Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun (localized title, originally Taiyou no Uta or "Song of the Sun") is a 2006 film directed by Norihiro Koizumi, and starring singer/songwriter YUI. Apart from being frakkin' adorable, it helped to launch YUI's career and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival when it was released.

Meet Kaoru, just your everyday female high school student. Every morning, she stares wistfully out her window at the cute surfer boy at the bus stop across the street, and dreams of meeting him one day.

Too bad the sunlight would kill her. You see, Kaoru suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum, which is most easily explained as an allergy to sunlight. Symptoms include skin problems, bodily weakness, and oh yeah, constriction of the brain. Thanks to her watchful parents and understanding friend, she's avoided the worst, but still has to stay inside all day (which does wonders for her social life). To get through it all, she sings and plays guitar at the local train station every night, returning before sunrise. And wouldn't you know it, she just happens to run into her mystery surfer boy.

It's a doozy. As one of the most heartwarming films in recent memory, it desperately needs more love, if not for the story, then for YUI's awesome songwriting.


 * Award Bait Song: "Goodbye Days", which is still YUI's biggest hit to date. It's a subversion, though: She spends the whole movie writing it, and an orchestral version is used in the background throughout the film as opposed to only the end credits.