Midnight Sun

Overall I thought that the cinematography stole the show. The story is very moving if you allow yourself to get drawn into it; though I should say I watched it in two sittings and I imagine many will find it too much of a drag to watch all at once.

I thought that the father's part made it quite interesting and elevated is above TV movie status. There is a nice balance between the older/younger perspectives which gives the film some much needed depth. Sometimes this was rather laboured (the beach scene near the end) and sometimes it worked perfectly (when he was talking with the doctor).

I'm not sure what the target audience is, it seems to be a vehicle for YUI but the incidental music is a lot better than her songs!

Rating: 9.5 (rounded up to 10) In a film industry full of similar "sick girl" films, there was a certain something to Taiyou no Uta (Midnight Sun) that made me come back to it again and again. That little something, as I discovered, turned out to be the rare, extra dosage of realism the movie brings to audiences.

Films with so many conflicting emotions tend to feel cheapened out by the conclusion, whether it's because the director chooses to purposely ignore or skip through vital elements of the movie or by introducing a deus ex machina. Thankfully, Taiyou no Uta does neither. Circumstances and how the plot is executed feel remarkably genuine, as is most of the acting. For example, the director chooses to provide the parents of the lead actress with prominent roles; rare but all the more believable. Dialogue between lead actress and lead actor are also convincing, and most importantly, nothing feels rushed.

If any film could be said to be dependent on 1 actor/actress, Taiyou no Uta would be a strong contender. That's not to say the other actors can be disregarded, in fact one might even contend Takashi Tsukamoto and Goro Kishitani as Koji Fujishiro and Kaoru's father, respectively, did a better job than YUI as Kaoru Amane. However, YUI simply overshadows them with her sheer talent as a musician.

YUI, a real-life artist, plays her role convincingly, especially so for a debut actress. However where she truly shines is when she sings. Watching her pour out her heart singing whilst playing a guitar (or without one later in the movie) is a sight hard to tear your eyes off of, and was, at least for me, the most memorable scenes in the movie. In a way, Taiyou no Uta without YUI would be similar to Superman without Christopher Reeves: imaginable, but surely worse off.

Despite the film's slow pacing at the beginning, the film feels much shorter than the listed 2 hours. In an almost irrevocable way, the movie draws you in and builds up for the tear-jerking finish. Thankfully, the film lacks the surplus of melodramatics so often used to finish movies such as this. The movie concludes surprisingly quick, but simply and bittersweet - a heartfelt emotion, and all the more surprising that such a simple ending could cause so many emotions.

All in all, a recommended film primarily for romantics, but I daresay anyone from any demographic would enjoy it. Watch this film for a breath of fresh air, and remember if you're the sentimentalist, to bring along a box (or boxes) of tissue.

So I watched the American remake about two years ago, but recently I've been getting into a lot of Asian films. I found this movie and quickly realized that this was the original version. I enjoyed this version a lot more because it had a lot of more details and it was just overall more enjoyable, there was more to the story and characters, they had a lot more personality. I recommend this movie 100% it's wholesome but very sad.

This is a story about Kaoru (the pretty and talented actress Yui), a 16 year old girl who lives with her parents and has the condition XP, which means she could die if she is exposed to sunlight. So, every evening she goes to town square and plays songs on her guitar. Also, she watches fellow teen Koji from her window, becoming interested in him. This story is about her dealing with the illness and the relationship between her and Koji. To be sure, there are other films like this (like "A Walk To Remember"), but the film is shot with much care for its surroundings. Also, the supporting cast is good, which makes the film more compelling. Of course its somewhat sad but its also sweet. Its obviously not for everyone but its good, with the actress Yui especially being very believable in the role of Kaoru.

VERY GOOD. Touching, captivating, and affecting film. It is an oriental style romantic drama of that kind that presents an obstacle to make the protagonist's love relationship more difficult and further favor the construction of the plot. That is the search for an impossible love. Oriental films are, for the most part, interesting, as they escape a little bit from that kind of usual narrative found in Hollywood or Western films. I've seen a lot of them and I liked just about everyone. I liked the story and the characters that are beautiful, friendly, and fun. The sung songs are cool and the soundtrack is appropriate for the context. I recommend it to anyone who likes romantic dramas. This film will not disappoint you.