"A long time ago, my ancestor Paikea came to this place on the back of a
whale. Since then, in every generation of my family, the first born son
has carried his name and become the leader of our tribe... until now."
Release Year: 2002
Country: New Zealand
Genre: Social drama/family drama
Director: Niki Caro
Screenwriter: Niki Caro
Cinematography: Leon Narbey
Music: Lisa Gerrard
Editing: David Coulson
Actors: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratane, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis
No, Whale Rider is not a story about a kid who befriends a whale and ends up riding it. It is, however, a story of a young girl's struggle to overcome the gender barrier that separates her from the leadership of her tribe. Adapted from Witi Ihimaera's novel of the same name, it is a beautiful look at a Maori community as well as a study on conservative and widespread cultural belief to rejects female leadership. The 'whale rider' itself is an integral historical part of the tribe in this story, who believes that their ancestor comes into the land by riding on a whale's back.
For years, the honor of leading the tribe always falls to the first-born son in a patrilineal line of descendants. However, the tradition is in danger as the son of current leader, Porourangi (Curtis), opted to leave his homeland after the childbirth death of his wife and baby son. The only one left is Porourangi's daughter, Pai (Hughes), who grew into a headstrong teenager and more than willing to step up for the leadership. However, Pai's grandfather Koro (Paratane) refused to acknowledge her as a future leader simply because the fact that she is a female.
So, we got our main conflict: a 12-year old girl who wants to prove herself, and her grandfather who is all like, "Uh-huh, you're a sweet girl and I love you, but you can't lead because you're a woman, for god's sake." However, it would be a mistake to assume that gender politic is what Whale Rider all about. It is also about the collision of familial love and self-ideals, the preservation of traditional cultural values, and the youths' growing apathy toward their own culture. The irony is prevalent in the story: in order to breed a new leader, Koro felt the need to set up cultural courses and edification for the boys in the tribe, while at the same time ignoring the fact that there is already one very qualified and most culturally aware youth very near to him: his granddaughter.
I like how the film portrays Pai: she is a realistic and likable protagonist. Pai is a natural leader, won an inter-school speech contest, and also eventually becoming very good at taiaha (the local stick-fighting culture), but she also displays occasional moments of emotional weaknesses. She almost gave up due to her grandpa's treatment and choose to go with his father instead. However, eventually her passion and love toward her homeland and its culture won out, and that above all is the highlight of her personality.
We are not meant to treat Pai as a mini Wonder Woman, and we are also not meant to treat Koro as the anti-female antagonist. In order to overcome old stereotypes, we don't necessarily have to create other new stereotypes to replace them. This can also be seen from other characters; since there is a message to embrace and love your culture, does it mean that Pai's father is bad for leaving his home for an art career in Germany? No, because he pursued his ideal and what he really believes in. A boy named Hemi (one of Koro's students in the cultural course) eventually lost in a taiaha sparring against Pai, does it automatically make him an inferior human being compared to Pai? No, because Hemi himself could also grow into a great person, having potential and also showing sympathy toward Pai.
The conflict resolution is probably not going to surprise anyone: Pai eventually grown into a more accomplished and greater young woman, winning her grandfather's approval at the end (through a rather sensational, yet beautiful, climax involving a real stranded whale). Yet, a conventional and predictable ending almost does not matter as long as the journey to get there is special enough, and I can say that Whale Rider is full of insightful special moments: the whole sequence when Koro drills mental strength into his taiaha students, the many intimate family scenes that manages to say a lot about each of the family members presented, the sight of Pai practicing traditional songs and dances, and many more.
Pai's ascension into becoming the first female leader of her tribe should not be seen as a show of feminine power overcoming male dominance, as it won't be possible without the influence of many males around him; her father, her uncle, her friend, and even her stubborn yet loving grandfather. There is simply a lot more in Whale Rider than just being a "women can be a leader and kick men's asses!!" narrative: it is a great introduction to those of us unfamiliar with Maori culture, the spectacle is beautiful, and the naturalistic acting is great (Hughes and Paratane in particular, have excellent chemistry). Most of all though, it is a powerful reflection on gender, tribal, and individual identities. If or when I ever have a daughter, I know one of my top priorities would be to show her this movie.
