‘Ni’ihau’ Is the Latest Subject of Whitewashing Controversy
It’s been a whopping one-and-a-half months since Ghost in the Shell came to theaters and reignited the conversation over why, oh why we‘re still casting white actors in nonwhite roles, so we’re overdue for another dose of outrage! Luckily, the new film Ni’ihau has arrived just in time to kindly oblige us by freely misinterpreting when not outright rewriting one of the most sensitive chapters in American history. Here’s a quick litmus test to establish whether or not you’re prepared to run a movie studio: when you hear the name Kanahele, do you picture a native Hawaiian, or a guy who looks like he just missed out on the lead role in Me Before You?