©Courtesy of GKIDS
“Linda Linda” is one of the biggest hits from Japan’s most popular punk bands, the Blue Hearts. Yet, this Japanese high school garage band totally makes it their own, despite their new Korean vocalist’s spotty command of the language. A lot of Americans discovered the real band indirectly through this film when it became an art house hit in 2005. Now new fans can embrace Nobuhiro Yamashita’s Linda Linda Linda when GKIDS re-releases the fresh new 4K restoration in North American theaters this Friday.
Summer is already here for Shiba High students. Having finished exams, all that remains is their annual three-day arts festival, which is supposed to be fun. Kei Tachibana, Kyoko Yamada, and Nozomi Shirakawa have looked forward to playing it all year, so they are bitterly disappointed when their lead vocalist suddenly quits. To compound their problems, their guitarist suffers a fingers injury that also sidelines her.
Tachibana can shift from keyboards to guitar, because this is punk rock, after all. (Surely, the Replacements would approve.) For repertoire, they fall back on the Blue Hearts standards they all know and love. However, they still need a vocalist, so they let fate decide. Destiny selects Korean exchange student Son, even though her fluency is questionable. Still, this is punk rock, so it might just work, especially since the game Son has yearned to find her singing voice.
©Courtesy of GKIDS
Even if it is punk rock, they still need to rehearse. For the next three days, the newly formed Paranmaum (Korean for Blue Hearts) sequester themselves to practice and get to know Son. However, they still must deal teen stuff, like stupid boys with their awkward crushes.
Maybe Linda Linda Linda resonates even more for women who experienced similar high school dramas. Nevertheless, it is easily relatable for anyone who remembers those bittersweet final days of the school year, when everyone makes their goodbyes.
The nostalgia is potent, but the music also rocks. In addition to Paranmaum’s high-energy Blue Hearts covers, there are two tunes from Base Ball Bear, the real-life band of Shiori Sekine, who plays Shirakawa, the bassist. Plus, James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins composed some instrumental themes that do not sound very Smashing Pumpkins-ish. Instead, they nicely underscore the sunny melancholy of summer. Regardless, Paranmaum’s rendition of “Linda Linda” is so infectiously catchy, it should appeal to listeners who rarely listen to punk.
Back in 2005, the entire cast looked like legit teenagers, including Bae Doona (who became globally recognizable from Netflix programming, like Sense8 and Rebel Moon), even though she was already in her mid-twenties. As Son, she is shyly awkward, in a genuinely endearing way.
Without question, Bae truly stands out amid the large ensemble. Yet, Aki Maeda (from the Battle Royale franchise), Yuu Kashi (who married Joe Odagiri), and rocker Sekine all still project youthful enthusiasm and rebellious but not abrasive punk rock attitude as Son’s Paranmaum bandmates.
Yamashita (who also helmed the charming anime feature Ghost Cat Anzu) shows an affinity for teen characters and their lives. The film rolls along unhurriedly, but it never feels aimless. Instead, Yamashita immerses the audience in that wistful summer vibe. He also reminds us how much we still love the music that served as the soundtrack of our teen years. Fondly recommended, Linda Linda Linda begins a staged theatrical release, starting this Friday (9/5) in New York.
©Courtesy of GKIDS
Grade: A-
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Here’s the trailer of the film.