沙摩亞島

Paradise Bent is one of the world’s first studies of the Samoan fa’afafines: boys who are raised as girls and play an important domestic role in Samoan culture. The anthropological spotlight has shone on Samoa many times this century. But there has been no mention of fa’afafines－is it possible the anthropologists just didn’t notice them? According to the Samoans, fa’afafines have a long history in their culture. The traditional role of the fa’afafines is now under threat as the Western drag scene filters into Samoa. The older fa’afafines are not impressed. Through our main character, Cindy, we see the complexities of life facing the modern day fa’afafines in paradise.

Customs of Polynesian natives on a Samoan island, centered on the daily life and on the coming of age ceremony of the young man Moana. It reconstructs Polynesian culture before the coming of Western culture, though iron blades are used. Daily tasks like cooking, fishing, hunting and gathering are most of the picture.Mainly interesting for the material settings. Flaherty treats the Samoan life as almost that of a paradise – the only discomforts being wild boar and the pain of tattooing.

Flaherty’s follow-up to NANOOK OF THE NORTH is at once a realistic yet poetic look at life in the South Seas, focusing on a young Polynesian (Moana) and his family. Filmed over a two-year period on the island of Savai’i, in the Somoas. A classic, influential film (although not as highly regarded as his NANOOK or LOUISIANA STORY).