June 25, 2003 -- “Whale Rider” is one of those mythic films from down under, like “The Last Wave.” It mixes fantasy and reality, combining ancient Maori myths with modern political correctness. It is probably too slow moving to be a good kids movie, but it works well enough as an adult film.

The reason I mention kids is because a girl about 12 years old is the star of the show. That is pretty unusual for any movie, let alone a movie about a male-dominated culture like the Maori people of New Zealand. These polynesians landed in New Zealand and Australia a thousand years ago. According to one legend, an early ancestor, Paikea, rode a whale to New Zealand after losing his boat. The whale riding myth became tied into the rituals concerning the choosing of a new chief. Every generation an heir to Paikea's throne is born. The new leader is chosen by merit, not kinship. He must pass certain tests to prove he is a worthy successor to Paikea. Koro believes his grandson will be that new leader, but the boy dies at birth. His twin sister, Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) lives, but Koro rejects her.

Pai's father moves away to Germany, leaving her in the care of Koro and her grandmother, Nanny Flowers (Vicky Haughton of “Jubilee”). Koro gradually warms to the girl and he grows to love her, to a degree. Koro is greatly disappointed in his son, however, and Pai becomes the object of some of that bitterness. Pai, at last given the chance to live with her father, hears the call of the whales instead. She decides to stay with her grandparents despite her grandfather's antipathy. Koro begins training the young men of the village to see if one of them can be the next chief. Pai is inexorably drawn to the training despite Koro's opposition to this. Girls are not allowed to participate in the training.

With the aid of an amiable uncle, Rawiri (played by Grant Roa), she learns some of the quarterstaff fighting techniques used in Koro's training regimen. The rest of the training Pai overhears from her hiding places near the training site. She is able to best Koro's star pupil in a quarterstaff duel. Koro is very angry with her for interfering with his training and forces her out of his house. She goes to live with Rawiri's family, but Pai will return again to force an end to this conflict. This very painful conflict between Pai and Koro makes up the key element of the story. Koro represents the tradition of his people and he sees Pai and her father as threats to that tradition. Pai's father represents the many Maori who move away from their homes and traditions to join the larger society. Pai threatens the male-dominated Maori tradition. In a way this theme is similar to that of a very different film, “Fiddler on the Roof.” All we need to Koro to start singing “Tradition!, Tradition, Tradition!” It does have traditional Maori songs in it, by the way.

While the pace of this film is very slow, and the overall tone of the film is very sombre and it lacks humor, it is emotionally powerful. It also has a healthy dose of life-affirming messages about believing in yourself and listening to your inner (or whale) voice, following your heart's path and all that politically-correct girl power stuff. The film straddles the fence on the traditions of indigenous peoples. On the one hand, it affirms the tradition of the whale rider, and uncritically buys into that myth. On the other hand it defies the Maori's traditional method for choosing a chief with its gender-bending message. Hello, the training and trial method wasn't designed to name a queen, but a king. The film is an interesting, and often successful compromise in seeming to honor tradition, but at the same time delivering a politically-correct liberal tradition-breaking message. It is an artful balance of opposites.

Keisha Castle-Hughes is charismatic in the film's lead role. Her haunting beauty lights up the screen. The camera loves her face, and she does not overact. All of the acting in the film is subtle and understated. My favorite character is Uncle Rawiri played by Grant Roa. He's the closest thing the film has to a comic character. He steals every scene he is in. The photography in the film makes stunning use of the New Zealand seascapes. The location photography by Leon Narbey is beautiful. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2003 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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