Review of Whale Rider (2003) by Josh L — 31 Jan 2010

I must admit, I was reluctant to watch this movie after I saw the cover, but after the first 10 minutes, I was sucked in. The movie begins in a hospital. A woman is giving birth to twins, a boy and a girl. There is much anticipation of the birth of this boy. He is the new leader of the Maori People. Legend has it that the baby boy is the latest descendant of Paikea: a man from Hawaiiki who rode into the land on the back of the whale. But the mother dies with during childbirth and so does the baby boy. Now the young girl is to grow up learning the ways of her people while at the same time, being shunned and blamed for the death and supposes destruction of her people This is an encoraging and touching story of a young lady with the heart of a chief.

This movie is great in relation to world religions. It gives you a visual understanding of another people's beliefs. Being from the U.S., I dont know what its like have such an importance placed on birth order. This movie helped me picture what many go through and also how important a religion plays in the everyday lives of the Maori people.