Whale Rider
Cast
Keisha Castle-Hughes .... Paikea "Pai" Apirana
Rawiri Paratene .... Koro
Vicky Haughton .... Nanny Flowers
Cliff Curtis .... Porourangi
Grant Roa .... Uncle Rawiri
Directed by
Niki Caro
Rater #2 has description and review.
Rater #1
Has Not Seen Movie
Rater #2
8/10. If a touching and moving movie can get away with a fart joke, that's
amazing. And Whale Rider is just that. Although it's not as good as
other spectacular art-house dramas, such as Nowhere in Africa, it's
still a crowd-pleasing film that brings you into a culture that you
never really thought of before. In a voice-over by Pia (Keisha Castle-
Hughes), we learn the history of the Maori people, where its leader
came over by riding on a whale (hence the name Whale Rider). Cut to a
hospital, where Pia, along with her brother, is being born. They are
the last in the descendant of the whale rider, so Pia's brother would
become the chief. However, he and his mother both die during birth.
Pia's grandfather Koro (Rawiri Paratene) doesn't want anything to do
with her, but ends up taking care of her.
Throughout the movie, Pia tries to win her grandfather's acceptance;
coping with her father's fleeting appearances, and growing up. Whale
Rider is a beautiful cinematic experience. Not only does it have lush
landscapes, but also it's a deeply complex coming-of-age tale. It's
more than your usual he-learns-a-lesson story; Pia learns the true
value of family, which is a better lesson that in most of the force-
fed crap-drama that's out in theaters now.
Like Nowhere in Africa, it should be nominated for Oscars for acting
but, of course, it won't be. Paratene is superb, one of the best
acting performances of the year, while Castle-Hughes turns out to be
the best child actor since Haley Joel Osment. It's movies like these
that I can't say that much about, because you need to experience it
to fully appreciate it.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rated PG-13 for brief language and a momentary drug reference.
Running time: 105 minutes
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