Whale Rider (2002)

“In the old days, the land felt a great emptiness.
It was waiting, waiting to be filled up,
waiting for someone to love it, waiting for a leader.
And he came on the back of a whale, a man to lead anew people.
Our ancestor, Paikea.”

The opening lines of the New Zealand film, Whale Rider (2002) describe the true legend of Paikea, and the origin of the Maori people. According to legend, Paikea decided to leave his home at Hawaiki, and set out to sea. However, he started to struggle, and needed help. The help came in the form of whales, which carried him to an island (currently in North New Zealand), where his ancestors lead the people every generation. The film takes this legend, and elaborates a fictional story of modern day upon it. The story takes place on the same island, where the first born son of the oldest son becomes a leader to the people. However, the chain of tradition is broken, when the main character, Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes), is born. Paikea's twin brother and mother die together, and cause her father to go into a deep depression. Therefore, Paikea should be the new chief of the Maori. However, she is a girl.

The film continues years later, and Paikea is now a smart and lovely eleven year old girl. Although she shares a wonderful relationship with her grandparents, her grandfather, Koro (Rawiri Paratene), is still greatly disappointed in both her (for not being able to fulfill 'her' destiny to be the new chief), and her father (who is still depressed over the death of his wife, and refuses to go out with other Maori women). Paikea constantly tries to impress her grandfather, she even breaks the sacred law by learning how to use the Taiaha, the sacred fighting stick. The depressing events of rejection and sorrow continue throughout the film, until it reaches the climax of depression when Koro discovers a entire beach filled with many beached whales. Paikea, confused on what to do in her situation, asks her ancestors to send help, as they did for the original Paikea. The help comes in the form of whales, but this time the whales are the ones in trouble. The entire town comes to help the beached whales, and they must all learn to trust each other, especially Koro, in order to save the whales (their past) and themselves (their future).

A wonderful film filled with important, everyday themes, I found Whale Rider an enjoyable family film. Although it lacks some of the more common aspects of this category, such as anvils and talking rabbits, it does have a wonderful feel to the film, and even lacks the parental disapproved, violent villain that is typical in most films. More prominent though, is the cover theme that is taught through the film. It has the moral value of equivalence (a value that is much needed in today's world), as shown by Paikea's constant struggle to gain acceptance by Koro and her people. Even though it is quite obvious that Paikea is overqualified in almost every category, she is still not accepted by her grandfather.

The person in question, Koro, is possibly the most conflicted and confused characters I have ever seen on film. Torn between his family and his tradition, Koro tries to uphold the lifestyles of the Maori without endangering his family. Koro fails horribly. As far as I know (which isn't that much), Maori tradition does not state that a male is required to lead the people (at least that is the way the film portrays it). However, because of his stubbornness to change, Koro sets out to find a different leader, one who might become a 'prophet' and lead the Maori out of a depression. However, it is hard to find things that don't exist (like all my missing socks). Whale Rider and Koro teach that we often find what we are looking for in the most obvious, logical, and least expected places (like my sock in the laundry, for instance). Koro, upset at Paikea for her double X chromosomes, found the leader in her: the most obvious, logical, and unexpected place (for Koro at least). Once Koro (or anyone for that matter) gets over the 'unexpected' phase, the answer is left to be only obvious and logical. For the majority of the film, Koro is shown to be struggling with his life, confused over what to do. He then admits to the Maori ancestors that he is inexperienced, that "I am only a fledgling new to flight". It is only when the whales (helpers of the Maori ancestors) are in trouble does Koro gain the experience to look past the unexpected phase.

*As an interesting side note, actor Rawiri Paratene was asked by the director to stay in character for the entire shooting process. It must have been a shock to the cast when they realized he was a nice guy*

Whale Rider, unlike some other foreign films, does not have what I call a 'cultural barrier'. The film does not contain any aspects in it that might confuse another culture. The film excellently explains anything that an outsider might not understand (These explanations do not feel out of place either). The only cultural problem that an outsider might have with the film is the accent that all of the Maori people have in the film. However, this can easily be overcome early in the film. If you were to have some strange accent learning ability, fear not! An obviously literate person has created the invention of subtitles!

The New Zealand film, Whale Rider, is a wonderful family film. With themes such as acceptance and equality, director Niki Caro has created a beautiful atmosphere (just ask the Lord of the Rings staff, they practically live there), a wonderful cast of characters, and an amazing story that everyone should see. You, along with the characters of the film, will learn that is O.K. to accept people as equals, and that asking for help is not a weakness, but sometimes necessary to gain experience in life.