Hula gâru (2006)

Director:

Sang-il Lee

Writers:

Sang-il Lee (written by) &
Daisuke Habara (written by)

Release Date:

23 September 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Young women in a small Japanese town look to revive their home's declining fortunes by building a Hawaiian village tourist attraction.

Awards:

21 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Yasuko Matsuyuki	...	Madoka Hirayama
Etsushi Toyokawa	...	Yojiro Tanikawa
Yû Aoi	...	Kimiko Tanikawa
Shizuyo Yamasaki	...	Sayuri Kumano
Shoko Ikezu
Eri Tokunaga	...	Sanae Kimura
Kojo Miyake
Susumu Terajima
Masaru Shiga
Hiroshi Ôkôchi
Daikichi Sugawara
Katsumi Takahashi
Ittoku Kishibe	...	Norio Yoshimoto
Sumiko Fuji	...	Chiyo Tanikawa (as Junko Fuji)

Also Known As:

Hula Girls (International: English title)

Runtime:

121 min | USA:108 min | Canada:108 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:108 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Australia:M | Argentina:Atp | Spain:T | Hong Kong:IIA

Company:

Black Diamonds

Trivia:

None of the actresses had any dance training prior to the film, so they trained for three months.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Hula gâru 2 (2010)

A round of applause and bouquets for the girls

My impression of the hula dance - random wave movement of the hands by tanned girls wearing straw skirts with a big flower on the head. That was before this movie.

The Hula Girls, a heartwarming comedy from Japan, tells about the craft, emotions and passion behind this dance. Being Hawaii has almost nothing to do with a depressed and cold mining town, almost devoid of colours and warmth. However, a group of girls from the conservatives to bespectacled obasan, decided to learn the dance to develop this declining town into a Hawaiian Village.

This is a daunting task to a Tokyo dance teacher (wonderfully played by Yasuko Matsuyuki) and a demoralizing act to the conservative skeptics in the small village.

A story about going against all odds may remind you of another Japanese comedy, The Swing Girls. Both movies boost great energy, lovely music and can put a smile on your face.

As Japan official's entry to the 2007 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film, The Hula Girls is not only entertaining, but motivational. It may be small in ambition, but big in what in can achieve – to inspire people to chance, accept, fall and rise again.

It is funny and touching at the small time, pushing your heartstrings (and tear ducts) with the girls' triumph over people who do not believe in them, which includes themselves.

With its infectious energy and stirring movements, this hula dance deserves a round of applause and bouquets.

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