Page 2 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - March 24, 2021

2 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK MARCH 24, 2021
Rotten
Wandering In Middle America
BY CHRIS MCKINNEY
PAPAYAS
I’ve never been to the American Southwest. Except for one layover in Chicago, I’ ve never been to the Midwest. Basically, the only exposure I’ve had to the Midwest or Southwest comes from Willa Cather, Toni Morrison, AP U.S. History, Breaking Bad and the one time I binged Aerial America on the Smithsonian Channel.
Nomadland, which just won Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes, is deep- ly embedded in these unfa- miliar (to me) American re- gions. Frances McDormand plays Fern, a woman in her 60s whose husband died of cancer and whose hometown died of the Great Recession. All that she has left is her van and a few cherished posses- sions. Fern takes to the road, does some seasonal work at an Amazon warehouse, then joins a community of fellow nomads who winter in Arizo- na every year. After failing to find post-winter work in Ari- zona, she hits the road again
Based on a 2017 piece of nonfiction, these are charac- ters based on real individuals who live alone on the road, yet they’ re some of the most neighborly people around. In an age when slick cyni- cism saturates entertainment, Nomadland is refreshing. It’s quiet. It’s simple. It never shoots for plot twist trickery. And the film reminds its view- ers that the world isn’t just populated by loudmouths and jerks. It’s populated by resil- ient, nice and genuinely good
people, too. Tough and kind are not mutually exclusive.
Nomadland doesn’t ex- actly motivate me to book a ticket to places like Arizona or South Dakota today. But the landscapes are gorgeous, and the movie makes this Hawai‘i boy feel less trepi- datious about visiting Mid- dle America one day. I really enjoyed watching this film and wish there were more out there like it.
chrismckinney808@gmail.com
Frances McDormand stars in Nomadland, the film that took home Best Motion Picture at this year’s Golden Globes. SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES VIA AP
These modern-day nomadic characters who live in their vans and RVs are trapped by severe financial limitations, yet they’re free and dignified at the same time. There are only two constants in this film: McDormand, who is amazing throughout, and the displays of human kindness among the tough-as-nails nomads.
and finds herself in another nomad camp in South Da- kota. Throughout the movie, Fern remains, by choice, on a permanent road trip.
It’s rare for a movie to be several conflicting things at once, but that’s what Nomad- land is. It’s bleak yet hopeful, ugly yet beautiful. It’s heart- breaking and heartwarming.
At its core, Nomadland is also a story about how a wom- an decides to go on after she’s lost everything. It’s about the pensive search for meaning as one ages alone. It captures the monotony of everyday existence and seamlessly con- joins it with brief moments of tragedy, beauty and human connection. It’s life. McDor- mand and director Chloé Zhao convey all of this complexity with astonishing skill.
Nomadland is available on Hulu.
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest). Answers are on page 7
RATING: SILVER
★ ★
hawaiianrealty.com 800-667-5028 ext. 8122
Denise S. Nakanishi
RB-17031, ABR, CRS, GRI, SRS
“Major Mom is a Major Difference”
cell 936-5100
majormom@ilhawaii.net
You’d be hard pressed to imagine some of the calls REALTORS® get. None are more interesting than those who want information about adversely possessing property. Several years ago, a popular story circulated about an adverse possessor on the mainland “buying” a home worth over $300,000 for about $16. We’ve had our fair share of those looking topursueadversepossessionofourlistings.Todoso requires moving in without permission. Some even removed my sign and lockbox and changed the locks!
After being ordered to leave and locked out, some even returned!! They likely thought they’d succeed under the laws of adverse possession. Truth be told, the “$16 Dollar Man” probably didn’t get to stay long. Thankfully, all of our hopeful “homesteaders” left peacefully. Here’s reality. There are several ways an owner might lose property without permission. Property can be foreclosed to satisfy liens, the government can condemn it for public good or an
estate might be surrendered to the State if no heirs can be found. It can be seized when use is related to criminal activities. It is also possible that, by omission, property could be lost through adverse possession. To be successful in an adverse possession claim in Hawaii, the claimant (person trying to adversely possess) must occupy the property continuously for20years. Thisperiodvariesfromstatetostate. Other requirements in Hawaii are that that anyone attempting to claim adverse possession must occupy the property completely without the owner’s permission. The occupancy must be made in such a fashion that the owner would absolutely know someone was on the property if they visited. The person attempting to claim title must have always represented that they own the property. This may include paying the taxes but remember, the tax office doesn’t care who pays the taxes. Even making consistent tax payments won’t establish ownership. Thetaxofficewillmailthebilltotheaddresstheyare given. Land Court properties and any parcel over 5
acres in size cannot be adversely possessed under any circumstance. Many of our larger subdivisions, including most Puna subdivisions, are Land Court properties. Unique to Hawaii, Land Court is an additional system of recordation. All deeds, liens or transfers actually go before a judge who approves the transaction. One of the criticisms of Land Court is thattheoriginalregistrationprocessiscumbersome. It seems that in our remote island state, having this protection might make a lot of sense. Thousands of parcels were originally sold through the mail. Many owners have still never seen their property. As much as those involved in today’s real estate transactions complain about land court, the original developers were wise in taking the extra step involved in Land Court registration. As an owner, be wise; visit your property now and then to be sure you don’t have uninvited guests who might want to threaten your ownership rights and if you are interested in adverse possession, you may want to think twice before becoming just a garden variety trespasser.
YE OL’ GARDEN VARIETY TRESPASSER!
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