'Lychee Thieves' does islands proud
Kathleen Kwai Ching Man's film shows Hawaii in a realistic light
By Burl Burlingame, Honolulu Star-Advertiser
August 13, 2010
I approached "Lychee Thieves" with a heavy load of cultural cinematic baggage, because, for whatever reason, films made in Hawaii never quite ring true.
Either they're made by outsiders who have been snowed by the touristy "Aloha Spirit" propaganda, or Hawaii is simply used as a cute, colorful backdrop by characters just passing through. Or, even if local people are involved and there's a genuine desire to share the culture, the films end up so watered down and mutated to appeal to outside audiences that they just seem weird.
Like pod people in a sci-fi flick, Hawaii folk never come off as genuine human beings -- with depths of feeling and subtle cultural shadings that are obvious to us and opaque to outsiders. Better to invent a wholly fictional Hawaiian milieu, some filmmakers decide, like the sacred breathlessness of "Princess Kaiulani" or the modern big-city crime craziness of "Hawaii Five-0" or the cartoon pidgin of "50 First Dates" or "Byrds of Paradise."
Therefore, I was delighted to find that "Lychee Thieves" is a swell little film with a complex ethos, and beyond that, it's likely the most accurate depiction of life in Hawaii yet committed to film.
The story revolves around the annual craziness that ensues when lychees ripen and folks start angling to score fruit. Some people have lychee trees, most don't, and so a certain amount of politicking and negotiable behavior takes place.
No one group comes off well here, but no one really bad either. It's natural to want some lychee, yeah?
At a half-hour, the length works well. Pomaiki Pomaika'i Brown makes the biggest impression as a bruddah willing to work for lychee, and annoyed that sharing a tree's bounty is so socially difficult. Some of the smallest roles are perhaps slightly overacted, but that's a manini criticism in a short film that has to score points in few scenes.
Filmmaker Kathleen Kwai Ching Man wrote and directed "Lychee Thieves" with restraint and a keen eye for telling detail. For the first time, we get a film that's the visual equivalent of a short story from the literary journal Manoa.
"Lychee Thieves" is a film you'd show to reveal what life is like in modern Hawaii.
Is it too local? Is it too "local" for outsiders?
That's their problem.
Lychee Thieves wins Best Short at the Estes Park Film Festival
"We were honored and delighted to have screened Lychee Thieves as part of the 2010 Estes Park Film Festival! Its beautiful cinematography, inspiring message and realistic depiction of life in Hawai'i resonated so well with our audience. We want to thank Kathleen Man and everyone else who worked on Lychee Thieves for bringing such a wonderful film to Estes Park, Colorado!"
-Sean Doherty, Executive Director, ESTES PARK FILM FESTIVAL
Lychee Thieves at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center
What an honor to have Lychee Thieves be a part of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Heritage Film Festival. Kathleen Man Gyllenhaal revealed the intricacies of life in Hawai‘i and how fascinating and complicated it is to live in a multi-cultural landscape. There are numerous gems revealed in every frame. It is artfully written, beautifully filmed, and is storytelling at its finest.
-Hokulani Holt, Cultural Programs Director, MAUI ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER
The Indie Fest on Lychee Thieves
Lychee Thieves beautifully captures not only the breathtaking scenery of O’ahu, through the film’s remarkable cinematography, but also captures the ethnic tensions in Hawai'i that are often overlooked. It articulates the history of territorial conflict in Hawai'i through an allegory about Arnie and Ethel, the owners of a newly-bloomed lychee tree, who grow paranoid about their lychee being stolen by a Hawaiian stranger and their old Chinese neighbor. It is a must-see film that is comedic, insightful, and enjoyable.”
-THE INDIE FEST
Lychee Thieves at the San Diego Asian Film Festival
Lychee Thieves, an official 2010 SDAFF selection skillfully directed by Kathleen Man, delivers a charming and poignant story about a lychee tree that draws the attention of several would-be harvesters. Internationally
acclaimed cinematographer Anne Misawa beautifully frames the Hawaiian landscape from start to finish.
- SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FOUNDATION
Lychee Thieves at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival
By Christen Marquez, Reel Artsy
May 6, 2010
I saw the Lychee Thieves as part of the "Big Island Films" program at the L.A. Asian Pacific Film Festival. This charming short film was shot last year on my home island of O'ahu. Beautiful cinematography by Anne Misawa (Treeless Mountain) helps the film stand apart from others in the program. But what I enjoyed most was the film's ability to distill complex cultural conflicts unique to the islands into a cohesive and moving film under 30 minutes.
I spoke with Executive Producer Stephen Gyllenhaal at the Q&A after the screening. He told me Lychee Thieves is one of three short films that will eventually become a larger feature film called Cosmopolitan. I am excited to see it once it all comes together.
