Kumu Hina (2014)
★★★½ — Kumu Hina (2014)
Kumu Hina arrived in 2014 as a co-production between qWaves.com, ITVS and Pacific Islanders in Communications, running at a brisk 75 minutes and carrying the tagline "a uniquely Hawaiian love story". The film sits in an interesting space: part cultural record, part personal portrait, part coming-of-age story, all woven together without any obvious seams. It is the kind of documentary that manages to do several things at once without feeling scattered, and that is largely down to the confidence of its two directors, Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, who have a background in socially minded documentary work and who clearly earned the trust of their subjects over a considerable period of time. The production is modest by any mainstream measure, but that modesty suits the material. There is nothing polished-but-unremarkable about the filmmaking here; it has the texture of genuine access rather than managed presentation.
At the centre of the film is Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, known to her students as Kumu Hina, a Native Hawaiian educator and cultural practitioner who occupies the traditional role of Mahu in Hawaiian society, a figure understood to embody both masculine and feminine qualities. The film uses her life and work as a lens through which to examine broader questions about identity, tradition and the preservation of indigenous culture in modern Hawai'i. Alongside her story runs that of Ho'onani Kamai, a young student who identifies similarly and who pushes to lead the school's male hula troupe, a journey that provides the film with much of its warmth and its most quietly remarkable scenes. Leo Anderson Akana also appears among the principal cast. For viewers interested in other documentary portraits from outside the Western mainstream, the site has reviews of Nom Tèw (2009) and Next Goal Wins (2014) that are worth a look, and for something else rooted in Pacific Island culture and co-produced with Fijian involvement, the review of Vai (2019) is relevant context here. Those who enjoyed the observational, community-focused approach of Candomblé in Togo (1972) may also find this one speaks to similar instincts.
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.
As I said, I genuinely wish I could have spent more time with the cultural side of things, because every moment the film gave over to traditional Hawaiian practice, to the hula, to the care for ancestral burial grounds, to the language and the philosophy behind the Mahu role, felt like something rare and worth protecting. Ho'onani's arc, in particular, stays with you. That moment during the performance, the sheer force of her voice filling the room, is the kind of thing that reminds you why documentary filmmaking exists in the first place. Kumu Hina herself is a remarkable presence, generous and clear-eyed about who she is in a way that never feels performed for the camera. The difficult passages involving her relationship are hard to watch precisely because you care about her by that point, and the film earns that discomfort honestly. It is not a perfect documentary, but it is a genuinely affecting one. Sometimes that is more than enough.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2014 | Watched: 2025-06-18
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Kumu Hina (2014) on YouTube
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