Review: Three Wise Cousins
The ‘island life’ seems so cool, calm and collected, surrounded by mass blue ocean and white sands, coconut trees and men in skirts. A paradise amongst other serene islands, what’s so hard about living? Well it’s not as easy as you think in Three Wise Cousins.
Three Wise Cousins had me laughing, crying and admiring the beauty of the Pacific Islands.
Director, Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa, sheds light on the reality of the Pacific Island life and takes the audience through the beautiful island of Samoa and New Zealand. The film Three Wise Cousins follows Adam, a New Zealand raised Samoan, who has little to almost no knowledge of the Samoan culture, language and way of life. Trying to impress the girl of his dreams, Adam buys a one-way ticket to Samoa, hoping his cousins Tavita and Mose will help him become the guy of her dreams, “a real island guy”. Almost like a Samoan boot camp, Adam has a bit of a culture shock, in more ways than one. The island life is hard compared to growing up in New Zealand; from waking up before the sun rises, working the plantation, finding and cooking food, all with almost no rest throughout the day under the blazing hot sun. Eventually Adam has to decide whether it’s all worth it for one girl.
The film is in English and Samoan, with English subtitles when needed. While Three Wise Cousins may look like a low-budget film, it delivers a message about family values and cultural perspective, all with a cheeky and witty humour. Although the cast lacks in previous experience, they make it up with their ability to entertain the audience and show the struggles, as well as the beautiful life on an island.
Three Wise Cousins has gained wide attention from the Pacific Island community, but anyone of any culture could watch and take the same lesson and humour out of it. I rate this movie a 7.5 out of 10.
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