Sarah Toce
Worlds collide in My Partner, a tender LGBTQ+, “boys’ love” feature film, starring native Hawaiian Kaipo Dudoit and Filipino Jayron Muñoz in their debut feature film roles, with Dudoit now set to star in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of the hit 2002 animated movie, Lilo & Stitch.
Grappling with many of the cultural and social issues facing the people of Hawai’i today, My Partner—the final film to shoot on location in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi, prior to the devastating fire in 2023—is a time capsule picture of the town.
In My Partner, two high school seniors in rural West Maui live in different worlds … but soon learn they aren’t so different after all. Pili (Dudoit), an extroverted Hawaiian jock, and Edmar (Muñoz), a high-achieving, introverted Filipino gamer, are caught up in a rivalry between opposing senior class friend groups at Lahainaluna High School.
The conflict comes to a head when Edmar’s group catches Pili’s group in the act of overfishing a native species in a restored fresh-water stream. Things heat up further when Pili and Edmar’s social studies teacher assigns the boys to work on their semester project together.
Despite protests and forced to work together, Pili and Edmar slowly learn that, despite appearances, they and their cultures have much in common, becoming closer as they spend time together—Pili learning about Filipino immigrants to Hawai’i and Edmar learning about Hawaiian culture and history. But things swirl out of control when their friends get into a battle.
My Partner will be available on major streaming VOD platforms, beginning Sept. 24, 2024.
Watch the trailer below.
