The titular boy in the moonlight is actually the young spirit of a man who has been in a kind of vegetative state for the last 30 years. The tortured spirit wanders in that earthly space between heaven and hell, himself exploring the why of his tragic fate. His wanderings take him into the lives of those in his family who hover over and care for his sleeping broken body. The artful pacing, beautiful images and poetic dialogue, mostly uttered in hushed tones, help create a dream world for the story to gracefully unfold in. Not for all tastes, this fluid film is best bathed in rather than consumed. The one jarring aspect is the occasional appearance of cartoon characters that interact with moonlight boy. It is a creative risk that does not quite pay off ultimately. Still, the film is worth using your sixth sense to seek out.
3 Reviews
A Taiwanese 'Sixth Sense'
ozu24 June 2000
I happened to see this movie the same day I saw 'The Sixth Sense' and its remarkable how similar they are in theme, only where 'Sixth Sense' seemed ham-fisted and obvious, this film is subtle, intelligent and constantly surprising. Every time you think you've figured out what is going on, something else happens to throw you - so I won't go into too much detail and leave it to you to experience.
Weird film from Taiwan with an unexpected co-star
Leofwine_draca21 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
MOONLIGHT BOY is a very weird and experimental low budget film from Taiwan. By necessity I need to spoil the plot when describing it, so be warned. This is in essence an Asian version of the person-doesn't-know-he's-a-ghost storyline that's been done most popularly in THE SIXTH SENSE but also in the British horror anthology TALES FROM THE CRYPT, specifically the segment starring Ian Hendry.
The tale is as weird as it sounds. The main character is a youth who doesn't realise he's dead, so he wanders the Earth and tries to get involved - unsuccessfully - with the living. MOONLIGHT BOY is an extraordinarily slow-paced piece of film-making, with all of the emphasis on the gradual reveal of the mystery, although to be fair it's pretty easy to work it out early on.
The weirdest part of the film involves the protagonist's interactions with various crudely-drawn cartoon animals and people. This reminded me of the old Aussie kid's film DOT AND THE KANGAROO, although I suppose WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? would be a more recent source of inspiration. The oddest of these is none other than Lucky Star Eric Tsang, who appears both as an animated version of himself and later in person. Typical weirdness from Tsang; he's a hoot. Sadly, the rest of the film isn't really, and it feels more like a failed experiment than a successful film.
The tale is as weird as it sounds. The main character is a youth who doesn't realise he's dead, so he wanders the Earth and tries to get involved - unsuccessfully - with the living. MOONLIGHT BOY is an extraordinarily slow-paced piece of film-making, with all of the emphasis on the gradual reveal of the mystery, although to be fair it's pretty easy to work it out early on.
The weirdest part of the film involves the protagonist's interactions with various crudely-drawn cartoon animals and people. This reminded me of the old Aussie kid's film DOT AND THE KANGAROO, although I suppose WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? would be a more recent source of inspiration. The oddest of these is none other than Lucky Star Eric Tsang, who appears both as an animated version of himself and later in person. Typical weirdness from Tsang; he's a hoot. Sadly, the rest of the film isn't really, and it feels more like a failed experiment than a successful film.
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