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Every Day in Kaimuki

Country: united_states

Year: 2022

Running time: 81

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16378396/reference/

Chris says: “It feels too easy to label this as ‘Hawaiian Mumblecore’, even if that’s exactly what it is. The backstory is more interesting: Director Alika Tengan developed this around the real life circumstances of its star, Naz Kawakami, a young radio DJ/skateboarder who plans on moving from his hometown of Honolulu to New York City with his girlfriend who has been accepted into art school there. Although fictionalized and a bit heightened, it attains the looseness it aims for, coming off as an insider’s portrait of an urban area that just happens to be in Hawaii.

“Kawakami has the charisma and ease to carry a film and Tengan includes a bunch of neat setpieces (like a complex, lengthy tracking shot where Naz is talking on the phone for its entire duration) that feel honest and convincingly rough-hewn. Alas, it’s also a little too casual at times to the point of verging on aimlessness; as the girlfriend, first-time actress Rina White also comes off tentative and a bit flat. Still, it’s all likable enough–so much that I’m willing to see what other local stories Tengan might tell. 3 cats
 
“(Screened at IFF Boston 2022; currently without distribution.)”
Every Day in Kaimuki

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