"We Are X", a feature-length documentary film directed by Stephen Kijak, chronicles the rise, fall and rise again of Japan’s most iconic rock band, X JAPAN. X JAPAN was formed in the early 1980s by YOSHIKI, the band’s leader, songwriter and pianist/drummer, as well as ToshI, the vocalist. Despite their immense popularity in Japan, filling enormous stadiums and selling millions of albums, they have been relatively unknown in the West. However, through the internet, their popularity has risen through the years on an international level, sparking a growing global fascination with the genre of visual kei.
"We Are X" is a treasure trove of live performances and behind-the-scenes footage of X JAPAN, spanning the 1980s to their most recent live performance in Madison Square Garden in 2014. Stephen Kijak also utilizes interviews with the band members and various commentaries throughout the film.
"We Are X" opens with X JAPAN's powerful performance in Madison Square Garden, then cuts to their roots, where they began as a much more colorful, loud and in-your-face version of their current selves. It’s no wonder the film won the Special Jury award for best editing at the Sundance Festival. The powerful splashing of color and sound in the introduction alone, which screams “We Are X!”, is immediately captivating. Interspersed between the wild concert footage from past to present are the tragic personal stories of X JAPAN's members, as well as their current struggles. It also gives western viewers a glimpse of the beginnings of a unique cultural scene in Japan known as visual kei, which the band is credited for being the pioneers of.
The film is a roller coaster ride of emotions as it weaves through their tales of suicide, internal band conflicts, brainwashing and cult involvement, superstardom, break up and then their eventual reunion. The main members highlighted in the film are YOSHIKI, ToshI, hide and Taiji. YOSHIKI, who plays a central role in the film, is very much an overachieving, indestructible force to be reckoned with, despite his very vulnerable and sad beginnings as illustrated in the film. Death is portrayed as this constant shadow looming over his life, beginning with his father’s suicide, to the point where YOSHIKI thinks he must be cursed. And perhaps it’s this constant threat and painful experiences that drive him to put his all in each performance, to the point of needing to be hooked up to oxygen backstage and enduring immense muscular pain.
ToshI's decision to leave the band to join a cult and hide’s death in particular feel like the emotional climax of the film, as they both ultimately led to the band’s official dissolution. One can’t help but feel sympathetic for ToshI when he talks about his insecurities as a vocalist and his vulnerable emotional state that led to him being brainwashed. Even if viewers are learning of the band for the first time, the huge sense of loss and emptiness, in particular with YOSHIKI that follows hide's death, is very much palpable. The effect it had on their fan base is overwhelming to see in the scene where thousands of fans were crying in the streets to the point of passing out from exhaustion.
Although there's a generous amount of behind-the-scenes footage and commentary in the 90-minute documentary, when it came to delving deeper into certain stories, there was an invisible wall that couldn’t be breached. Questions abound. Why was Taiji booted out of the band? What did he do that was so terrible? Did ToshI ever resolve his feelings he had towards YOSHIKI before he was brainwashed by the cult? What was this cult and how did he manage to escape something that had such a tight grip on him? All these unanswered questions lend to the band's mystique. Although they were touched upon at some points, it would also have been nice to hear more from the relatively silent members HEATH, PATA and newest member and guitarist SUGIZO.
Just like how X JAPAN's music instills hope in fans, the film ends on an overall positive, triumphant note as it returns to their performance at Madison Square Garden. Their resiliency and strength in the face of all they had suffered certainly warrants admiration and respect, which explains the almost religious attachment X JAPAN fans feel towards the band. One has to give props to director Stephen Kijak for capturing the essence of X JAPAN so brilliantly in this film, despite being completely new to them and the visual kei scene. Not only will the film thrill and satiate current fans, it will open up a new and fascinating world to the uninitiated.
This spectacular inside look at the band and their journey will be available for screening at select theaters from October 21st in Los Angeles, along with Q&A sessions with YOSHIKI and Stephen Kijak for several shows. Screenings in San Francisco and Austin will open on October 28th. There will be additional screenings in New York City, the details of which will soon be announced.
Special Events at NuArt Theatre in Los Angeles
- Friday, October 21st, 7:30pm show w/Q&A w/Stephen Kijak and YOSHIKI
- Saturday, October 22nd, 7:30pm show w/Q&A w/Stephen Kijak
- Sunday, October 23rd, 5:10pm show w/Q&A w/Stephen Kijak
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