Moonlight in Tokyo (2005) Synopsis

"Swan Lake," "The Ugly Duckling," magical realism, and two Chinese men in Tokyo. Jun is mildly mentally disabled, in his late 20s, living with his siblings after his mother has died. Knowing he's a burden to them, he runs away to the Shinjuku district where, on the first night, he recognizes another Chinese he knew in school years earlier - it's Hoi, a wannabe gangster deeply in debt to a loan shark who's just had him beaten. Jun helps Hoi home and the next day a quasi-protectorate starts. Hoi and a Chinese friend market Jun as a Korean gigolo. There's more to Jun than meets the eye, and more to Hoi's past. Who's taking care of whom?

"Swan Lake," "The Ugly Duckling," magical realism, and two Chinese men in Tokyo. Jun is mildly mentally disabled, in his late 20s, living with his siblings after his mother has died. Knowing he's a burden to them, he runs away to the Shinjuku district where, on the first night, he recognizes another Chinese he knew in school years earlier - it's Hoi, a wannabe gangster deeply in debt to a loan shark who's just had him beaten. Jun helps Hoi home and the next day a quasi-protectorate starts. Hoi and a Chinese friend market Jun as a Korean gigolo. There's more to Jun than meets the eye, and more to Hoi's past. Who's taking care of whom?

September 05, 2022 at 09:56 PM