Linda Linda Linda Review
“Don’t let anyone tell us that when we’re no longer kids, we grow up. When we grow up, we won’t quit being kids. Where are the real we? Should the real we be here? We’ve only got a little more time to be the real us…”
The opening lines to the movie pretty much sums up the feel of Linda, Linda, Linda (Nobuhiro Yamashita, 2005). It is a film about being young, the energy and passion you get from doing something you love, and the friendships built in high school. The film is simple, a group of girls had a band but the guitarist and lead singer quit three days before they were to play at the school festival. The film is simple: a group of girls had a band but the guitarist and lead singer quit three days before they were to play at the school festival. Kei (Yuu Kashii), Kyoko (Aki Maeda), and Nozomi (Shiori Sekine) decide that instead of canceling the show they will play covers of The Blue Hearts (a Japanese punk band) and recruit the Korean exchange student Son (Bae Doona) as she walks by. Son joins even though she is not fluent in Japanese (which leads to some very funny sequences) and the girls spend the next three days practicing. However this simple plot hides a strong emotional core and it made me fall in love with this little film, to the point that just writing about it now finds me with a smile on my face quietly humming the tune to the titular track.
There are several types of film that I love. Okay that’s a lie. I love all film. Several types more than others though. Among the top are Youth Films and Music Films (but not musicals). This could be because I have a large nostalgic/sentimental streak. It could also be because I always want to learn how to play the guitar although I am too lazy/busy to actually learn. Whatever the reasons this film strikes a chord (hoho! see what I did there?) in me that reverberated for a long time after watching the film. For one, unlike many youth films that I love (All About Lily Chou-Chou, Blue Spring, Friend), this film is happy and filled with optimism. There are quiet moments like the one shared between Kyoko and Kazuya (Katsuya Kobayashi), the boy she likes, where they are both too shy to say anything to each other. This is after he called her with the pretense of asking her to bring an unnecessary item to the classes crepe cafe stand for the school festival. There are also laugh out loud moments (mostly involving the amazing Bae Doona) such as the one where Son is trying to practice the songs at a karaoke room but doesn’t understand why she has to buy a drink in order to do so.
Mostly its the spirit of the girls involved in the film, they are not petty mean or nasty. They simply love music and want to do a good job at the festival. The small scale of the film allows us to connect to the characters in a very real way. They push themselves to exhaustion practicing for the festival, and we want to see them succeed. I think this has as much to do with the personality and light tone of the film as it has to do with the music choice. James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins did the instrumental track but the real brilliance is in the manic energy of The Blue Hearts’ songs.
Music is truly universal, we all have those songs and bands that become our songs and our bands. Music is especially important when we are young, it defines our identity and sculpts our social groups. It allows us to get at something primal at a time where we barely understand what is going on with ourselves let alone the world around us. It allows us, through other peoples experiences, to really make sense of the craziness that is teenage thoughts. Everything is at extremes when you are that young. Love and friendship and life are all blindingly intense, time stretches forever and each moment seems like this will be the most important moment of your life, or one you will never forget. Fittingly this film is filled with the quiet moments, which really are the ones we never forget. The band giggling and whispering in the practice room late at night, trying desperately to not get caught. The impromptu picnic on the roof of the school. These are the moments that you look back on as you age with fondness and nostalgia after the intensity of the emotions that you felt have faded.
“We won’t end here. It’s not wrong to expect a miracle. We won’t let our high school days become a memory. Is this wind the same as the one blowing the day after tomorrow? Will and courage will be kept in the same pocket. This is our kingdom.”
The film starts quietly and slowly builds to the show at the end. After days of practice, exhausted, rain soaked and late the girls take the stage, and their youth and love and energy shine out on both the audience in the film and those watching it.
I dare you to watch this film and not be humming the songs days later. You will be smiling just like me.
Linda, Linda, Linda is available on DVD from Viz Pictures. You can buy it on Amazon.
