WE ARE ALIENS

Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Kōhei Kadowaki’s WE ARE ALIENS is a striking animated coming-of-age drama about friendship, conformity, and the unforseen consequences of our choices. In a rural Japanese town in the early 2000s, third-graders Tsubasa and Gyotaro become inseparable after spotting each other across their classroom. As adolescence approaches, their bond begins to fracture. Rumors spread that the eccentric Gyotaro is an “alien,” and Tsubasa, increasingly conscious of how boys are expected to behave, pushes his best friend away in pursuit of social acceptance. Unfolding across a decade with a structure reminiscent of BOYHOOD, Kadowaki’s debut feature observes how childhood experiences quietly shape the adults we become. Told through shifting perspectives and rendered in expressive animation recalling THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA, WE ARE ALIENS explores boyhood, belonging, masculinity, and how seemingly insignificant betrayals can linger long after childhood ends.