We Are X' Explores the Travails and Triumphs of a Rock Band". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ Pulver, Andrew (February 24, 2017). "We Are X review – Japanese pomp-rock documentary with a twist of original style". The Guardian. Retrieved February 26, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ Dziemianowicz, Joe (November 2, 2016). "'We Are X' is love ballad to unique Japanese band and its eccentric co-founder, Yoshiki: movie review". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 8, 2017. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Huddlestone, Tom (February 22, 2017). "We Are X". Time Out London. Retrieved June 8, 2017. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ Abrams, Simon (November 2, 2016). "Speed Metal Stars X Japan Seem More Interesting Than the Documentary About Them Shows". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 8, 2017. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ Patten, Dominic; Hipes, Patrick (2016-01-30). "Sundance Film Festival Awards: 'Birth Of A Nation' Pulls Off Double Win, Gassy 'Swiss Army Man' Takes Directing Prize". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  34. ^ "X JAPAN – We Are X Documentary Wins SXSW Film Festival Audience Award For Excellence In Title Design". Bravewords.com. 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  35. ^ "X JAPAN Documentary "We Are X" Screened at Film Festivals Around the World". Anime News Network. June 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ "Inaugural Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Nominations Revealed". Critics' Choice Movie Awards. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "91 original songs vie for 2016 Oscar". Oscars.org. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ Ehrlich, David; Fear, David (2016-01-15). "25 Movies We Can't Wait to See at Sundance 2016". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  39. ^ Jones, Daisy. "The music documentaries you need to watch in 2016". Dazed. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  40. ^ Willman, Chris (December 20, 2016). "The 10 Best Music Documentaries of 2016". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  41. ^ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50: 28 May 2017 – 03 June 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 31, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ "Official Blu-Ray Chart Top 100: 28 May 2017 – 03 June 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 31, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  43. ^ DiVita, Joe (January 27, 2017). "X Japan Reveal 'We Are X' Soundtrack Details". Loudwire. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  44. ^ Silverfaye (January 26, 2017). "X JAPAN to Release "We Are X" Film Soundtrack Worldwide". Jame World. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  45. ^ a b Rizzo III, Francis (May 29, 2017). "We Are X (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 30, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ Wolf, Ian (April 11, 2017). "Details of We Are X Steelbook release announced". Anime UK News. Retrieved April 12, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  47. ^ "Latest News". We Are X. Retrieved January 27, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  48. ^ 週間　CDアルバムランキング 2017年03月06日付. Oricon Style (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 29, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  49. ^ Osmond, Andrew (March 11, 2017). "We Are X Soundtrack Charting in UK". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 29, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  50. ^ "X Japan". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

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