Steve Iwamoto and Constance Wu in I Was a Simple Man A lot of times the island is used as a pretty backdrop and the locals are at the margin, explains the filmmaker behind the Sundance dramatic competition title.
Christopher Yogi hopes to introduce audiences to a different Hawaii than the one they have grown accustomed to seeing onscreen. A lot of movies that take place here take place in hotels and at popular tourist spots, explains the filmmaker. A lot of times the island is used as a pretty backdrop and the locals are at the margin.
I Was A Simple Man follows a family as their eldest, Masao (Steve Iwamoto), nears death. The cast includes Constance Wu, who first workshopped the project with Yogi years ago at the Sundance Labs and plays Masao s late wife, Grace, as she returns to her husband while he begins his transition.