Review of Whale Rider (2003) by Se7Enth A — 04 Feb 2011

Shot in the New Zealand, which is well known for standout cinematography. This is based on a 1,000-year-old Maori's legend, it is steeped in an aura of mysticism complete with hauntingly beautiful musical scores. I wish the film industry would make more gems as wonderfully moving as this one, it is filled with rare divine goodness. All around, the performances are convincingly heartfelt and solid. The driving force of this film is Keisha Castle-Hughes: who is absolutely striking on the screen, her performance is breathlessly splendid. It was a thrilling debut indeed.

The tale of the whale rider is probably similar to other heroic tales around the globe. Heroes who are barred from taking their rightful place because they are of the wrong caste, or color, or gender. Whale Rider is one of the most moving films I have seen in a while. I was weeping by the end of the film and every tear was earned. No doubt heart tugging but it was not overdosing on sentimentality. This wonderful tribal treat has it all: Poignant, intelligent, courageous and culturally informative.