As the United States begins to send its teenagers back to school for the fall term, there is no better way to celebrate adolescent ennui than with the absolute joy bomb that is Linda Linda Linda! Thankfully for all of us, GKids is bringing the film back to the big screen in a gorgeous 4K restoration starting in New York at the IFC Center on September 5th and making its way across the country throughout September
It has been twenty years almost to the day since Yamashita Nobuhiro's fifth feature film held its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival - coincidentally also beginning this week in a 50th anniversary edition - and in the ensuing decades the film has earned a well-deserved cult following. The story of a quartet of misfit school girls determined to rock the fall festival talent show is one of the most rousing, emotionally fulsome, and fulfilling films of the 20th century.
Named after Japanese punk icons The Blue Hearts biggest hit song, Linda Linda Linda follows reluctant guitarist Kei Tachibana (Yû Kashii), bassist Nozomi Shiroko (Shiori Sekine, Base Ball Bear), and drummer Kyoko Yamada (Aki Maeda, Battle Royale) as they prepare for the big show. Suddenly finding themselves short a vocalist, the trio recruits shy-girl Korean exchange student Son (Bae Doona, The Host, Air Doll) to fill the slot, but this sudden shuffle has the entire group in a tizzy.
As they desperately strive to not only decide on a song to perform, but also learn their instruments, attempt to gel as a band and as friends, and in Son's case, learn enough Japanese to get through the gig; the girls find themselves digging deeper than they ever have. It's a heartwarming story of triumph over adversity and a film that takes the emotional rollercoaster of teenage angst seriously in a way that most films on the subject would rather turn into a joke.
Powered by an expertly crafted score from Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha and the pop-punk perfection of The Blue Hearts, Linda Linda Linda is not only one of the greatest rock 'n' roll movies ever made it's also one of the 21st century's greatest films, full stop. As someone who was lucky enough to first see the film on the big screen back in 2007, I cannot recommend enough to watch this one with an audience. It's a transcendent communal experience.
Extra Credit: For fans of rock 'n' roll cinema and director Yamashita, it is well worth seeking out his 2015 retrograde amnesia dramedy La La La at Rock Bottom and his 2023 yakuza/middle school choir heart string-puller Let's Go Karaoke!