REELING + SALVADOR

REELING

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REELING, the striking debut feature by Yana Alliata, is a lyrical and emotionally charged exploration of memory, trauma, and belonging set against the idyllic family property on Oahu’s windward side. After a life-altering accident, Ryan returns to his family’s homestead for a birthday luau, attempting to reconnect with old friends and relatives who now feel like strangers. As the pig roasts slowly in the imu pit and the atmosphere turns festive, buried tensions simmer beneath the surface. Amid laughter, music, and the glow of torches, Ryan finds himself increasingly unmoored—until a fragmented memory resurfaces, revealing the moment when everything in his life changed. As celebration gives way to confrontation, REELING peels back the layers of familial expectation, masculine vulnerability, and the cultural pressures of homecoming. With poetic visuals and a haunting emotional core, Alliata’s film is a poignant portrait of a young man struggling to make sense of who he was—and who he might become.  

Reminiscent of another striking directorial debut from a decade ago—Trey Edward Shults’ KRISHA—REELING is executive produced by the singular Werner Herzog. Alliata’s deft and efficient direction creates a pressure cooker of microagressions, awkward and cringeworthy situations.

 

Credits

 

*Filmmakers in attendance for a post-screening Q&A (first screening only)

Presented in Multiple Parts