Based on a true story, Hula Girls is a tender and moving comedy about a hula troupe made up of, can you believe it, coal miners’ daughters. Set in the small town of Joban in 1965 when Japan was undergoing great industrial changes, this feature film by Korean director Lee Sang-il (Scrap Heaven, 69) follows the goofy and youthful antics of the hula troupe as they dance their way into the hearts of the Japanese people.

Kimiko Tanikawa (Yu Aoi) is an idealistic and dreamy teenager destined for greater things than small Joban has to offer. Opportunity presents itself in the unlikely form of a tourist attraction when the local mining company unveils plans to transform the humble town into a miniature Hawaii. First to answer the call for interested hula dancers is Kimiko’s best friend Sanae (Tokunaga Eri) who is quick to rope her in as well.

Of course, the locals aren’t pleased. Their initial amusement at the totally ludicrous idea of bringing tropical Hawaii to chilly Joban soon turns into anger and resentment as the company starts laying off most of its workers to make way for the resort. Adding fuel to the fire are conservative parents who, to their consternation, discover that hula dancing involves barely-there tops and revealing grass skirts.

Any reservations surrounding hula dancing soon gives way to consuming passion and ambition for young Kimiko after seeing their seemingly cold and aloof teacher, Madoka Hirayama (Yasuko Matsuyuki) perform a flawless number, despite vehement objections from Kimiko’s mother, who throws her out of the house. Many more challenges await the girls, though they overcome it all in the end and predictably achieve great commercial success.

While there’s nothing new to the tried-and-tested formula of underdogs saving the day, Lee, in his other role as screenplay writer, does it perfectly by breathing life and emotions into his characters, adding a human touch that tugs at the heartstrings. His characters have depth, with their own distinct and unique personalities, hopes and dreams that make them so believable, so three-dimensional, such as the klutzy tomboy Sayuri (Shizuyo Yamazaki) who lost her supportive father to a mining accident.

Granted, there were a few cheesy moments in the film, such as when the girls bid Hiroyama a teary goodbye, but such melodrama can be excused, considering it’s a feel-good film. Lee also manages to capture the feel of town life in the 1960s, which was a decade of great change as towns became cities and the uncertain future was thrust upon people who had grown up in the safety and certainty of the past. Choices had to be made between progress and family, such as the decisions facing the girls on their journey to stardom.

All in all, Hula Girls is an entertaining, and at times poignant, film that’s sure to please the crowd with its light-hearted humour. However, its predicatability from the start makes it just another run-of-the-mill production sorely lacking in originality.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Movie Details
Opens: 23 -24 March for The Picturehouse’s 1st Anniversary, subsequently in June exclusively at The Picturehouse
Runtime: 108minutes
Cast: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yu Aoi, Shizuyo Yamazaki
Director: Lee Sang-il

Photos courtesy of Cathay, The Picturehouse.