If I Ain't Got You (2010)

"If I Ain't Got You is a candid look at a Samoan wedding. Mixing both traditional and contemporary approaches, the ceremony and reception are viewed through borrowed footage from the event videographer. Having just been married myself and as a guest at many similar weddings, I have always been intrigued by how both traditional and western approaches are combined. Whether owing to Samoa's colonial past or to the large communities that reside overseas contributing heavily to the local economy through remittence, that influence is what I find most interesting and arguably turns the occasion into a sort of theatre.

Within the film, there is also the tendency for both bride and groom to get lost in all the fanfare. Without direct involvement and subconsciously employing a cinéma vérité style, the camera operator catches certain moments that reveal an underlying subtext. Beyond the theatrics lay tender moments that we as uninvited guests are privileged to see through the camera."