Growing up in Honolulu, Hawai’i, I was always keenly aware of tourism. I watched tourists at a critical distance– sporting their garish aloha prints and fake leis, traipsing along the sandy beaches sunburned and tired, often talking too loudly and disregarding local etiquette. 

 In ONLOOKERS the tables are turned and I am now the tourist, traveling through Laos on a standard itinerary, from Luang Prabang to 4,000 Islands, alongside fellow backpackers and tour groups from around the globe. Those who have had the privilege to travel internationally know that even with the best of intentions, no one is above the vulgarity of tourism.

And, yet, with travel there is also great possibility for new understanding, meaningful cross-cultural encounters and illuminating life experiences. What does it mean to be a conscientious visitor? How do we interact with one another while respecting cultural boundaries? How do we sensitively engage with unfamiliar spaces, architecture, and nature? What are the different layers of “looking” and “seeing”?

ONLOOKERS contributes to a body of work that I’ve created over 20 years that explores the possibilities and limitations of cross-cultural encounters:  LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE (Peru, 2013),  WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME? (Uganda, 2010), and HEAVEN’S CROSSROAD (Vietnam, 2002). Led by curiosity, these are all visually driven, observational, intimate, hand-made films whereby I work alone, shooting and recording sound. Without a set agenda, I wander and find overlooked, everyday moments that are rich in meaning: funny, poetic, upsetting, moving. I’m interested in the interplay between naturalism and stylization in filmic images. How can the spontaneity of life unfold within a fixed, formal frame? This is a thrilling form of filmmaking that requires patience; I wait for moments when all the elements cohere: color, light, movement, meaning,

 ONLOOKERS invites the viewer on a physical and emotional journey through Laos with its shifting rhythms of stimulation and stasis. The film raises politically relevant questions around travel and sustainability, particularly in a time of COVID and “revenge tourism”; I’m also keen to create a sensory experience for the viewer and a contemplative space for reflection. In a world of constant distraction, ONLOOKERS insists on the importance of attentiveness. What might we gain if we look and listen deeply? 

-Kimi Takesue