Moloka'i Bound (2024)
Following his 2022 feature debut, Every Day in Kaimukī, Hawaiian filmmaker Alika Tengan returns to the director's chair for Molokaʻi Bound, a feature adaptation of his 2019 short film of the same name. The film follows a young man named Kainoa (Kawika Kahiapo) who is just getting out of a multi-year prison sentence. Coming out, Kainoa not only must figure out the practical next steps for his life as he tries to remain clean while reconnecting with old friends and finding work, but he also has to face his past and reconnect with his son. Screening as part of the 2024 San Diego Asian Film Festival, Molokaʻi Bound is an emotionally poignant feature that reflects island life and culture with a loving hand.
Much like it is for Kainoa who has to readjust to all facets of everyday life, Molokaʻi Bound can at times feel almost overwhelming in the layers it generates in world-building and perspective. Alika Tengan continues to dedicate his career to reflecting the culture he belongs to as a Native Hawaiian. Molokaʻi Bound is a film not only filled with love and celebration of the culture and how it continues to survive in the modern but also is a captivating look at how it tangles with other life experiences in a well-thought-out showcase of intersectionality. While Kainoa's experience cannot be separated from his culture, it also cannot be separated from his relationships with gender, socio-economic status, etc....
With authenticity and empathy behind the camera, Molokaʻi Bound is able to weave through the complexity of Kaiona's identity and life experience in a way that needs to be celebrated as Tengan continues to be one of the most culturally poignant voices working in film today. Even just visually, the film is wildly beautiful in how it captures the land of the island. Chapin Hall's cinematography evokes the natural beauty of this location with thoughtful shot composition and some wonderful use of color.
Kainoa's journey back from incarceration is naturally compelling. As he faces the temptations to fall into old habits but instead chooses to authentically try to piece his life back together and be there for his son, it is impossible not to root for the character. It also helps that the film never feels afraid to show his flaws, Kainoa is allowed to have his own complexity as a character and authentically struggle in his growth and development across the film. This also benefits from Kahiapo's excellent lead performance which brings a needed emotional power and vulnerability to the character as he has to rediscover his relationship to what was once his home and with who was once his family.
If there is one flaw within the film, it would be some of its more traditional and predictable story beats. While the film builds an incredibly worthy tapestry of culture and perspective on top of this narrative, it is hard to say that the actual narrative itself is one of many risks. Much of Kainoa's journey feels quite predictable and the film never feels willing to challenge its core narrative. While the film still survives as an incredibly watchable experience due to the work the film does to build deeper into the characters and world it focuses on, this still is felt at times and does no service to the film's 112-minute runtime which does feel like it could have been trimmed quite a bit.
While Every Day in Kaimukī was an impressive debut, Tengan only shows further promising growth within Molokaʻi Bound. Both worthy in narrative voice and technical craft, the film features a great lead performance and continues to prove Tengan's talents both as a director and writer.
Much like it is for Kainoa who has to readjust to all facets of everyday life, Molokaʻi Bound can at times feel almost overwhelming in the layers it generates in world-building and perspective. Alika Tengan continues to dedicate his career to reflecting the culture he belongs to as a Native Hawaiian. Molokaʻi Bound is a film not only filled with love and celebration of the culture and how it continues to survive in the modern but also is a captivating look at how it tangles with other life experiences in a well-thought-out showcase of intersectionality. While Kainoa's experience cannot be separated from his culture, it also cannot be separated from his relationships with gender, socio-economic status, etc....
With authenticity and empathy behind the camera, Molokaʻi Bound is able to weave through the complexity of Kaiona's identity and life experience in a way that needs to be celebrated as Tengan continues to be one of the most culturally poignant voices working in film today. Even just visually, the film is wildly beautiful in how it captures the land of the island. Chapin Hall's cinematography evokes the natural beauty of this location with thoughtful shot composition and some wonderful use of color.
Kainoa's journey back from incarceration is naturally compelling. As he faces the temptations to fall into old habits but instead chooses to authentically try to piece his life back together and be there for his son, it is impossible not to root for the character. It also helps that the film never feels afraid to show his flaws, Kainoa is allowed to have his own complexity as a character and authentically struggle in his growth and development across the film. This also benefits from Kahiapo's excellent lead performance which brings a needed emotional power and vulnerability to the character as he has to rediscover his relationship to what was once his home and with who was once his family.
If there is one flaw within the film, it would be some of its more traditional and predictable story beats. While the film builds an incredibly worthy tapestry of culture and perspective on top of this narrative, it is hard to say that the actual narrative itself is one of many risks. Much of Kainoa's journey feels quite predictable and the film never feels willing to challenge its core narrative. While the film still survives as an incredibly watchable experience due to the work the film does to build deeper into the characters and world it focuses on, this still is felt at times and does no service to the film's 112-minute runtime which does feel like it could have been trimmed quite a bit.
While Every Day in Kaimukī was an impressive debut, Tengan only shows further promising growth within Molokaʻi Bound. Both worthy in narrative voice and technical craft, the film features a great lead performance and continues to prove Tengan's talents both as a director and writer.