By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Christopher Makoto Yogi
Starring: Chanel Akiko Hirai | Constance Wu | Hau'oli Carr | Kanoa Goo | Nelson Lee | Steve Iwamoto | Tim Chiou
Country: united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 100
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11741044/reference
Chris says: “As Masao (Steve Iwamoto) nears the end of his life on the coast of Hawai’i, he’s visited by the ghost of his wife, Grace (Constance Wu), who died at a young age. Flashbacks to their courtship and marriage coincide with the era of Hawaii achieving statehood and how the couple’s actions had repercussions on Masao’s subsequent relationships with his parents and descendants.
“Decidedly not a simple film, it unfolds like a tone poem, at times almost verging on David Lynch territory, only more contemplative. Although thematically similar to UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, it has little of that film’s playfulness and occasionally meanders a bit. However, it greatly benefits from a multilayered sound design combined with imagery that fully captures the setting’s natural beauty without romanticizing it. The end result is a journey that’s soothing and unsettling in equal measure. 4 cats
“(Screened at IFFBoston 2021.)”
Michael says: “As many of my friends know, I have been enjoying a run of films/TV about grief and how it affects people so profoundly and in so many different ways. But so many stories are focused on the people who are left behind. I WAS A SIMPLE MAN follows Masao on his gradual journey from life to death. Much of that journey takes place in the form of memory, but like UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, Masao is also visited by his beloved wife who died years before and sits with him as he loses touch with his life. Masao led a life of isolation, so it’s also difficult for the family he is leaving behind who now find themselves called upon to help out his body starts to shut down. While Masao and much of his family live on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, they live on opposite sides, and one son lives on the mainland. It falls upon one of his grandsons, Gavin, to take care of him during his final days. Gavin is perplexed by this situation as he never really knew Masao very well when he was alive, and his rural way of life differs greatly from big city life in Honolulu. Masao barely registers Gavin’s presence, lost as he is in his memories, and preparing for his journey.
“Writer/director Christopher Makoto Yogi was driven to make this film after a year of dealing with several unexpected deaths in his family, one in which he had a role similar to Gavin’s. He also wanted to fill his film with the experience of living in Hawaii… not the one we see on television or movies, but the true experience. His creative use of sound, the wind, the surf, the insects…. sound is always present. Nature is always present. Yogi’s soundscape is nearly as prominent as the visuals, and it paints a beautiful portrait of life on these islands, a life that is filled a complex history, and a diverse people. 4 cats
“Screened at the IFFBoston 2021”