Pear ta ma 'on maf

Saw the film at the first theatrical release in Honolulu. I was surprised at how many people were in the audience given the type of film (inde film with subtitles). The film quality at times wasn't great (grainey and exalted). There was a Q&A after the film and there were several other Polynesians in the audience that really identified with the film, growing up on a small island and looking forward to bigger adventures in life.

There was one scene involving pigs that an audience member asked about and the thoughts of the director and how it came across weren't really in sync. His description of what he was trying to say via the visuals wasn't presented in such a way that I received that same message. The film does show some very beautiful views and vistas of the island and the people. It also gives some insight into the day to day life of people who live on a small island.

I enjoyed the film overall to get a look into other areas of the world and to see the cultures of those people. In the case of this movie, I think that mission was accomplished successfully.