There’s a scene that’s a staple in old Westerns — a cowboy standing alone, gun in hand, all the while protecting his town from a band of miscreants. And that’s no exception for “The Wind & the Reckoning,” which features the true story of Ko’olau (played by Jason Scott Lee), a Hawaiian rancher who contracts leprosy and is forced into isolation by decree of the 1865 “Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy” enacted by the United States Government. Like in other Westerns, Ko’olau doesn’t cower in defeat and instead decides to fight for freedom. But unlike other Westerns, Ko’olau isn’t fighting alone. He has his wife, Pi’ilani, and other Native Hawaiians (Kānaka Maoli) infected with leprosy who help him in the fight against tyranny.
This film is based on the memoir “Ka Moolelo oiaio o Kaluaikoolau” (“The True Story of Kaluaikoolau”) written by the real-life Pi’ilani. And screened at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival this past May.
Character Media sat down with the lead actress of the film, Lindsay Watson, who plays Pi’ilani to find out what makes “The Wind & the Reckoning” so important to Native Hawaiian culture, but also the personal connection she has to the story.
CHARACTER MEDIA: Before making this film how much did you know about Ko’olau’s story?
LINDSAY WATSON: I was born and raised in Hawaii, and I never heard the story. That was the moment that I realized this was an important story to tell. It’s really a moment in history when the Hawaiians stood up for themselves and [were] actually victorious. Ko’olau and Pi’ilani said, “No, we’re not going to do that. They fought against it and they were victorious.” This needs to be taught to Hawaii’s next generations, [they] need to know about this from a young age — to know that we fought back. We didn’t just go easy.
CM: What were some ways you researched your character, knowing Pi’ilani was a real historical figure? Did…
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