Mahiru no Hosizora : Starlit High Noon

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=Starlit High Noon=

Japan 2005Production: Tayhoo Tokyo Co., Horipro Inc.
Screenplay: Nakagawa Yosuke
Cinematographer: Yanagida Hiroo
Art Direction: Yasuda Kyo
Cast: Suzuki Kyoka, Wang Leehom, Kashii Yu
format/screen ratio: 35mm, 1:1.85, Color
Running Time: 92 min., 24 frames/sec.
Language: Japanese

[Synopsis]

Lian Song, a Taiwanese hit man, leads a double life: he carries out his "assignments" in Taipei, then hides out in Naha (Okinawa), Japan until things cool down.

He has a favorite laundromat in Naha where he goes on Saturday evenings because a young woman named Yukiko is alwaysthere then.

Lian Song is in love with her, although he knows neither her name nor where she lives. But his sweet little romance has no chance to blossom, as his boss tells him to return to Taipei shortly.
Lian Song tries to make thebest of the remaining days in Naha by asking Yukiko to have dinner with him. She is cautious at first, then accepts his invitation.

The Chinese food he cooks is delicious, and Yukiko is impressed by the number of dishes on the table. After dinner, Lian Song accompanies Yukiko home, and asks to see her again, but she refuses. It seems her heart has recently been broken. But Lian Song doesn't give up,and hopes for a miracle.

Meanwhile in Taipei, the police are hot on the heels of the gangster syndicates. For that reason, the gang Lian Song belongs to is negotiating with its rival, whose boss LianSong killed. The rival gang demands that Lian Song be handed over to them as payback. Not even the top-level bosses can prevent this trade.

The day of the handover approaches, and Lian Song still knows nothing of the deal. Before leaving for Taipei, he writes a letter to Yukiko telling her that if she comes to see him at the airport, he will remain in Naha. If she does not, then he will return to Taipei for good.

Lian Song entrusts the letter to a girl whom he meets at the swimming pool. But she is secretly in love with Lian Song, and out of jealousy, she throws the letter in the trash.

With Yukiko nowhere in sight, Lian Song boards the planebound for Taipei, where the cold-blooded plot set up by his gang awaits him...

[Director's statement]

STARLIT HIGH NOON tells the story about what happens to the girl called Yukiko who also appeared in my second feature film Departure.

I have cut the dialogue down to aminimum and made the story as simple as possible.

There are only four main characters in this film. Music is alsoused only in the essential moments. I was determined to do it this way so as to create some kind of tension and aunique rhythm.

This film has neither gunfights nor excitingcar chases to attract an audience. Instead, I did my best to enhance the quality of each scene as highly as possible.

I would like to say a big thank you to my excellent staff. The quality of the actors exceeded my expectations. Suzuki Kyoka and Wang Leehom embodied the idealistic world I had always envisaged in my head.

STARLIT HIGH NOON is my favorite film. I am very much looking forward to seeing the film together with the audience.

[Yosuke Nakagawa Bio--filmography]

Nakagawa Yosuke was born in 1961 in Tokyo, Japan.
After studying economics at Musashino University, he joined a major publishing company.
He also began writing screen-plays at that time. After leaving the publishing companyhe made his debut as a director with Aoi Sakana (BlueFish) in 1997.

Source : blog.tom.com