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Hawaii (2013 film)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Hawaii
| image = Hawaii_2013_film_poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Marco Berger
| producer = Marco Berger
Pedro Irusta
| writer = Marco Berger
| starring = Manuel Vignau
Mateo Chiarino
Luz Palazn
Antonia De Michelis
Manuel Martnez Sobrado
| music = Pedro Irusta
| cinematography = Toms Prez Silva
| editing = Marco Berger
| studio =
| distributor =
| released =
| runtime = 102 minutes
| country = Argentina
| language = Spanish
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'Hawaii' is a 2013 Spanish language gay romantic drama film by Argentine director Marco Berger. Set in rural Argentina, it tells the story of two young men from different social backgrounds coming to terms with their growing attraction for each other.
Plot
Martn (Mateo Chiarino), an orphan, arrives at his former hometown hoping to stay with his aunt after his grandmother had died. He finds out that his aunt had moved without leaving a forwarding address. With no place to stay and little money, he beds down behind the ruins of an abandoned building. He looks around for odd jobs and is eventually hired by the writer Eugenio (Manuel Vignau), a former childhood playmate. Martn does not want to admit that he is homeless, and lies to Eugenio that he is staying with his aunt. Eugenio eventually finds out about Martn's situation and convinces Martn to stay at his house for the summer.
At first Eugenio does not seemingly remember much about Martn, but little by little they start to recall their shared memories as children. Eugenio realizes his growing attraction to Martn but is reluctant to pursue it, as he does not want to seem to be taking advantage of Martn's current financial situation. He is also afraid that even if the soft-spoken Martn might reciprocate his feelings, it might only be because Martn feels indebted to him. Martn himself is attracted to Eugenio, but he does not know if Eugenio is gay. And given his impoverished background, he does not want to presume on Eugenio's kindness.
Nonetheless, Eugenio and Martn slowly grow closer together, and Eugenio finds it becoming increasingly difficult to hide his attraction. One day while moving some furniture, Eugenio accidentally knocks over some drawings of naked men from his desk. Martn sees the drawings, but Eugenio pointedly avoids talking about it. It dawns on Martn that Eugenio might be attracted to him. Martn confirms his suspicions when he sees Eugenio's flustered reaction after he deliberately strips in front of Eugenio one night with the excuse of doing laundry.
Martn kisses Eugenio the next morning, confident that Eugenio is also attracted to him. But Eugenio unexpectedly rebuffs him, and Martn leaves confused. That afternoon, Eugenio discovers that Martn had packed up and left. He searches for him for several days but is unable to find him. Eugenio remembers Martn reminiscing about '"dos anans"' ("two pineapples"). He realizes that Martn was talking about a picture from a Hawaii reel that they used to look at on a View-Master as children. He looks for the reel and the old View-Master and leaves them behind the abandoned building that Martn used to stay at. A few days later, Martn comes back, carrying the View-Master with him. They smile at each other and kiss.
Cast
*Manuel Vignau as Eugenio
*Mateo Chiarino as Martn
*Luz Palazn as the seora
*Antonia De Michelis as the neighbor
*Manuel Martnez Sobrado as Eugenio's brother
Production
'Hawaii' was produced by a partnership between director and screenwriter Marco Berger and the musician/composer Pedro Irusta. It was funded through Kickstarter campaigns. The first campaign with a target budget of $40,000, ended unsuccessfully. The campaign was relaunched with a smaller target budget of $20,000. It successfully raised $27,000 allowing the shooting to continue. Berger describes 'Hawaii' as a "Jane Austen contemporary story", noting that it evokes the same classic tale of two people from different social backgrounds and the dynamics between the powerful and the helpless.
Screenings
The film was an official selection at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI), the BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival of the BFI London Film Festival, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and films festivals in Barcelona, Seoul, Taipei, Copenhagen, and Berlin.
See also
*'Ausente' (film)
*'Plan B' (2009 film)
References
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