'Whale Rider' Is a Sweeping Sensation

By Tommy Tung

"Whale Rider" effortlessly sweeps as a coming-of-age drama without the treacle of a studio-processed family movie. Absent are the preachy moments, the convenient reconcilements, and the overdone musical score. Instead we're graced with a moving story of universal appeal and Polynesian consciousness.

This modern day folktale begins in Whangara, New Zealand, a rural town populated by Maoris, a Polynesian ethnicity comprising 8 % of the national population. They carry on with only the distant memory of their ancestor, Paikea, the first to arrive on the island, centuries ago, hugging the back of a whale. Koro (Rawiri Paratene), a present day Chief, remembers the story well. He believes a prophecy: the next first-born male of his lineage will restore the old values to the Maori community, now plagued by modern ills.

In the first scene, Koro's son, Porourangi (Cliff Curtis) disappoints his father when his wife dies giving birth to twins. The male twin dies. The girl, Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), survives to become the driving character of the film. Although Koro doubts her potential as a leader, Pai struggles to find her place in a tradition that disparages her gender and birthright. Keisha Castle-Hughes absolutely lights up the screen as Pai with soulful eyes and music in her voice. The fact that Pai survived without her twin-brother-who-would-be-Chief translates into Koro's idea of an original sin. Add to that Pai's aptitude for Maori martial arts, theater arts, diving and there's nothing but compunction imbuing her face when Koro berates her unladylike behavior. A sense of fatalism hovers over her dream of a future, as the island Pai stands on seems less like paradise and more like driftwood.

Director Niki Caro is careful to paint Koro as an old-fashioned man instead of a merciless sexist. One glance at the patina on his face and you feel that the world has outgrown his memories and ideals. He walks with steady steps, not moving too fast, because he really doesn't have to move for anybody, least of all, Pai who challenges his outdated conservatism. Vicky Haughton delivers a great supporting role as Koro's wife, sympathetic to Pai, acerbic to Koro for his obstinacy.

If you pigeonhole "Whale Rider" as a feminist manifesto, you would discount its profundity. The story, based on the novel by Witi Ihimaera, is a deliberation upon today's Maoris rather than just one girl. On the official Web site for the film, producer John Barnett comments, "I think one of the most exciting things about 'Whale Rider' is its international resonance-the themes are relevant in all sorts of societies and cultures throughout the world." Equally undeniable is the specificity of the threatened Polynesian lifestyle. Smoothly introduced into scenes are children smoking cigarettes, children disrespecting traditional performance arts, and even adults more interested in the world beyond New Zealand. It's all brilliant subtext for the main plot to surf on.

The brilliance at the narrative level shines just as brightly at the technical one. Caro has sensible instincts for telling this story and the perfect production team to assist her. Cinematographer Leon Narbey wisely uses a natural color palette to capture the lush realism of a bucolic milieu. Editor David Coulson favors long duration shots to accentuate the slow-paced lifestyle of Whangara and more importantly, to ponder on crucial moments instead of dicing them up like an edit-happy-music-video. Serene photography, a pensive score, and a talented cast create a film as rich in aesthetic as it is in inspiration.

July 2, 2003