Taiyô no uta

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.

not only because it felt like a real story, its so touching, that moved my guts, for me it felt so real, one of the things is for example the way she acts so naturally like a mad teenager; because she has that sickness, but then she changes her mind and becomes to believe that is better to live and love, to enjoy your time in earth than to be always regretting the fact of your sickness,whats amazing is that she never gives up, besides she is a great actress and singer, it kinda made me envied her for having such talents and opportunities unlike, well anyways I recommend this movie you will really feel a touch of life with this one, it will make you grateful for been alive and healthy. besides she adorable and he is so cute 2 .

to thumbs up!!!!!

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!

quite nice movie although some parts it was quite slow moving and there was no lines, just them staring into space...the 3 songs i think sang by YUI in real-life as well as in the movie was great and suited the movie character of a street singer, it just felt to me like a MV sometimes...the movie was prodding along rather nicely but it might be slow for some not suited to Japanese-style of movies but the ending was rather quickly-done to avoid the sappiness and sadness i guess. The acting by YUI was credible considering she is a singer by profession and when she starts singing, it really shines and she really captivates the entire cinema when she does that. It doesn't help that she sings the whole song and GOODBYE DAYS was played more than once. Add to that the other 2 songs, SKYLINE and IT'S HAPPY DAYS weren't that bad either...

"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.