Going for the gold

Polygamy forces women to find new resources

'Love for Share" tells three loosely connected stories about women in different socioeconomic groups dealing with polygamy.

'Love for Share' In Indonesian with subtitles Screens: 5 p.m. Wednesday Place: Dole Cannery

What might have been a sordid tale comes alive with well-drawn characters and believable yet surprising plot lines that illuminate the humanity in each woman.

In the first story, a female physician discovers her husband's second marriage when the other woman's child jumps into his arms at a public reception. Her politically ambitious husband, Pak Haji, instructs her to "throw away all of your hatred and jealousy toward (the second wife); otherwise you're the one who's sinning."

The multifaceted situation evolves over 10 years and comes to a boil when Pak Haji becomes seriously ill, and the first two wives discover in the hospital that there's a third young and beautiful addition to the mix. They all struggle -- sometimes overtly and comically, other times with highly developed passive aggression -- for the right to care for the now-paralyzed, incoherent man. Ironically, the third wife, an activist, explains that she was attracted to Pak Haji because he was "forward-thinking." Even more interesting revelations await at the end.

Three women relying on each other to survive in a cramped two-room house is the focus of the second tale. They either sleep together with all of the children, or take their turn "on duty" with their husband in the master bedroom.

While the women treat each other like sisters and best friends, the preening man seems like an afterthought. Amid pregnancies, financial difficulties and the introduction of a fourth wife, they manage to find love in unexpected places.

In the third story, an aspiring actress working as a waitress becomes the covert second wife of the restaurant's chef -- until their secret is discovered.

Writer/director Nia Dinata's lens focuses on women in a submissive role -- by circumstance, choice or force -- and the intrinsic power that enables them to make the best of the situation, or alter it. But the reception in Indonesia was mixed.

Men were offended, saying multiple marriages are for the good of women, Dinata has said. Women didn't want their husbands to know they were seeing the film, so they came in the middle of the day. They found a way -- just as the characters in the highly entertaining "Love for Share" might have done.

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How to HIFF

The 26th Annual Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival

Dates: Friday through Oct. 29

Tickets: $10; $9 children, military, students and seniors; $8 HIFF Ohana members -- available at HIFF box office at Dole Cannery Stadium 18

For a schedule: Programs available at all Starbucks, Dole Cannery Stadium 18 and the Hawaii Theatre or online at hiff.org.

Highlights

Sunset on the Beach: Free screenings of "Sharkwater" (Friday), "Na Kamalei: Men of Hula" (Saturday), "Tow-In Surfing" (Sunday) and "Check It Out, Yo! (Monday) at 7 p.m. on Waikiki Beach

"Lost: Television as the New Cinema": Panel discussion with "Lost" stars including Terry O'Quinn and Henry Ian Cusick, and co-executive producer Jack Bender; 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dole Cannery; $10.

Hawaii Night: Showcasing "Made of Music: The Story of John Cruz"; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26, Hawaii Theatre; $15.

Tribute Nights: To filmmaker Kevin Smith (7:30 p.m. Oct. 28, Hawaii Theatre) and actor Ken Watanabe (7:15 p.m. Oct. 27, Dole Cannery); $15.

Closing night: "Hula Girls" tells of Japanese coal-miners' daughters who take up Hawaiian dance; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at Hawaii Theatre; $20.

Feature Film Nominees

Along with "Love for Share," these are the nominees:

"The Bet Collector" (Philippines): Three days in the life of a harassed bet collector for an illegal lottery as she makes her rounds in the Manila barrios. Screens 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 26.

"Family Ties" (South Korea): An anthology of three intertwined stories about dysfunctional families. Screens at 7 p.m. Monday and 6 p.m. Oct. 28.

"Journey from the Fall" (Vietnam): The post-war journey of one family of "boat people" forced to leave their homeland of South Vietnam. Screens at 7:15 p.m. Sunday and noon Oct. 28.

"Memories of Matsuko" (Japan): A "fairy-tale tragedy" about of a woman in search of true love, her story pieced together by a nephew after her death. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 24.

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All screenings at Dole Cannery.

Documentary Nominees

Along with "China Blue," the nominees are:

"Blood of Yingzhou District" (China): Two HIV-positive orphans try to find a home in a Chinese province that is terrified of their disease. Screens at 1:45 p.m. Sunday and 8 p.m. Tuesday.

"Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi" (US): Follows the drug problems that ended the career of the inventive athlete, and his later redemption. Screens at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and 7 p.m. Oct. 28.

"Sharkwater" (Canada): A four-year journey into the most shark-rich waters of the world. Screens Friday at Sunset on the Beach and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"Time and Tide" (Tuvalu, US): A group of expatriates returns home after 20 years to the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu. Screens at 10:15 p.m. Monday and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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All screenings at Dole Cannery.