The Japan-Korea Guitar Summit starts here

Ever dream of being in a rock band? I know I did. Hell, I'm 46 and I still dream about it. Linda Linda Linda is a Japanese movie about that dream coming true for four high school girls. Released in 2005 in Japan and in 2007 on subtitled DVD by Viz Media in the US, Nobuhiro Yamashita's comedy/drama is a slice-of-life piece-of-heaven.

Three days before a five-member all-girl band is scheduled to perform for their school festival, everything falls apart. Their guitarist Moe (Shione Yukawa) breaks her finger playing basketball, and an argument between the keyboard player, Kei (the surprisingly beautiful Yu Kashii) and vocalist Rinko (Takayo Mimura) causes Rinko to leave the band. Kei is very headstrong and decides, with the reluctant consent of bassist Nozomi (Shiori Sekine) and drummer Kyoko (Aki Maeda), not to cancel. Needing a guitarist to replace Moe, Kei decides to play it herself, despite only having three days to learn it. Instead of the original songs they planned on playing, they decide to play covers of three Blue Hearts songs, a Japanese pop-punk band from the late-'80s/early-'90s. With that settled, the only thing left is to recruit a new singer. Grasping at straws, they ask the first girl they see, which just happens to be Son (Du-na Bae), a Korean exchange student with only a limited grasp of the language and no idea what she's just agreed to.

Son (Du-na Bae). Note the smile.

The movie follows them over the three days from Son's recruitment to their performance. Kei struggles to learn her guitar parts while Son struggles with the lyrics. The band practices at school and at a recording studio, slowing coming to grips with the three songs. There is also a confession of love, ex-boyfriends, the Ramones in the audience at Budokan, annoying brothers, an unrequited crush, and all the other usual impediments. There are some great comedic moments. Watching Son trying to reserve a karaoke room so she can practice is understated gold. When the four girls take a break in their practice room and fall into a giggle fit, you can't help but laugh, too.

Kei (Yu Kashii). Note the smile.

Yamashita's directorial style is languid and relaxed. Long establishing shots, long following shots, long two-shots are his style. But the movie never drags. You never feel the need to look at your watch or the the timer on the DVD, wondering how much more there is. Instead, the long shots make you more interested in what's going to happen next. It also allows his actors to really act. The long shots let us see more of the character's personalities, be they defiant or fidgety or shy or bold. Yamashita does something very unique when the girls perform their final song. Instead of watching them onstage, he shows you images of the school with the rain pouring down. All of the shots are reflections of earlier scenes, and the screen fades to black when the final chord finally dies away. It's an ending as simple as it is effective.

Kyoko (Aki Maeda). Note the smile.

The cinematography is so effective, it was copied almost shot-for-shot in episode 12 of the anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. From the premise of needing to replace a singer and a guitarist to the rainstorm that causes everyone to seek shelter in the gymnasium just as the band is about to perform, to the final montage of the empty school in the rain while the band plays, that episode is a clear homage to the movie, even down to Haruhi playing the same guitar as Kei: an Italia Mondial Classic.

Nozomi (Shiori Sekine). Note the smile.

Another nice touch is the incidental music by Jame Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins. It fits the feel of the movie very well, accomplishing its mission of enhancing the scenes without overpowering them. The music played by the four main actresses is really played by them, not dubbed in later. Aki Maeda and Yu Kashii really had to learn drums and guitar, respectively. Shiori Sekine is the only "ringer" if you will. She is the bassist for Base Ball Bear, a popular band, and Linda Linda Linda is her acting debut. Du-na Bae is a popular model and actress in Korea, and at 26 years-old at the time the movie was made, the oldest of the four girls by 6 years. Something I liked is that Yamashita didn't try to "pretty up" his actresses. Each one is beautiful in her own way, but he kept everyone's look simple and unadorned which went a long way to making us believe they really were just four girls from a high school in a small town.

The DVD release is well done. It's subtitled only, no English dub. The extras include bios of the director and the four principal actors, a list of culture tips about Japan, and an audio FAQ about the Blue Hearts by Patrick Macias. Go get this movie. It's a whole lotta fun.