The Test, Chronicle of an Initiation

Set in the isolated Makira province in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, this film tells the story of a challenge, a rite of passage. It is also a tale of discovery, for the new generations of Solomon Islanders, of a ritual that has not been practiced for 30 years: the initiation to traditional skipjack fishing. To mark his transition into manhood, a 15-year old boy has to paddle a canoe out to sea in shark-infested waters to catch a tuna, one of the fastest fish in the world. His story is conflated with the story of his community as both seek to re-assert their place in the world.