Kumu Hina (2014)
★★★½ — Kumu Hina (2014)
Kumu Hina is a feature-length documentary co-directed by Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, the latter a geneticist turned filmmaker whose earlier work includes The Gay Gene (2007) and The Conduct Unbecoming (2011), both exploring identity through a social-science lens. Produced with support from ITVS and Pacific Islanders in Communications, the film sits within a modest tradition of PBS-adjacent independent documentaries that prioritise cultural preservation alongside personal story. It centres on Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a māhū (a Hawaiian and broader Polynesian tradition of a person occupying a space between male and female), and was shot on location in Honolulu. Released in 2014, it arrived during a particularly visible period for transgender stories in American media, though its grounding in Native Hawaiian cultural practice gives it a distinctly different register to most of that conversation.
A-Z World Movie Tour Fiji This was an incredibly touching and powerful documentary. It was centred around Kumu (Teacher) Hina who is a Muha (middle-person). She is trying to keep Hawai'ian culture alive by teaching the culture to the kids and by engaging in activities such as ensuring burial sites are treated with respect etc... What I love about this documentary is you learn so much about how progressive and advanced Polynesian attitudes are towards trans or gender fluid people (at least that's what's depicted here). They understand that biologically... you're a boy or you're a girl, but Gender is a spectrum between Masculine and Feminine energy and it's entirely possible to be anywhere on that spectrum including Muha (the middle). I absolutely respect that. That's just self expression in the truest way. The documentary also shows Hina and her marriage to a man (I believe from Fiji). He really isn't very nice to Hina at times in this movie and it's a difficult watch, bordering on emotional abuse. Thankfully this doesn't detract too much from Kumu Hina's message. The other person it focuses on quite alot is a young girl called Ho'onani who considers herself a Muha and wants to engage in lots of boy activities. It was equally touching watching the boys take her in and eventually respect her as a leader. When they were doing their performance her voice was so powerful and loud it moved me to tears. I really hope they're living a happy life 10 years on from this documentary. I would have rated this higher if it focused a little less on Kumu Hina's marriage and a little more on the subject matter where we started, Hawai'ian culture.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2014 | Watched: 2025-06-18
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