Midnight Sun (film)

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Midnight Sun
Directed by Norihiro Koizumi
Written by Kenji Bando
Starring Yui
Takashi Tsukamoto
Kuniko Asagi
Goro Kishitani
Sogen Tanaka
Airi Toyama
Music by Yui
Distributed by Shochiku Co.,Ltd.
(Japan)
Release date(s) June 17, 2006 (Japan)
Running time 119 min.
Language Japanese

Midnight Sun, known in Japan as Song of the Sun (タイヨウのうた Taiyō no Uta?), is a movie directed by Norihiro Koizumi starring the Japanese artist and singer Yui. In the movie, she plays the role of Kaoru Amane (雨音 薫 Amane Kaoru), a 16 year old girl who has the rare skin condition xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a disease that makes the ultraviolet radiation of sunlight potentially lethal to her. Yui's character is partly based on herself, as she is an amateur singer and guitarist, and she performs three of Yui's songs in the movie; It's Happy Line, Good-bye Days and Skyline. There has also been a Japanese TV drama based on the movie, starring Takayuki Yamada and Erika Sawajiri.

Contents

[edit] Plot

 This plot summary may be too long or overly detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (December 2009)

Kaoru has Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), an illness which also might be described as the allergy to the sun, and is not allowed to be exposed to sunlight. She led her lifestyle opposite the normal, sleeping during the day and active at night. The only motivation in her life was singing herself away and doing street lives every night at a square in front of a train station with a guitar in her hand. Outside her room window, she spots a high school boy, standing with a surfboard in his hands. It becomes her routine to watch him and his friends come and go to the ocean every morning, before going to sleep. One day, she introduces herself to him and becomes friends, without letting him know about her illness. Can her feelings and songs reach him? How will he think of her illness if he finds out?

Kaoru is out almost every night playing and singing in front of the station. By day she sleeps, but every morning she sits by the window of her room to watch a young surfer, Koji Fujishiro (藤代 孝治 Fujishiro Kōji), played by Takashi Tsukamoto, who usually waits by a bus stop for his friends before they go surfing each morning. She develops a crush on him from afar.

One night, when she is playing as usual by the train station, she sees Koji. She leaves her guitar and runs after him, knocking him over when she finally catches up to him. She clumsily introduces herself. When her cousin drags her home, they sit by Kaoru's window while they watch Koji meet his friends. Kaoru explains everything, and her cousin notes that she probably goes to the same school as him, and offers to spy on him for her.

Kaoru and Kouji at the bus stop

The next night she sits by the bus stop before going home, and plays a song. Koji arrives on his scooter. Both embarrassed, they start talking and Koji eventually promises to meet her and listen to her sing another night, at the start of the school holidays. When they meet up, another obnoxious street performer has taken her spot. Koji decides to take her to the city, where after seeing the sights, she starts playing in a square. YUI's music video Skyline features this event. A substantial crowd gathers to hear her sing. Afterwards they watch the ocean. Koji asks her out.


Their date, however, ends abruptly as the sun breaks out and Kaoru flees home. Koji is soon informed of Kaoru's condition (her XP) and is set aback. For a while, Kaoru stubbornly refuses to see him, as if her misery would spread to him if they make contact. Remembering her passion to sing, Koji begins working slowly in order to help her compile her own debut single. Her father, out of concern, invites Koji over one night. At dinner, Koji reveals his plans for Kaoru's CD. As they walk home that night, the two begin to talk and Kaoru slowly realizes how much Koji truly cares for her. In an attempt to cheer her up, he pinches her cheeks and exclaims: "What a funny face!"

Kaoru & Kouji playing guitar

As her disease worsens, she loses feeling in her hand and is unable to play guitar. She assures Kōji that this will not change anything, that she still has her voice.

In the studio, she asks her family and friends to leave the room. She smiles and tells them that it will be better to wait for the CD to come out before they hear her song. They reluctantly leave the room and Kōji declares his belief that Kaoru will achieve happiness.

Time passes. As promised, Koji brings Kaoru to the beach to watch him surf. The protective suit she had left hanging for years is finally used. By now she is in a wheelchair. She complains that the suit is getting hot. With a painful expression that fades quickly, Kaoru's father tries to convince her that if she takes off the suit, it can't bother her anymore, that she could run around freely. She declines. With that, she struggles to stand up and limps weakly toward Koji. As she walks, she trips over the sand and Koji rushes to catch her. She catches herself at the last minute, revealing that it was a feint and giggles at his surprised face. In an ironic moment, she grabs his cheeks and exclaims happily, "What a funny face!". Koji smiles weakly.

Finally Kaoru is laid to rest in a coffin full of sunflowers. Koji, Kaoru's friends, and her family listen happily as Kaoru's CD is finally released. In a flashback Kaoru sings with passion; tears begin to fill her eyes as she finishes.

Koji rushes towards the waves, his mind replaying her voice.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Details
"Goodbye Days" (2006)
Taiyou no uta Theme Song, "Good-bye Days"
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
  • Title: タイヨウのうた
  • Title (romaji): Taiyo no Uta
  • Also known as: A Song of the Sun (The Sun's Song), Midnight Sun, A Song to the Sun
  • Genre: Romance, Human Drama
  • Theme song: Good-bye Days by Yui
  • Insert song: Skyline by Yui
  • Insert song: It's happy line by Yui

[edit] DVD Release

There are two Japanese DVD releases of Taiyou no uta, a standard and a premium edition. The premium edition includes a bonus disc with nearly 90 minutes of making-of footage, deleted scenes, the music video for the song "Good-bye Days", and interviews with Yui, Takashi Tsukamoto and the film's director. It also has special features of Yui's Diary and a pick pendant with a necklace. Only Making of Taiyou no Uta was released on June 02, 2006. Both standard edition and premium edition was released on June 11, 2006. Midnight Sun has also been released on DVD in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The film's original soundtrack is available on CD.

[edit] External links

Singapore
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Sun_(film)"