Moon Child (2003)

Dir: Takahisa Zeze

Considering this was co-written by and stars Japanese pop stars Hyde and Gackt from Malice Mizer, I was expecting an ineffectual bit of fluff at best. It's fluffy, sure, but it's fluff in the best possible sense. Set in the future, "Moon Child" follows the intertwined lives of a gang of street kids, growing up in a violent, hopeless gun culture. As children, they save a vampire from burning himself alive in the sunlight and he becomes integrated into their bleak lives, watching as they grow up and learn life's lessons the hard (and often bloody) way. The film is directed with skill, beautifully photographed and impeccably acted (Gackt, in particular, excels himself). The storyline never ceases to be engaging and is in turns funny, thrilling and even a little moving. An action-packed feast for the senses and a phenomenal exercise in 'hip'. Sort of like a "Lost Boys" for the cyberpunk generation. Unique stuff. ***1/2