In this award-winning documentary, filmmaker Kimi Takesue finds an unlikely collaborator while visiting her resilient Japanese-American grandfather in Hawai’i. A recent widower in his 90s, Grandpa Tom immerses himself in his daily routines until he shows unexpected interest in his granddaughter’s stalled romantic screenplay and offers advice both shrewd and surprising. Tom’s creative script revisions serve as a vehicle for his memories of love, loss, and perseverance to surface. 

Poignant and humorous, this intimate meditation on family and absence expands the vernacular of the “home movie” to consider how history is accumulated in the everyday and how sparks of humor and creativity can animate an ordinary life. 

Winner of a Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Official Selection at DOC NYC and CPH:DOX. 

Featuring selections from the FREE Kanopy streaming service; admission is free; popcorn included!