Moloka'i Bound (2024)

-Written by Marty Coney. 

Moloka’i Bound tells the story of Kainoa Da Silva (Holden Mandrial-Santos) a young man

just released from prison in Hawai’i and his adjustment to life on the outside while trying to reconnect with his family. Any wrong move could land him back behind bars and screw up any chance he has to get to know his son. We follow his story from the minute he sets foot outside the prison gates.

Moloka'i Bound takes us on a journey through Hawaii that is off the tourist path. We get to see a little bit of the native culture that has sadly been eroded over time through imperialism and its effects on the people and how they view their native language and customs. It’s subtle and doesn’t hit the viewer over the head, but it’s an important reminder of what people lost, and the small communities who cling onto it and try to teach the future generations where they came from and to be proud of their people.

As a condition of his parole, Kainoa has to live with his sister and report daily to his parole officer who sees something in Kainoa and thinks if he keeps his head down he can rebuild his life, but straight away Kainoa falls in with an old friend who doesn’t seem to have his best interests at heart. Mandrial-Santos does a fantastic job portraying a young father who made a few bad decisions and ended up doing a large stretch in prison, but who is trying to make amends and show his son he is a better person now, wanting to be a father and teach the native culture to his son.

Director Alika Tengan, a native of Hawaii, has made a poignant move that takes its time and really lets us get to know our characters, especially Kainoa. Language, food, nature and being one with the land is something he longs for along with his family. And Director of Photography Chapin Hall filmed a beautiful movie that captures a Hawaii that we don’t get to see very often. Gorgeous shots of a sunset over a pier with the lights flickering off the water, aerial shots of the smaller islands’ stunning landscapes everywhere the camera looks, and the local towns and neighbourhoods.

The soundtrack is a standout for Moloka'i Bound with a mix of Hawaiian traditional music with pop and hip-hop; it adds an extra flavour to the film. There is a beautiful moment where Kainoa sings a traditional Hawaiian song with his sister and her voice is stunning. You feel like you’re sitting in the tropics with a cocktail in your hand. Composer Roger Suen does a great job with the music, which helps in setting the tone.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows onboard Moloka'i Bound as you really start to feel the 112-minute runtime as it slogs its way to the credits. It is my personal opinion, but I think if the movie was around the 90-minute mark it would have felt tighter and would have kept my interest better. The film has a few sound errors between scenes that, while they didn’t ruin my experience, were noticeable enough for me to mention them. However, pacing and a few sound errors aside, I think Moloka'i Bound is worth watching for the acting performances and the sense of culture you get from watching it.

Directed by Alika Tangan.

Starring Holden Mandrial-Santos, Achilles Holt, Kawika Kahiapo, Kamalani Kapeliela,

Kalena Charlene, Austin Tucker, etc. 

6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE