Linda Linda Linda: 20th Anniversary (4K Restoration)
Opens September 19, 2025
Days before a crucial festival appearance, aspiring teenage rock stars Kyoko and Nozomi find themselves without a band when their guitarist injures her finger and their singer quits. Now, their only chance for superstardom lies in a new vocalist who has never been in a band and barely speaks Japanese.
Linda Linda Linda is a hidden gem of Japanese cinema that has gained a cult following despite its limited U.S. release. Featuring music by James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins). New 4K restoration in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
With Linda Linda Linda, director Nobuhiro Yamashita (No One's Ark, Ramblers), the eccentric bard of the everyday, takes the audience behind the scenes of a provincial high school festival into the fun and fashionable territory of Japanese teen-girl movies. When the guitarist of an all-girl band injures her finger only a few days before the school festival, and then the singer quits, bandmates Kei, Kyoko and Nozomi seem to have no choice but to abandon the contest. But their desire to play is stronger than any possible embarrassment a bad performance could bring. They decide to cover “Linda Linda Linda,” an old ’80s punk hit, and take on as vocalist the only willing candidate, South Korean exchange student Son, who not only has never sung in a band but can barely speak Japanese. The film stands out among the country’s recent wave of teenage schoolgirl movies for its terse style, its documentary-like take on reality and its graceful narrative. Driven by the energetic presence of seasoned actress Bae Doona (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Take Care of My Cat) as Son, the film unfolds at Yamashita’s customary low-key pace, while instilling a tangible nostalgia for one’s school days. Accompanied by former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha’s tuneful score, the film is catchier than the three-chord refrain of its title song.
- Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita
- Principal Cast: Du-na Bae, Jason Gray, Yu Kashii, Aki Maeda, Shiori Sekine
- Country: Japan
- Year: 2005
- Running Time: 114 min.
- Producer: Hiroyuki Negishi, Yuji Sadai
- Screenplay: Wakako Miyashita, Kosuke Mukai, Nobuhiro Yamashita
- Cinematographers: Yoshihiro Ikeuchi
- Editors: Ryuji Miyajima
- Music: James Iha
- Language: Japanese
- Has Subtitles: Yes