Review of Whale Rider (2003) by Morgan B — 02 Sep 2010

Whale Rider is about a young girl names Pai that survives birth after the death of her twin brother and mother. Because she is a girl, she is disowned by her grandfather for not being able to obtain the ritual inheritance of the Maori tribe, ancestors of the legendary Paikea, who arrived from Hawaaki `riding on a whale'. Wanted to be accepted so badly, she starts sneaking around her grandfather's all male initiation camp to learn the ways of becoming a wise leader. Through her grandfather's failure as "wise leader" to pass on his inheritance to any one boy in the camp, the sacred symbol "whale tooth" is lost for what he deems forever. Now it's up to the whales to decide who will be the chosen leader.

Out of desperation to be accepted by her grandfather, Pai calls on the whales asking for acceptance. A large herd of whales answers by fleeing to the shores of this coastal, fishing community. The whole Maori tribe flees to save these symbolic creatures. The grandfather, still not understanding who's to blame seeks to remove them from the mainline shore. When all attempts fail by the whole community, Pai finally realizes that her time has come. Through faith of her eternal calling she is given the opportunity to save the whales and the heritage of the Maori tribe; thus turning her grandfather's disregard into acceptance. A very informative film on the customs and rituals many even today still strive to overcome.

In relation to our world religions, it shows the comparison of how male dominance is still such a issue for many beliefs. Norms of marrying within your tribe or race is dominant even today as this movie will show. All people of different faiths are striving to become accepted in some form or another. This movie will shows the important relations in applying what one can learn in any society. (Mary DeJournette).