Sometimes for the oldest traditions to be kept, new ones must be made. And sometimes those changes are far from what one may expect.
In one of the most-inspired stories to appear on the big screen in years, "Whale Rider" rises to the enormous challenge of making a smart, poignant movie about a 11-year-old girl living with her grandparents in a seaside village.
The story begins with twins being born to the heir apparent of a small Maori village in New Zealand. Tragically, the older twin, a boy, and his mother pass away during the delivery, and only the daughter survives. The girl's father leaves his painful memories to wander the world and leaves with them his daughter Pai, who is raised by her grandparents Koro and Nanny Flowers.
Koro, the chief of the tribe, harbors hope for his oldest son to return and have more children, but when it becomes obvious this will not happen, he is left with a dilemma. While Pai is the only apparent child in the line of leadership, the idea of a girl being chief is unthinkable and Koro resorts to looking elsewhere for his answers. Once rejected but never giving in, Pai perseveres towards her goal as the rightful heir.
As the story progresses, it also grows, claiming more and more importance despite its seemingly trivial setting. The film's burgeoning finale pulls the remarkable trick of making the viewer feel lucky to witness an event of such great import.
While the story is excellent, the film's greatness is largely due to its leading lady, Keisha Castle-Hughes, who plays the heroic Pai with the all the grandeur that could be expected of a child actress. Castle-Hughes creates a dynamic, well-arced character who manages not only to carry the majority of the film but does so with gusto.
Niki Caro, the writer and director of "Whale Rider" -- based on a novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera -- shot the film on-site in Whangara, an actual seaside village in New Zealand. As it was shot primarily outdoors, the film is brilliantly lit and balances beautifully the sky, land, and ocean in a number of shots.
Yet perhaps Caro is the only one to blame for the film's few shortcomings.The most frustrating of these is the fact that the full mythical import of the film's final series of events is left buried in unexplained Maori mythology. And while the film's pacing could potentially be a problem for some, only those restless for the usual bells and whistles of average summer fare will be disappointed.
Most everyone else will be pleased, as the film, while sidestepping the tired tricks of those summer thrillers, stumbles upon something new and refreshing.
Rather than letting its characters rely on the plot devices of the film or allowing itself to become overwhelmed by the personalities it contains, the movie balances the two concepts into something which pulses with life. The characters are significant because the story captures our imagination; the story is great, on the other hand, because the people in it seem so passionately real.
"Whale Rider" has been met with acclaim at a number of festivals, receiving standing ovations and audience awards at Toronto and Sundance, and is one of the first early contenders for a foreign film Oscar nomination. Unlike most of the movies passing through the theaters this summer, which your life would probably be all the better for missing, this movie is one you won't begrudge for either the two hours or your eight dollars it cost you.
