Review of Whale Rider (2003) by Garrett R — 29 Apr 2010

WHALE RIDER is a film that envelops you in its majestic atmosphere and lets its story unfold with sincere ease. First off, Keisha Castle-Hughes as Pai is captivating and beautiful young actress. She brings a genial outlook to her character that is unseen in many coming-of-age films, whether they're American or international. Based off of the short novella by New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera, WHALE RIDER's craft and simplicity are what make the film a great watch. It's also easy to tell that the book is excellent as well.

WHALE RIDER tells a simple story of right vs. wrong, family ties, past tragedies, growing up, and new beginnings. Every 1,000 years, a small Maori village in New Zealand selects a heir to the position of leadership the village holds dearly. That person will be known as "the whale rider" (it's a tradition of theirs to be known as them, because the ancients from their line of ancestry rode whales to come to their currently occupied land). One particular fathers' baby would be chosen as this heir, only that the male (the traditional gender of descendancy) baby and mother died and the female baby lived. Pai is her name, and she grew up living happily with her grandparents and away from her grieving father. The only thing that is off with her life is her tough grandfather, a man who lives by the old ways of the Maori and sees it fit to have a male be the leading heir of the tribe.

The rest of the story unfolds like a family drama, but in the first act develops into a coming-of-age parable and continues to stir one's emotions as the lead character Pai has to face unfair pressure from her grandfather. Keisha Castle-Hughes has plenty of presence and kindness to give her role the right touch of humanity in seeing that she's a good person who just happens to be living a life feeling guilty that she was born a girl.

Writer/director Niki Caro seems to have accurately adapted the novella into a film that radiates optimism and hard circumstances. Besides Keisha Castle-Hughes, the rest of the cast excels in their parts. The believability of their acting is very high, which only increases the true-to-heart nature of the story.

WHALE RIDER is a film to watch with an open mind and open heart, because tells its story with these two attributes. The film tells a sincere and moving story while the actors take their roles in, especially Castle-Hughes's, with teh right touch of humanity. Be ready for more Critiques and Opinions on Every Game and Movie I Can Get My Hands On!