WHALE RIDER Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Niki Caro Producers: Tim Sanders, John Barnett, Frank Hubner Writer: Niki Caro, from the novel by Witi Ihimaera Director of Photography: Leon Narbey Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

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Review by: Warren Curry
6/3/03

Based on a Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) legend, and the novel by Witi Ihimaera, writer/director Niki Caro's Whale Rider is a well-meaning film that is unfortunately just a bit too emotionally forthright to make a strong impact. It's no surprise that this film has garnered a handful of audience awards at the various festivals its screened at, as the tone of this movie is certainly of the crowd-pleasing variety. After the initial plot set-up, the outcome of the film is never in doubt, but, of course, the journey is often more important than the destination. And the journey we travel on with 12-year-old protagonist, Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), while fraught with highs and lows and plenty of obstacles, is burdened by the predictability of its story beats and the frankness of its intentions.

Headstrong Pai, a pre-teen girl, who mostly serves as a reminder to her doggedly traditional grandfather, Koro (Rawiri Paratene), of the grandson he doesn't have, is indirectly determined to radically alter the social stratifications of her community. Wanting primarily that her grandfather be proud of her the same way he would be proud of a grandson, Pai unwittingly challenges Koro, the chief of the village, who has the town caught up in the midst of a movement to return to old Maori values. Believing that she is more capable than any of the village's young boys, who Koro is weeding through to find a successor to his leadership role, Pai observes her grandfather's teachings from afar, eagerly soaking in the information.

Early in the film, Pai is given a chance to leave New Zealand with her absentee father, Porourangi (Cliff Curtis), who fled the country after Pai's mother and her twin brother died during birth. It is when she decides to remain with her grandparents that Koro shows serious signs of animosity toward the girl. But nothing the strict, humorless man does is able to deter the unflappable dedication of Pai. She is bent on earning her grandfather's respect, and will go to extraordinary lengths to achieve the goal.

The title of the film comes from the legend of the founding father of this particular Maori tribe, who, as the tale has it, traveled into the village on the back of the whale. An incident in the film's third act, revolving around a group of beached whales, serves as the movie's dramatic crescendo. Whale Rider blends the fantastic elements of the legend with the realism of one child's commitment to hurdle all of the barriers placed in her way by tradition. A reading of this film as a feminist piece has a certain amount of validity, but it doesn't feel like the main point of emphasis.

Young Keisha Castle-Hughes makes the most of her first time on screen by delivering a touching, charming performance. A protagonist has never been easier to root for and credit must be given to both the actress and director for not blatantly exploiting the audiences want to empathize with Pai. As the stubborn Koro, Rawiri Paratene plays it over-the-top and, consequently, renders the character as something too formulaic. Vicky Haughton turns in a nice supporting role as Pai's grandmother, who sticks by the girl through thick and thin.

Pai adds narration that pops up inconsistently throughout the film and really serves no purpose, providing us information that doesn't need explaining. The underwater photography is a pleasure to behold, and visually Caro takes complete advantage of her exotic locations without ever becoming too gratuitous. It is the director's inability to treat the movie's emotional content with the proper amount of subtlety that proves to be the main flaw. Because it stretches quite far into the world of the unbelievable near its conclusion, the film lacks a balance. While the ending is meant to speak to an awakening of all kinds -- emotional, intellectual, spiritual -- for the characters, it just struck me as absurd.

I suppose there are inherent difficulties in trying to tell an ancient legend through a vehicle that has its basis in familiar contemporary life. Niki Caro isn't able to solve this puzzle with Whale Rider, although more than a few aspects of her attempt are intriguing.

(A Newmarket Films release. Opens in New York and Los Angeles on June 6, 2003. Expands to more cities at later dates.)