i saw this when it premier and just re watch it on ifc again . this be a great telling of the many possible story about the immigrant farmworker population that come to hawaii to work the sugar plantation in the early 1900 . my grandparent be part of that migration while my parent be bear on a kohala plantation ( big island ) at the time setting of the movie . i move to the big island over a year ago after live in california for over 30 year . i be surprise to see that many of the former cane grow land be still undeveloped and with wild cane still grow and year after the plantation close . i have hear many story from my aunt and uncle who be kid grow up on the plantation . this movie help to image those kind of story and memory . this story be more of an historical document than a romantic plot drive movie . it leave me shake my head to read a review like ccthemovieman . some people just do not get it . i do not recall that youki kudoh have the starring role and with which she do an incredible job . i recall her great performance in jim jarmusch mystery train and in an australian film and co star with russell crowe and heaven burning . tamlyn tomita do a great job with her pidgin english and especially for someone who do not grow up in the island . i have forget that toshiro mifune have a cameo role a the move picture show narrator . and i miss the fact that jason scott lee have an uncredited and non speak part a one of the plantation worker during the payday scene . i be sadden to find out that the director and co writer and kayo hatta and die in an accidental drowning in 2005. there be two other excellent foreign film that mirror this cane plantation experience represent gaijin about the immigrant cane worker in brazil ( many of them japanese ) in the same time period while and sugar cane alley about the cane plantation experience in africa . the latter be still available and but gaijin and sadly and doesn not appear to have be show in quite a while . another great film about the early asian in america experience when immigrant be more like slave be a thousand piece of gold . this be set over the chinese worker involvement in the building of the railroad and star rosalind chao and chris cooper and michael paul chan and and dennis dun .