I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Nobuhiro Yamashita's 2005 film, Linda Linda Linda, a couple weeks ahead of its May 8th, 2007 release date. I'd read some good things about it and was expecting a fun, poppy experience. Certainly nothing too weighty. I hadn't expected a minor masterpiece.

The story starts a couple days before the final culture festival in our protagonists' high school years. They're busy preparing their various functions. A recent hand injury and a falling out between friends has left a band in shambles. Kei, one of the founding members, assembles some friends to form a cover band for eighties Japanese punk act, the Blue Hearts.

None of the three girls in the band are willing to sing, though. So they enlist the help of Son, a Korean exchange student who doesn't fully grasp the language. This isn't played for cheap laughs (not that there isn't some fun had with it). Nor is it making any kind of overt political point. She's just a Korean exchange student. She's played by The Host and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance's Du-na Bae, who -- despite strong performances by the other three leads -- absolutely steals the show.



There's a great deal of subtext in this film. The long, elliptical scenes of the girls on their own and together intimate a lot of history and fill in the gaps the film doesn't show us explicitly. A glance here tells the story of an entire relationship. A lingering shot there reveals that, in this story, we're catching just one moment in a life story all its own.

Every character -- even the numerous minor ones -- painted delicately, warmly, and realistically. They communicate an amazing amount of their story just with a silent reaction. There's a lot going on here.

On its surface, the movie is a good deal of fun. It works on a number of levels.

Oh, and the music pretty much rocks. Check it out.

Labels: babbling about films