I Was a Simple Man

Released Nov 19, 2021

1h 40m

Drama

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List

89%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

78%

Audience Score

Fewer than 50 Ratings

I Was A Simple Man is a ghost story set in the pastoral countryside of the north shore of O'ahu, Hawai'i. Revealed in four chapters, it tells the story of an elderly man facing the end of his life, visited by the ghosts of his past. Incorporating familial history and mythology, dream logic and surrealism, I Was a Simple Man is a time-shifting, kaleidoscopic story of a fractured family facing the death of their patriarch that will take us from the high-rises of contemporary Honolulu to pre-WWII pastorals of O'ahu and, finally, into the beyond.

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Critics Consensus

I Was a Simple Man tells a simple story whose deceptively straightforward approach yields richly melancholic rewards.

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Michael Rechtshaffen

Los Angeles Times

A stirring, melancholic portrait of an ailing, elderly patriarch grappling with his encroaching mortality.

Dec 3, 2021

Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

RogerEbert.com

A 100-minute spell of beauty and melancholy, intimate and grand in equal measure.

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 19, 2021

Full Review

Wes Greene

Slant Magazine

The film's quietly uncanny narrative wondrously depicts not only a dying man's reflection on his life, but also the very nature of Hawaii itself.

Nov 15, 2021

Full Review

Nuha Hassan

The UnderSCENE

I Was A Simple Man is layered and reveals a lot more as the movie progresses, and there is so much to unpack.

Jul 20, 2023

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Two features in, Yogi’s still expanding his emotional and stylistic range for something that’s more often hypnotic than clumsy.

Nov 28, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Yogi turns something personal into a uniquely ethereal look at mortality, repression, and reckoning with the sins of your past. But it’s the perspective that’s distinct. Yogi tells the bulk of his story through the mind of a dying man.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 17, 2022

Full Review

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nohealani

How wonderful. Very touching, true, heartfelt. Proud of Yama👏👏🙏🏼 Mahalo Ke Akua for hearing your calling. Mahalo nunui loa for kākoʻo Kanaka maoli a pau loa creativity.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/24/21

Full Review

dave d

Christopher Makoto Yogi's film isn't for everyone. It has a subtle elegance, and explores loss and death in a meticulous way. It's scored beautifully and the Hawaiian scenery is unmatched, but there is a lot for the viewer to decipher and often the spoken words are so low and sometimes indistinguishable. Young viewers will likely be lost, but the patient older watcher will be rewarded with an emotional experience. While the actors elevate the film, the script just wasn't where it needed to be. Seeing the same character at different ages in the same scene does take some getting used to. I found myself rewinding a few times just so I wasn't totally lost. A more positive than not mixed bag! Final Score: 6.5/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Christopher Makoto Yogi

Director

Steve Iwamoto

Masao Matsuyoshi

Constance Wu

Grace

Tim Chiou

Adult Masao

Kanoa Goo

Gavin

Chanel Akiko Hirai

Kati

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I Was a Simple Man: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

I Was A Simple Man is a ghost story set in the pastoral countryside of the north shore of O'ahu, Hawai'i. Revealed in four chapters, it tells the story of an elderly man facing the end of his life, visited by the ghosts of his past. Incorporating familial history and mythology, dream logic and surrealism, I Was a Simple Man is a time-shifting, kaleidoscopic story of a fractured family facing the death of their patriarch that will take us from the high-rises of contemporary Honolulu to pre-WWII pastorals of O'ahu and, finally, into the beyond.

Director: Christopher Makoto Yogi
Producer: Christopher Makoto Yogi, Sarah S. Kim, Matthew Petock, Yamato Cibulka
Screenwriter: Christopher Makoto Yogi
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: Flies Collective, Simple Man, Island Film Group
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 2021, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.6K
Runtime: 1h 40m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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