Review of Iki Haole: Nico's Hawaiian Adventure

In this little 53 minute film, a Romanian boy named Nico sets off on an adventure in Hawaii. First, there are no earth shaking adventures to report on. Then, as another reviewer alluded to, you have to forget about logic to watch this story. Things like: why is a 15 year old Romanian boy flying alone into Hawaii, with no one watching over him, no apparent place to stay, no money, and his only objective seems to be to "go to the beach"! Is this normal for Romanian boys? Some kind of rite of passage into manhood? I can hear the phone call now, ... "Hey Mom, it's Nico, guess where I am!" In the background we hear the boy's father yelling "Did Nico run away again?!" So, put away all these kind of thoughts and just enjoy the little film. It's worth the 53 minutes just to watch Nico Almasan. I did not know it would even be possible to find a 15 year old boy, anywhere, that is as sweet as this one. And, I truly believe Nico was just being himself. Watching Nico is like watching a puppy dog at play. Who doesn't love that! I think the word "cute" sums up this film, for me at least. So, Nico being alone in Hawaii, meets a young local fellow named James, who takes Nico into his care and shows him around the islands. These are the adventures. James tell us that Iki Haole is a Hawaiian term meaning "little foreigner". There is a little drama in the story at the end, and we are not sure how it will play out. This film was made in 1995, and I sincerely hope that Nico has grown up to be a happy, healthy and successful adult, wherever he is.