- Whale Rider (Special Edition)

In a native Maori New Zealand tribe, a set of twins are born into a long line of chiefs, the boy being the one destined to carry on the lineage of warriors, but fate takes a hand and alters the future. Both mother and her newborn son die shortly after the birth and a baby girl is left behind to fulfill a legacy. The father, too distraught over the loss of his wife and newborn son leaves his daughter in his parents' care. From the moment she was born Paikea was a reminder to her grandfather Koro that there was no male to carry on generations of Maori chiefs. Paikea struggles to convince her grandfather that she does not have to be a male to be a great leader and that she is the one who is meant to carry on the tradition and will lead their people forward into the future. Her father returns home with news that he is an expectant father and asks Paikea to go back to Germany with him. When she hears the distant sounds of the whales, it was a call to turn around and go home to her village. Still she was unable to stir emotion in her sober-faced grandfather. When Koro gathers a group of young boys for training to seek out the next one who was to be the leader, Paikea seizes the opportunity to prove herself worthy to her grandfather. Koro refuses to see her as anything other than a 12 year old girl. She only succeeds in angering him further in her futile attempts to become a fighter. Koro's spirit is broken when neither of the two potential boys who were chosen to find the whale's tooth he tosses overboard is able to deliver. Paikea, who senses her grandfather's pain and disappointment, takes it upon herself to call to the ancestors when Koro's attempts fail. Paikea tests her faith once again when she invites her grandfather to a school production only to leave heartbroken with trophy in hand and tears in her eyes. There is a very strong sense of tradition, family, togetherness and spirituality that bonds the people of the Maori tribe. They are an indigenous group of people that all bans together for celebrations and share a close knit relationship and profound belief in their heritage and rituals. Their primal instincts give them the strength of one and a true sense of brotherhood. When the next morning comes the village is awoken in horror at the sight of multiple beached whales on the shore. In her final, desperate attempt, young Paikea risks her life and sets out to prove once and for all that she is brave and can be a great leader. She is determined to fulfill her destiny in spite of the odds, ready to join the ranks of her ancestors and become the next generation Whale Rider.

I show this to my intercultural communication student sometimes. I love the show. It’s a great show.

I've shown this movie to one or more of my classes probably a dozen times and it's still enjoyable.The story is set among a group of Maori in present-day New Zealand. The two main characters are the chief of this group ("Paka") and his troublesome 13-year old granddaughter ("Pai"). The grandfather loves Pai as a granddaughter but also blames her for "the troubles," which he believes started the night she was born. (Her brother, who should have become the heir, died at birth, as did the mother; the father, Paka's eldest son, was so distraught that he fled New Zealand and established himself as an up-and-coming artist in Europe -- abandoning his people, in Paka's view.)From the beginning, Pai shows unusual talents and interest in "the old ways," but Paka cannot see it because of his obsession with a male heir. At one point he gives up on his family and starts a school to find the potential heir among the first-born sons of the tribe -- with rather unpredictable results. If Amazon had a 6 star rating, I'd give this movie 6.The casting of this movie is brilliant. The conflict between Paka and Pai sizzles and the supporting characters (notably Paka's wife and Paka's two sons, the father and the uncle) are brilliant. Even the walk-on characters, like the other tribe members and the boys who attend the school are great.The scenery is fabulous and the story unfolds in a beautiful way. The movie is enjoyable on so many levels -- as good entertainment, as an inspiring story, as an interesting perspective on a different culture, or as a story on the generational conflict, families, and love.

I love to share this with my cultural anthropology students. They see so many elements of culture in the film. And it’s just a great story.

Loved the movie. Played well

fabulous story,!!! have one copy for myself and gave one as a gif.t

Amazing movie! Definitely worth it and very empowering. Learned a lot about this movie!