BTS Short Film

Synopsis (Long Version)

BACKSEAT WRITER unfolds over the course of one unforgettable Memorial Day in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, where the world premiere of THE 100TH, Seeds of Aloha is set to honor the heroic Nisei soldiers of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team.

As the band rehearses to play original music from the film in a pre-show to the screening, and the film crew prepares to document the historic evening, reporter Dan captures behind-the-scenes reflections about the emotional European production tour that retraced the soldiers’ wartime footsteps. At the center of the bustling preparation is Kristle — a gifted but reserved camera operator who experienced the journey firsthand. Along the tour — through cemeteries, monuments, and intimate encounters with descendants — she was profoundly moved. In quiet hotel rooms and on long bus rides, encouraged by her newfound crew ohana, she began writing a song.

During a production meeting, producer Steve reveals her secret and suggests she perform it live during the premiere, Kristle freezes. She is comfortable behind the camera — not center stage. The stakes feel enormous: a packed theater, veterans and military families in attendance, dignitaries in the front rows, and a national moment of remembrance. In a quiet aside, Steve invokes the soldiers’ motto — “Go for Broke.” If they had the courage to risk their lives, perhaps she could find the courage to honor their sacrifice.

As the red carpet is installed and anticipation builds, Kristle busies herself with filming, suppressing rising nerves. The pre-show begins with the band delivering a powerful medley of songs from the film. At the end, the audience erupts in applause. Then comes the unexpected announcement: one final song, written during the Europe tour by someone very special.

Backstage, paralyzed by doubt, Kristle imagines the Nisei soldiers not as distant ghosts, but as a huddle of encouragement at her back. Around her stands the crew who climbed mountains with her, listened to her early drafts, and became family along the way. They nod. They believe. In a symbolic exchange, she hands off her camera and takes her guitar. This time, she won’t stand alone.

Her voice trembles as she dedicates the song to the uncles and grandfathers whose sacrifices shaped the modern world. What begins as fragile and intimate gradually swells as the band layers in behind her. Memories of the European journey intercut with the live performance — Kristle listening, learning, and writing in the backseat of the tour bus. As emotion threatens to overtake her, her crew family joins in with harmonies, lifting the song and carrying her to the finish. The observer becomes the storyteller.

The final note lands in silence — then thunderous applause. In the aftermath, Kristle searches the audience and, in a fleeting moment of connection — real or imagined — locks eyes with the soldiers she sought to honor. She silently mouths, “Thank you.”

BACKSEAT WRITER is a story about legacy, artistic courage, and the responsibility of the next generation to carry history forward. It honors not only the extraordinary bravery of the 100th/442nd, but the quieter bravery required to step out from the backseat, trust your community, and claim your voice.