To You Sweetheart, Aloha

S. Leo Chiang and Mercedes Coats' To You Sweetheart, Aloha is an affectionate portrait of Bill Tapia, a nonagenarian master of the ukulele who, shortly after the deaths of his beloved wife of 64 years and only daughter, was rejuvenated by a close friendship with his 26-year-old manager Alyssa and reached the pinnacle of recognition in performances given while he was in his mid-90s. After developing what amounted to a father-daughter relationship, Alyssa grew concerned that Bill might be falling in love with her, and decided to leave; happily, they reconnected after six months and renewed their relationship. Filmed over the course of two years, the hour-long documentary includes a good deal of intimate footage involving Bill, Alyssa, and their friends and family members, as well as direct-to-the-camera interviews and scenes of Bill's playing before enthusiastic audiences. It's impossible not to be moved by Tapia's grief over the loss of his daughter and the woman who, as he says, meant everything to him, or by his determination to continue performing despite increasing frailty. Still, while this PBS-aired film is genuinely warm and endearing (and the relationship between Alyssa and Tapia never descends into mawkishness), in the end it's also rather slight. Optional. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)