Finally watching Princess Ka’iulani for the first time. I really want to like it but you guys....this is rough

Altho I know I shouldn’t expect anything because this it’s written/directed by some British guy so it couldn’t be from a more whiter lens

Which explains why the film’s original title was “The Barbarian Princess” which, altho it is what she was called when she went overseas, that title already shows me whose perspective we’re seeing her story from before we even see a frame of film

Ugh. I feel like I’m gonna be venting throughout this whole screening so I apologize

This scene where she’s arguing with her father and he slaps her face already shows such a misunderstanding of Hawaiian culture

The scene lighting ceremony scene where they’re about to light up ‘Iolani palace for the first time and the Hawaiian league rolls up with guns forcing Ka’iulani to be taken away didn’t happen.

Seems like there’s a lot going on in this film so I’ll say some good stuff too. The actor playing Kālakaua is pretty solid

She just arrived to England and they’re already setting up the love story with this douche with a shit attitude. Is he like a millennial of the 1880s?

And remember, this is the 1800s. I’m SURE they were calling her harsher things than “Barbarian Princess” and “Princess of Nowhere”

Not too sure about her shells and assigning memories to her but I like it. It’s a nice touch. I’m interested in seeing how they tie it in at the end

I’m glad they’re showing that she’s bilingual and it’s not all in English.

Don’t know much about the details of her time and her love life in England but this shift to the film being just about her relationship is agitating me. Can there be ONE film about a powerful, non-white woman that doesn’t eventually revert to her needing to be loved by haole guy?

She just learned of Kalakaua’s death. So we’re in 1891. I love Ka’iulani’s story but now I’m thinking about all the action the film is missing by ONLY staying on her. But that’s where a full narrative series would fill in these holes. @netflix get at me

She goes to this ball, gets insulted to her face and needs her haole bf and friend to step to defend her? But giving the lines to him and keeping her silent shows her grace and the alliance they have so I get it. It’s just that the film built her to be so proud this far

Glad they mentioned Hawai’i having the highest literacy rate.

Ka’iualani riding her bike away from her bf “You think you mean more to me than my country?!” I’m so glad they went this way but I’m predicting she romantically forgives him in a very Hollywood way.

Scene where Ka’iualani is learning of the Wilcox rebellion. It wasn’t a massacre as the film says. “How many died?” “Too many.” In reality, one republic soldier died. It lasted little over a week and Wilcox, along with many Hawaiian leaders were arrested for misprision of treason

Scene where Ka’iulani is heading to seek audience with President Cleveland regarding the overthrow and her dad comes in asking why she didn’t go after her bf instead? Foreal?

She’s about to say her speech and of course they have her pulling the old Hollywood, I’m too shy to read what I meticulously prepared up until now but let put it down and speak confidently without it so you know I’m speaking from the heart.

Scene where she meets with President Cleveland: The analogy of cumin shouldn’t be on hen with America shouldn’t be in Hawai’i was actually pretty good.

But unfortunately again, by staying with Ka’iulani’s perspective, this film is missing a lot of what is going on in Hawai’i in terms of Hawaiians politically fighting for the Queen.

Ka’iulani never visited the Queen while she was in prison. She arrived after. And if she did, the Queen would’ve NEVER said Hawai’i was annexed because it never was and they all knew that. Even to this day, there is no treaty of annexation. They all would’ve known this back then

Idk guys. There’s 20min left and that detail has completely lost me. Maybe if she was more angry or spoke about the fraudulent annexation because she was so knowledgeable in law but she just says “Hawai’i was annexed” and starts crying. Talk about uniformed, colonial storytelling

I guess I’ll power through this...

I do love how the Royal band is messing up the US national anthem at the “annexation” ceremony

This film really does nail the “Fuck Lorrin Thurston” vibe tho

And now this film is letting Dole off the hook and making him look like an ally to the monarchy

Aaaaand the bf is back. Ugh. Could this get any worse?

“The kanaka could vote.” AGAIN. This film is acting as if the generous US is granting suffrage to HI for the first time. Hawaiians always could vote before the Bayonet constitution. Let’s not pretend like this was some great political victory

Aaaand now they’re just making out in bellows because that’s what’s important right now...

Ok the bf left and she stayed in HI. THANK YOU but that whole live storyline was unnecessary BS

Ending shot. “To this day Hawaiians strive to perpetuate culture and nation”. Should’ve been “To this day, no annexation exists outside of US textbooks and propaganda.” But I didn’t expect accuracy from this movie so

As inaccurate as this film is, I think at least it’s a step towards telling Hawai’i stories but we definitely need to get ppl who know the stories to tell them.

And Q’orianka not being kanaka didn’t bother me as much as everything else. I met her at my first big “Hollywood Hills” party in 2011 which was fashionably and literally an “all white” party and ironically a “Hawaiian” theme. I’ll tell you guys about that some other time

But she was cool, she was the only one not in white and actually was rocking a legit red and white muʻumuʻu and we had a good conversation. I think she did as good of a job as she could’ve with the material given. Actually all the actors did. This writer/director needs to go tho

Princess Ka’iulani. I’d give it a 3/5 since I got thru it but don’t feel the need to watch it again. This was fun tho. I think I’ll do this again with other films about Hawai’i just to give a little perspective from someone who knows a bit about the history and the industry