Northwest Film Forum

Hawaiian Punch follows two young Mormons, Nick and Tor, during their time in Hawaii. The audience is privy to their lives sharing a house and their recreational activities around the island. Afternoons are spent cliff diving, cruising on their moped along palm tree-lined streets and talking about relationships and religion.

As the film unfolds after a beginning title card about the urgency to find a spouse and marry, we understand that this is the context for their presence in Hawaii: Nick and Tor are there to meet girls. We are shown scenes of them flirting and arguing with women, awkwardly probing their standing as friend or potential suitor; with his editorial scalpel, Rao expertly chooses moments that reveal the advancing and retreating nature of early moments in a romantic relationship.

Knowingly, Hawaiian Punch lacks action. In fact, it is the inaction of the film and its protagonists that reveal the fundamental truth in their lives. Instead of spiritual enlightenment, these are two men on the verge of realizing their own stasis. Nick is pursuing romance as a devout Mormon, while Tor openly expresses his lack of faith and weighs the value of raising children with or without a spiritual community. Neither seem to reach any fulfillment, but their compelling thread of conversations builds throughout the film.

The backdrop of Hawaii, in all its splendor, is a pivotal part of this film and confectionary for the eyes. Rao, as the cinematographer, indulges himself and the audience with long shots of the rocky bluffs overlooking the ocean, men playing on the beach, a church surrounded by lush green foliage and a forever cerulean sky.

• If you're planning to see multiple features during Local Sightings 2013, check out our array of film festival passes for discounts.