Watches
March 23, 2022
Malaysian director Edward Yeo has found in Japan a very fitting place to produce his dramas. The country has a strong and respected tradition making drama cinema, on the other hand it does make it quite a bit harder to stand out from the crowd. Though Yeo makes a commendable effort, I think that's where he still struggles a bit.
Moonlight Shadow revolves around two couples who are also best friends. Their time spent together is lovely, but it is cut short when two of the four die in a traffic accident. The remaining two struggle to come to terms with their loss and remember a story about the moonlight shadow being able to reunite people with the dead.
Nana Komatsu is a perfect lead, the score and cinematography are very pleasant, and the plot creates ample opportunities for the drama to shine. The only thing missing is a level of finesse and/or nuance that makes the best Japanese dramas more palatable than the competition. It's all a bit too obvious at times, other than that a fine film.