By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Justin Chon
Starring: Alex Chi | David Matheny | Joseph Dang | Rich Brian | Yayu A.W. Unru
Year: 2023
Running time: 90
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15669052/reference/
Diane says: “My third film ‘at’ Sundance:
“Young Indonesian rapper James arrives in Hawaii to record his first album. He’s recently dumped his father as manager, replacing him with a much more savvy woman from LA. But Dad won’t stay dumped, and shows up at the label exec’s estate with the clothes on his back and a plastic bag full of apples he’s picked up from the ground. While father and son grapple with embarrassment and humiliation, we know they are also both grieving the loss of James’ older brother.
“What’s good: a fresh storyline; Yayu Unru as the father; depiction of the pain of having your artistic autonomy torn away; the bits of underwater photography; shots that float around a room like the curtains in the ocean breeze; use of music, especially ethereal choral music.
“What’s not so good: the script keeps cycling around with the father-son relationship, without taking us deeper each time; some clunky exposition.
“My favorite line(s): James to his LA manager: ‘Oh, you have kids? ‘Cause you’ve never mentioned them before.’ 3 cats.”
Jamojaya