Whale Rider

Written and directed by Niki Caro

On general release

Rating:

Whale Rider is a film about indigenous people and the struggles that they can face to preserve their traditional way of life. Although this is not specifically a film about indigenous health, it starkly portrays the sort of unglamorous social and cultural conditions that are likely to take their toll on health, and commonly do in indigenous communities around the world: shack houses, unemployment, drugs, and children smoking.

Set in the small town of Whangara, New Zealand, Whale Rider tells the story of a real-life Maori community desperately waiting for its new chief–a man who will lead the people out of darkness and change their fortune. The townspeople believe that all their chiefs are descended from the whale rider, their original ancestor who arrived on the back of a whale.

Koro (Rawiri Paratene), the current chief and a man deeply rooted in his cultural beliefs, refuses to accept that his granddaughter, Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes), could be the next natural descendant. He instead starts a sacred school of learning to teach the town's young boys in the old ways, with the aim of identifying the new chief.

Paikea, forbidden from attending the school, sets about learning the old ways, becoming the only one to complete the final test successfully. Yet no one tells Koro as he is still reeling from the failure of his school. He calls the ancient ones for help but they do not hear. Pai calls and from the remarkable and unexpected results of her call unfold a series of events that lead to Koro's recognition of Pai as his natural descendant.

Despite the saccharine story, adapted from a children's novel by Witi Ihimaera, the film never forgets the banalities of real life and writer and director Niki Caro doesn't turn its protagonists into heroes. We see the bleak isolation of a community, both culturally and geographically. The new generation shows little interest in many of the traditions, and it becomes clear that even when attending the sacred school the young boys fail to grasp the true importance of their past and the value of ancient practices. Koro's eldest son has abandoned his newborn daughter to become an artist in Germany and his youngest son is a fat and lazy pot-smoking dropout.

Unlike other films featuring Maoris (such as the 1995 film Once We Were Warriors), Whale Rider ends on a surprisingly positive note. The community is not battered by a stereotypical enemy nor do they self destruct. Together the townspeople find their strength and heal deep wounds.

However, refreshing honesty is not enough to save this film from descending into a typical Hollywood-esque effort in its final few scenes. It is essentially a sentimental affair, only without the melodramatic soundtrack.

Items reviewed are rated on a 4 star scale (4=excellent)