Movie review: Midnight Sun

THIS is a Hollywood remake of the Japanese film Song to the Sun.
It’s a romantic melodrama about young star-crossed lovers, and revolves around a teenage girl who is afflicted with a rare disease that can kill her once she is exposed to the sun.
Katie (Bella Thorne) has spent most of her life behind closed doors and the world that she knows is what she sees out of her heavily-tinted windows.
Overly-protected by her loving widower father (Rob Riggle), Katie’s only friend is Morgan (Quinn Shephard), her best friend since childhood.
Through her window, Katie has spent years observing Charlie (Patrick Schwarzenegger) whom she has a crush on, and performing songs that she has written on her guitar.
One night, after high school graduation (Katie’s diploma is given to her by her dad), while busking in the nearby railway station, Charlie is drawn to Katie’s voice, but their initial meeting is a near disaster with a flustered Katie taking off after making a lame excuse.
Charlie picks up her journal that she has left behind, and the next day when Morgan comes looking for it at Katie’s behest, Morgan instead sets things up so that Charlie and Katie meet again.
Despite initial awkwardness, both realise that they are drawn to each other and start meeting regularly at night. Despite the urging of her father, Katie refuses to tell Charlie about her medical condition.
Charlie takes Katie on an unexpected trip to Seattle by train and after taking her to a live concert, gets her to sing one of her songs in public which draws a crowd on onlookers.
The night progresses well, until they lose track of time and when Katie realises that the sun is about to come up, she makes a mad dash home.
However, the few seconds of exposure triggers the disease, and you need to reach for a tissue from here on out.
There is great chemistry between the leads and that is what makes this film work on an emotional level.
There are some flaws here and there, but you will overlook it. Overall, if you like a good love story, you will enjoy this one.