Whale Rider (***)
review by Jon Waterman

The position of chief is passed down to the first-born son of the direct descendants of the Whale Rider, the man that brought his people to New Zealand so many years ago. The current chief has two children: A stillborn son and a daughter. Fast-forward to a few years later and this little girl, Paikea (named after the Whale Rider), must prove to her grandfather that she is not someone to be tossed aside, even if she is not a man.

We’ve all seen a story like this before. A female character has to overcome diversity to prove she is just as capable as any male. Thousands of years of tradition and a stubborn grandfather are against Pai. Any talent or skill that could be perceived as manly must be repressed and ignored. I probably shouldn’t fault the movie for picking such tried and true subject matter. Just because the film is set in an unfamiliar culture does not mean it’s a new story.

Overall, though, the film held my attention. The script dragged in several places. Niki Caro (writer/director) balanced the shortcomings of the pace with the strength of the words spoken. I only have one main complaint: too much time was spent with the little boy, Jake. All of the time was relevant towards progressing the story, but nothing paid off for that particular character, so why invest the time. Jake and the others in the film all developed into believable characters. All were well rounded and brought a little something extra that you wouldn’t expect. The majority of the cast has worked on very little or nothing else, but everyone has true ability.

The stand out of the piece is Keisha Castle-Hughes (Pai). In “Whale Rider,” her first film, this young girl displays a talent twice of most big name Hollywood actors. Her range and emotional capabilities are purely astounding. It’s rare to find even a decent child actor most of the time. Children tend to be over-the-top and play everything up. Keisha tones it all down and lets the camera, and the audience, pick up the subtlety rather than giving an exaggerated, stagy performance. It will be interesting to see where her career goes and what she does next.

Whale Rider is a great, magical family film and an inspirational story. It may be too clichéd for a few to handle. Go into the theatre expecting a well-acted, intelligent variation of familiar subject matter with a little bit of mysticism mixed in, and you’ll be fine.

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