[Periodically, I will publish posts on movies that I have been unable to find and watch. These are part of my “Wanted!” series, and this is my first post in that series. If you know how to find a “Wanted!” movie, please let me know. I will be most grateful.]
In 1996, director Tim Savage premiered his billiards short film The Lemon Tree Billiards House at the Hawaii International Film Festival. The film took first place in the short film category. It then aired on local Hawaii TV about 15 years ago in a time slot following the Super Bowl. But, unfortunately, if, like me, you missed either of those showings, then you missed what was presumably a very entertaining tale that merged billiards with gangsters, and magical realism with local Hawaiian culture.
To learn more about the movie and potentially find a copy, I successfully tracked down Dana Hankins, the President of RedHead Productions and the producer of The Lemon Tree Billiards House. She’s been immensely helpful and our exchanges have only furthered my wish to see this film.
The film is based on a short story of the same name written by Cedric Yamanaka. It was originally published in Honolulu Magazine 15 years ago for a fiction-writing contest. Now, the story is available in his eight-story collection In Good Company.
The story is about a college freshman, Mitch, who fancies himself somewhat of a pool hustler. After accepting an invitation to play 8-ball against an unknown opponent, he quickly learns that he will play the infamous, 265-pound Locust Cordero, widely believed to be a menacing, local hitman. The wager: first person to win 6 games wins $500. And while the pool game forms the “action” of the story, the real story ends up being about the similarities Locust and Mitch discover in one another.
Hankins shared with me that when she first read the story, she “loved the characters, the inclusion of pidgin (dialect), the quirkiness of the cultural beliefs and the element of magical realism.” Local actors were cast, including a number of well-known Hawaiian comedians. That’s an interesting mix…probably the same way I might describe one of my favorite (non-billiards) movies of all time – Beasts of the Southern Wild — which amazingly and effectively used local actors, language, and cultural beliefs and interwove it with magical realism (particularly through the mind of Hushpuppy).
Hankins couldn’t promise me a date when the movie would become available once more, but she did say that she “intends to get the film cleared for internet streaming in order to share with long-time fans” and that it will likely be “combined with two other short festival films…all made in Hawaii…and all having moments of magical realism.”
If you’re as eager to see the film as I am, let me know or leave a comment. I promise to share with her the feedback.
