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Whale Rider
When watching or reading television ads for movies, I think that the viewer likes the comments for the critic’s corner to be short and sweet. For more in-depth or thorough notices, they know what newspapers and websites to visit, but for starters, they simply prefer those one-word phrases, followed by who said them. For example: “Powerful!” – Leonard Maltin. “Amayzing!” – Harry Knowles. “Haunting!” – Roger Ebert. “Mesmerizing!” – David Manning. That’s fair, but for honest-to-God film critics who love to express their opinions in lengthy paragraphs, it’s a bit limiting to sum up your whole opinion with one word. In fact, it’s now become a point of embarrassment for many critics to have their names tacked on such clichéd, brief recommendations. And then there are those movies that leave us critics so flabbergasted and moved that all we’re left stuttering are words like, “Powerful,” “Amazing,” “Haunting,” and “Mesmerizing.” They are the only words that can give certain films justice, because the films render us speechless and spellbound at their intoxicating beauty. On that note, give a warm welcome to Whale Rider, one of the best family movies made in recent years. Here is a movie so absorbing, so beautifully told and filmed, and so wholesomely rewarding, I’m hard pressed to describe it, because it has, frankly, left me stunned. It is a film that truly demonstrates the reason cinema was invented. The story concerns a local, indigenous tribe called Whangara, who live in a rural village on the east coast of New Zealand. These are people proud of their culture and ancient religious beliefs, which have mixed well with a more Westernized modernization of their society. One man, however, is not happy with the new ways: Koro (Rawiri Paratene), the community’s religious leader. He is a man grounded in the ancient ways. He is also a direct descendant of Paikea, the man who rode on the back of a whale to New Zealand and founded the land. Koro believes that the sacred ways can only survive if the chiefs raise their sons in the old arts and continue to pass the knowledge down from generation to generation. But like any rebellious offspring, Koro’s widowed son Porourangi (Cliff Curtis) has grown restless of this small village, and longs to travel the world. He leaves behind his infant child, whose mother died in childbirth, to the care of Koro and his wife (Vicky Haughton). The only problem is, his only child is a girl, also named Paikea (an unforgettable Keisha Castle-Hughes). This is bad news for Koro, whose traditional methods insist that the line of chiefs will be broken unless there is a son. Paikea (who they call Pai) is, for him, “of no use.” Despite such strong sentiments, Koro is not a cruel man; he is simply a deeply convicted one, with the weight of an entire culture resting on his shoulders. That his son has distanced himself from his heritage only makes Koro more anxious to find the next chief; Porourangi’s unfinished ceremonial chief’s boat rests peacefully on the hill to remind the old man that times are changing and the past is dying in the hearts of his people. As Pai grows into a pre-teen, she looks up to her grandfather, and comes to learn and respect the ancient ways and longs to embrace them on a higher level, despite Koro’s insistence that because she is a girl, to learn the leadership responsibilities of their religion is “messing with sacred things.” He gives up on his son and starts a small school for boys, in which he hopes to find the new chief that his ancestors have selected. Pai wants desperately to be a part of this school, but Koro will not allow it. As played by Castle-Hughes, Pai is a girl torn between her responsibilities to her grandfather’s wishes and her calling to rise to greater heights, as the chief of her tribe. She suspects (and we know) that this is her true destiny, and Whale Rider is ultimately the story of her journey to embracing her role of chief and convincing Koro that she is indeed his rightful heir, picked by their ancestors to lead a new generation of their people. Whale Rider manages to be about several things all at once, but simply listing them could not possibly sum up the gravity of this film’s profoundness. It is a film about culture, and recognizing one’s place in where and who they come from. It is a film about coming-of-age for both the young and old. It is a film about a girl realizing her destiny in the face of opposition. It is a film about old traditions mixing with new ones. It is a film about aesthetic beauty and powerful, thoughtful images. In being all these things, it taps into the human experience in a way that is never forced and never manipulative. Think about similarly-themed (Disney) films that have come out over the years that explore these topics, and think about how easily Whale Rider could have become a victim to clichés often found in such plots—overcoming odds, saving the day, and “girl power.” Yet at every moment, director Niki Caro weaves a films that is fresh, inventive, and honest, never giving into synthetic tears or emotions that Hollywood produces and markets a dime a dozen. In every instance, she is more interested in Pai and Koro’s introspections than events that happen. Consider the ending, in which Pai makes a bold decision to show Koro her loyalty to him and her love for their culture. In the hands of a lesser director, this scene would have been about the event. Caro makes it about the relationship between these two and their revelations about one another. The filmmaking techniques reflect this quiet, introspective approach. Whale Rider moves at a slow pace, taking its time to develop the characters and their culture. This storytelling method is not without humor: Koro’s younger son Rawiri (Grant Roa) once came in first place in a local, cultural event, and he is embarrassed that his reward was a golf trophy that had to be re-chiseled due to the obscurity of the sport that he won it for. Many marvelous touches are thrown in like that, and it makes for a film that bleeds with detail. I will probably never visit this village—I’m not even sure if it exists in the fashion that the movie describes it—but I was certainly convinced that it was a real, breathing community, and it became a familiar place to me. Caro is also a very visual director, using the camera as a key part of the storytelling. When characters are talking quietly or silently reflecting, we are shown full shots and close-ups to see the introspection and emotion on their faces. Consider also Caro’s use of the extreme shot. In almost all of its uses, we see villagers going on with their daily customs and traditions. Somewhere on the screen, Pai is revealed as a tiny speck in the picture, standing against the mold. Here is a girl who feels like the entire world does not understand her calling, and even though it feels all-encompassing, she will not deny her destiny. This destiny leads up to a series of scenes that take place in the ocean that are, frankly, some of the most beautiful images ever filmed, not only because they are beautiful to look at, but because we recognize them as the final, crucial stage in Pai’s self-realization. No review of Whale Rider could be complete without a discussion of Keisha Castle-Hughes. This is her first film, and she is simply astounding in the role of Pai. There is a scene in which she makes a public speech in honor of Koro, who has not attended the meeting. She believes that before she is finished with her speech, he will come to show his support. When he doesn’t, she is overcome with emotion but is determined to finish the speech. The performance in this scene is packed with enough raw emotion and insight to crush most adult actors, and there is never a moment that we are not fully convinced—and heartbroken—by Pai’s struggle to earn her grandfather’s acceptance. With a quiet demeanor and soft, convicted eyes, Castle-Hughes consumes the screen in what is easily the best child performance since Henry Thomas in E.T. I previously called Whale Rider a film of intoxicating beauty, and it is exactly that. If I had a one-word blurb on an ad, I think that I’d pick “intoxicating,” because this was exactly how the film left me. It is a film made from the director’s soul, filled with passion and respect. But just for the record, it is also “powerful,” “amazing,” “haunting,” and “mesmerizing.” Note: Whale Rider has been rated PG-13 for brief language and a "momentary drug reference." The drug reference is so brief and inconsequential that I had to have it pointed out to me. I feel that the M.P.A.A. made a terrible judgment call in their rating of a film that should be viewed by the entire family. Save a few brief fleeting (and minor) curse words, this is a G film, suitable and recommended for young and old. What was the M.P.A.A. thinking? Isn’t rating a film PG-13 for a "momentary " drug reference sort of an insult to a child’s intelligence, assuming that gradeschoolers don’t hear about drugs every day through organizations such as D.A.R.E.? The M.P.A.A. should be ashamed, and they should rethink this rating. Cast: Newmarket Film Group presents a film by South Pacific Pictures. Directed by Niki Caro. Written by Caro, from the novel by Sir Witi Ihimaera. Rated, shamefully, PG-13 for brief language and a quick drug reference. Running time: 101 minutes. Original United States theatrical release date: July 4, 2003 (wide). Questions? Comments? E-mail me: danel_the_tinman@hotmail.com |
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