Review of Whale Rider (2003) by Anna C — 10 Sep 2010
A universally applicable story that questions what do we owe the mythos and what does the mythos owe us. How does an individual accept or reject the load of adsorbing his or her cultural/familiar past and passing it forward.
Do you accept that past as Dogma or do you meld it to the current. I looked at the cover and the description and mistook this for a Disney-esque style antiseptic kids movie it is not this is more tribal myth style.
Twins are born to the son of a New Zeeland Indian tribe chieftain. The male heir and mother die in child birth. The chieftain is blinded by a search for his 1st born male heir he ignores the sorrow of his son.
The tribe was down trodden and the chieftain was waiting for a male heir to bring his tribe back to there center. The son names his daughter Paikea, a name set aside for the next 1st born male in the chieftain?s family line, the heir that would bring the tribe to prominence.
The son leaves his daughter to the care of her grandmother and grandfather(the chieftain) and leaves the tribe to become a successful traveling artist. The movie jumps ahead to Paikea entering young adulthood.
Her grandfather the chieftain develops a loving relationship with Paikea but has open contempt for Paikea?s interest in the training to be a chieftain. Like ?The boy who wanted to be a Polar Bear? this movie stays true to a mythical theme.
Not Mythical in the current vernacular but in the old stories told before movies and videos.
This review of Whale Rider (2003) was written by Anna C on 10 Sep 2010.
Whale Rider has generally received positive reviews.
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