Taiyô no uta (2006)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Norihiro Koizumi

Writer:

Kenji Bando (writer)

Release Date:

17 June 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Kaoru dreamily gazes from her bedroom window each morning just before dawn. She can see a stretch of...

Cast

Yui	...	Kaoru Amane
Takashi Tsukamoto	...	Koji Fujishiro
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kuniko Asagi	...	Yuki Amane
Eri Fuse
Gaku Hamada
Jun Kaname	...	Kudou Youhei
Goro Kishitani	...	Ken Amane
Takashi Kobayashi
Magy
Sogen Tanaka	...	Haruo Kato
Airi Toyama	...	Misaki Matsumae
Hajime Yamazaki

Also Known As:

Midnight Sun (International: English title) (new title)

Runtime:

Japan:119 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (DVD version) | DTS-Stereo | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:I | South Korea:All

Company:

Geneon Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Version of Xin buliao qing (1994)

Heartwarming, charming, funny and sad

"Midnight Sun" 2006 Japan

Viewed: July 25, 2007

***.5 Very Good

This film falls into the category of "pure love", which is all the rage, now in Japan. Though the film lacks some realism and details, it is emotionally convincing. A 16 year old girl in Japan has a rare disease where exposure to sunlight can prove fatal. "Midnight Sun" is both a family drama and adolescent romance. The film moves at a very leisurely pace. I was impressed with this film, though not perfect, gets all the emotions right. Plenty of time is allowed for character development and story. The sense of isolation of the girl is quickly established. Unusual for the genre of adolescent romance, we see the involvement of the parents. The director is in touch with real feelings and situations and knows how to express them in a natural way. I felt early on in the film, it would be unique and special.

The leading character role is played by a real life musician. This is Japan, so parts of the song lyrics will not quite make sense, but somehow feel right for the individual expressing them.

Emotionally, the film succeeds very well, expressing the melancholy and isolation of the girl. The parents and best friend character are well written and acted. The use of humor is effective and helps to balance the film from becoming too sad. Near the end, the film takes a narrative leap, perhaps to save time, but I felt this weakened the film a little.

If you're a romantic and feeling based person, you will definitely enjoy this film. I know some will be cynical to this film, which is all about characters, situations and emotions, and lacks a little in realistic details. Overall, this film is better than usual for an adolescent romance-family drama story. I took this film seriously, because it realistically expresses the characters, situations and emotions. Recommended for romantic at hearts of all ages.