Five Films About Schoolkids Starting Bands, from Linda Linda Linda to Sing Street

Nobuhiro Yamashita's cult classic Linda Linda Linda has been remastered in 4K and released via GKids, prompting a retrospective look at five films that celebrate the joy of schoolkids forming bands. The list includes Richard Linklater's School of Rock (2003), starring Jack Black as Dewey Finn, a rock burnout who poses as a substitute teacher to fund his band's entry into Battle of the Bands, only to discover his students' musical talents. Shinobu Yaguchi's Swing Girls (2004) follows a group of delinquent high school girls who replace their school's brass band after accidentally poisoning its members; the cast learned to play their instruments for the film. Yamashita's own Linda Linda Linda (2006) depicts an all-girl punk band learning a Blue Hearts song in three days for a school festival, with Bae Doona as the lead singer. Lukas Moodysson's We Are the Best! (2013) features three Swedish outcasts forming a punk band, rejecting conformity, and facing a less-than-triumphant final performance. John Carney's Sing Street (2016) tells of Irish schoolboy Cosmo, who starts a band to impress a model, Raphina, and discovers the risks and rewards of self-expression. The article highlights the enduring appeal of the coming-of-age subgenre, noting its roots in 1940s Hollywood with Strike Up the Band and Nobuhiko Ōbayashi's The Rocking Horsemen (1992). The 4K edition of Linda Linda Linda is now available.