Review: ‘The Navigator’ Doc Film is a Poetic Tale of Ocean Voyagers

“Make the simple promise for young people in the future to launch something. Launch something good.” ⛵ Another wonderful documentary that deserves more attention and acclaim. Too many of them this year, too many of them every year, that are absolutely incredible but should be seen by more and more people. The Navigator is an extraordinarily touching, humble film about the handful people who are brave enough to make the astonishing voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti and back using no modern instruments for navigation – only the stars (and our moon). The original attempts to do this in the 1970s & 80s were a way to prove their ancestry and show that, definitively, yes human beings from thousands of years ago successfully navigated and sailed on the open water across 2,400 (nautical) miles to other islands. This film is about one of these men, Nainoa Thompson, while also explaining the idea behind this voyage & how they did it. Thankfully it’s not so much of a biopic as it is a look at the importance of this voyage, and the importance of passing down this knowledge (of how to navigate on he ocean solely using stars & waves) to the next generations. I’m still caught up in it days later – an instant favorite documentary that filled me with hope and courage. The Navigator just premiered at the 2026 Hawaii Film Festival and will play at more festivals soon this fall. // Continue Reading ›