Hawaii is a quiet film about sexual longing between two men from different socio-economic backgrounds. Despite the title, it’s set in rural Argentina.
If you don’t like quiet, artsy movies, Hawaii is not for you. Martín (Mateo Chiarino) is young man who finds himself homeless after his grandmother, who he was living with, passes away. He squats behind an abandoned building and wanders around looking for odd jobs.
On his search for money, Martín runs into Eugenio (Manuel Vignau) and asks if he needs someone to do some work around the house. Eugenio explains that he’s only watching the house for his aunt and uncle but will ask them if they have any work they want done. They talk, then Martín remembers that they grew up together. Eugenio only vaguely recalls Martín and tells him to come back the next day.
Martín returns the following day and is put to work. They begin talking about the past and find that they have some shared memories. One of these memories is of killing a cat, which I found disturbing. There are other stories that define their childhood differences in specific ways, so I was able to focus on those. And while Martín continues to work, the two men become sexually attracted to each other.
When Eugenio asks if Martín needs a place to stay, Martín lies and says that he’s staying with an aunt. Eugenio doesn’t seem to believe him, and the two skirt around Martín’s economic situation. Eugenio makes sure Martín is fed, showered, and has clothes.
Since it’s summer, both men aren’t often fully dressed. They steal furtive glances at each other and find ways to be together while wearing minimal amounts of clothing. And despite that, Hawaii never feels like soft core porn. It holds your interest and is somewhat arousing without being perverse.
Writer/director Marco Berger put together a film that is as much about visuals as it is story. Berger also uses a soundtrack as evocative as the images on the screen. Despite its 102-minute runtime, it never feels overly long.
The only drawback to this movie was including the childhood story about the cat. I would have given Hawaii four stars, but the cat story was a bit too much and unnecessary. It’s too bad because the rest of the movie is so well done.
One response to “Movie Review: Hawaii”
[…] like the previous film I reviewed by director Marco Berger, Hawaii, The Blonde One is beautiful. Every scene feels natural, and the cinematography pulls you in. […]