With only days to go before the school festival, a rock band formed by classmates is facing a crisis – the guitarist has a hand injury and the vocalist has quit after an argument. >The remaining members – Kei (Yuu Kashii), Kyoko (Aki Maeda), and Nozomi (Shiori Sekine) – are determined to play the festival anyway, and recruit Korea exchange student, Son (Bae Doona) as their singer, despite the fact she barely knows Japanese.
Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, with a script by Yamashita, Kōsuke Mukai, and Wakako Miyashita, Linda Linda Linda is a charming exploration of young women discovering their abilities and the belief in rock ‘n’ roll. While there is some conflict and some misadventure – like intraband arguments and missing practices – the girls here are all dedicated to the cause. I am absolutely someone who loves anything with “let’s put on a show” energy and teenage girls playing rock music together is one of my favorite things. If ever there was a movie made for me, it’s this one.
The movie is made up of a lot of little moments, like Son going to a karaoke parlor so she can practice singing The Blue Hearts’ “Linda Linda” and the girls just sitting around talking. It’s also a delight how everyone they tell they’re covering “Linda Linda” is enthused about the idea.
The undercurrent of sweetness is what makes this movie. Despite differences, the young women at the center of it are all supportive of each other. Classmates and old friends are all available to help these girls’ rock ‘n’ roll dreams succeed. It’s absolutely a feel-good movie but it’s not heavy-handed about it. Sometimes you just want to watch a movie about good people trying to do their best.
Music is a huge part of this movie, of course, and it’s all great. Beyond the covers the band plays, the movie also features instrumental music by Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and songs by Base Ball Bear (of which Sekine is a member).
Originally released in Japan in 2005, Linda Linda Linda was briefly available on DVD in the United States before going out of print, leaving it as a fond memory for those of us who got to watch it during that brief window. GKIDS has re-released it in a beautiful 4K restoration, out in select theaters currently. It’s a movie that’s absolutely due for a rediscovery. I’m delighted that I got to watch it again and I’m even more delighted that more people will get to see it.
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