Set against the lush beauty of O‘ahu’s windward side, REELING follows Ryan, who returns to his family’s longtime homestead after a life-altering accident for a birthday lū‘au meant to reunite family and friends. But beneath the warmth of music, laughter, and torchlight, old wounds and unspoken tensions resurface. As the night unfolds, Ryan is forced to confront the buried memories and devastating truth behind the moment everything in his life changed forever.
REELING is a lyrical and emotionally gripping drama that world premiered at SXSW and went on to play sold-out screenings at HIFF last fall. After securing distribution through Future of Film is Female, supported by Neon, REELING will embark on a one week run at Consolidated Ward starting this Thursday, with special after-film Q&As from select cast and crew.
Read this short interview with director Yana Alliata:
1. REELING feels deeply intimate and emotionally raw, especially in how it explores grief, guilt, and unresolved trauma. What was the original spark or idea behind the film, and what compelled you to tell this particular story?
Our memories make us who we are as storytellers. Without them, we question our entire identity. The original spark happened at a friend’s annual birthday luau where I had one of the best days of my life, and made great memories as the party got a little too loose…growing up on Oahu was an experience unlike any other. The question came to me: What if our memory was the primary antagonist in a psychological drama? As a result, I constructed a story about a man who returns home for a birthday luau after a life altering accident and uncovers the memory of when things took a tragic turn.
2. The film unfolds almost like a pressure cooker, with tension steadily escalating while largely confined to a single location. Can you talk about the challenges and opportunities of building that kind of atmosphere through performance, blocking, and visual language?
I love family dramas, suspense and psychological films that portray a form of “evil in broad daylight”. In REELING, I set out to make a tense psychological drama against the idyllic Hawaiian home I cherish so dearly. I have always been a fan of squirmy, uncomfortable social situations throughout my work and wanted the audience to be an observer in this one. Although it is fictional, the audience feels like they are watching a documentary at times because of the authentic environment and local casting. The cinematic language as a result is a steadicam opener, long takes and lingering improvised moments. The main character’s mindset is the opposite of the relaxed aloha Friday environment so I utilized a chaotic percussion that symbolizes the contrast of his internal world with the external world.
3. Without giving too much away, the main character is carrying an immense psychological burden throughout the film. What conversations or perspectives did you want to explore regarding mental wellness, trauma, and emotional isolation, particularly within local communities where these subjects are not always openly discussed?
We should look inward and question whether we have behaved like this in social situations toward someone that is different from us. Often we prefer to mask discomfort with politeness and “not deal” with a difficult person in a selfish desire to enjoy ourselves socially. Are we all culpable of surface level conversations rather than confronting the truth head on? Absolutely. Can we deal with the pain head on or do we continue to turn a blind eye and have another beer with our friends?
4. REELING had an incredible journey from its world premiere at SXSW to its Hawai‘i homecoming screening at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival last fall. What was that experience like for you, and how different did it feel sharing the film with local audiences here at home?
I was thrilled to have received distribution with a very nuanced and specific local film which also captures my upbringing on Oahu. It is an honor to have made something with my Ohana and share it with audiences across the US. Local audiences have been the best because they totally relate and we’ve all been at a luau similar to this one! I loved sharing it at HIFF last year and look forward to local audiences watching it this week only at Ward.
5. REELING is also notable as a 100% Hawai‘i-produced independent film at a time when the local film scene feels like it is at an important crossroads. From your perspective, what excites you most about the future of indie filmmaking in Hawai‘i, and what do you hope continues to evolve for local filmmakers trying to build sustainable careers and tell stories from here?
What excites me about the future of independent film in Hawaii is that there are so many local voices and visionaries, both indigenous and kamaina, whose stories should be told by whatever means possible. For filmmakers wanting to build careers, the only way to do that is to make your own films rather than wait for permission. What I hope continues to evolve is the state support and local tax incentives so that this can be more achievable for everyone. The local film community is the most supportive in making films out here – the drive, passion and stories are there and soon there will be many more local feature films distributed across the U.S.
Advance tickets are on sale now through Consolidated Theaters website.
