Every one of us has a different way of dealing with the loss of someone and the grief after a person is gone from our lives. While others might choose to isolate themselves for a while, preferring to deal with these feelings alone, whereas others decide on a more spiritual route, a newfound belief in religion or something else which might bring a moment of solace. In her short film “Mo'o” Anela Ling explores these ways of dealing with a difficult task from the perspective of two boys who lost a person that was quite dear to them. The feature was submitted to the 2018 ‘Ohina Filmmakers Lab and won the Jury Award as well as the PIC Mentorship Award.
“Mo'o” is screening at CAAMFest Forward
After the death of his mother, life has not been the same for Kekoa (Sir Cornwell), who has been dealing with the loss in his own way, meeting friends and doing other things to distract him. Meanwhile, the visit of his nephew Mika (Tysen Joa) has brought back the memory of his mother, since the young boy insists Kekoa should keep his promises and take him to a supposedly haunted mansion, where Mika hopes to contact the spirit of his aunt. While his nephew talks to him about spirits, Kekoa becomes increasingly annoyed with him and ultimately takes him to a party where he meets some of his friends in school. However, Mika is set on contacting the spiritual world, a plan which will confront both of them with the loss they have experienced, but may also bring them closer together.
Anela Ling's feature debut combines elements of various genres, teenage drama with quite a few scenes of suspense and even the possibility of romance. With the focus of her script on the story of the two boys and their way of dealing with the loss of their mother/aunt, she makes a rather touching and emotional statement about how these experiences can re-affirm the bonds between people and how the memory of a person still lingers on in someone's mind. In one of the most powerful scenes, Mika and Kekoa face a part of a road where an accident happened a while ago and which is also now supposedly haunted. Whereas the former is eager to see for himself whether the spirits are there, the fear Kekoa shows may be linked to actual horror or the unease of having to face the possibility his nephew might be right after all.
Apart from the two strong lead performances, “Mo'o” is also visually a beautiful movie. Sawyer Chesnut-Pinto's cinematography frequently emphasizes the possibility of the spiritual world by keeping a certain level of ambivalence in the various images. Combined with the atmosphere of suspense, grief and hope, this is a very effective mixture, giving many scenes a very symbolic nature.
“Mo'o” is a very interesting and aesthetically quite pleasing short feature. Director Anela Ling mixes elements of drama and suspense to tell a story about two people trying to cope with the loss of a loved one, and how that brings them together.
