Whale Rider
2/4
Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Grant Roa, Cliff Curtis, Rachel House
Rated PG-13 for Brief Language and a Momentary Drug Reference
"Whale Rider" is a good little indie coming-of-age story provided you've never seen a little indie coming-of-age story. Readers of my reviews are well aware that I have zero problem for formula pictures, provided that they are done well. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. With a poorly explained cultural foundation, a badly written lead character and a clunky story, it's a wonder why this movie became such a hit back in 2002. I can think of a half dozen foreign and/or indie films that impressed me more. By several orders of magnitude.
In Maori tradition, it's the first born grandson of the leader who inherits the title, back to the original whale rider who arrived from Hawaiki. But tragedy has struck: the grandson of the current leader, Koro (Paratene) has died along with his mother, leaving his twin sister Paikea as the sole survivor. After his son Porourangi (Curtis) flees in grief, Koro raises Paikea (Castle-Hughes) himself. But he resents her for being female and blames her for conflict within the tribe. Koro reluctantly tries to find his successor in the other first born boys of the tribe, but Pai feels that it is her destiny to be the leader. Needless to say, Koro does not take this well.
"Whale Rider" could, and should, have been an excellent movie. But it's not. It's a muddled mess of a movie that has little narrative momentum and few dramatic moments that actually land.
One reason is that the Maori traditions are poorly explained. It's a little unfair to blame the film for this, since it was made for a New Zealand audience, who I'm assuming would be more familiar with such traditions. But there's no denying that a more thorough explanation would have helped the film's start considerably. Too little is explained and what is told is not communicated effectively.
Certainly, such an oversight is problematic. But that's hardly the only flaw of the film. The film falls into an extremely predictable rhythm. Not only in broad strokes (which are a given), but in the details. Not only do we know what is going to happen, but how it's going to happen. For example, after Koro and Porourangi have an argument where the older man viciously insults Pai, she walks outside and stares at the sea in heartbreak. Her father joins her, they have a "deep" conversation, and thus begins the plot of the movie. How moving! And that's not the only case of this happening. During the middle portion of the movie, after Koro forbids Pai from learning the roles of the tribal leader, she's taught by her uncle, who conveniently knows the ropes and will teach her because it will make Koro mad. And of course all of his friends get in on it. Who hasn't seen that before?
Structurally, this film is extremely repetitive. In essence, it goes like this: Koro needs something to happen for the new leader to arise. Pai volunteers, of course, but Koro shuns her. No one else can do it. Pai does it in secret. This repeats ad nauseum. This isn't even formula. It's just bad storytelling.
If there's one thing that saves this from being a complete train wreck, it's the performances. Keisha Castle-Hughes, in her debut performance, scored an Oscar nomination as Pai, but I'm at a loss to understand why. This is less a criticism of her acting (which is excellent when she's afforded the latitude) than how her character is written. Pai is supposed to be this great inspirational heroine, but until the final scenes, she's kind of a doormat. Presenting her with more strength would have made her more interesting and identifiable.
The supporting roles are better. Rawiri Paratene is perfect as Koro. With a constant sneer and bullish attitude, there's no mistaking him for a staunch traditionalist. However, Paratene uncovers a lot of depth and presence to make him a man who clings to the old ways rather than a generic jerk. He's blind to the obvious and stubborn as a mule, but at least he has motives for it. Cliff Curtis shows up for a few scenes as Pai's father, who is all too aware of Koro's rigid nature.
The film is nicely photographed by Leon Narby, although director Niki Caro's attempts to show "realistic" imagery to set the stage can get a little clumsy, and her attempts show a connection between Pai and the whales lack any semblance of subtlety.
For those who are interested in a movie about Maori culture, there is a much better movie called "Once Were Warriors." Unlike this movie, it's definitely not for children (it ranks alongside "The War Zone" as one of the most brutal movies I've ever seen), but it's a much stronger film.
Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Grant Roa, Cliff Curtis, Rachel House
Rated PG-13 for Brief Language and a Momentary Drug Reference
"Whale Rider" is a good little indie coming-of-age story provided you've never seen a little indie coming-of-age story. Readers of my reviews are well aware that I have zero problem for formula pictures, provided that they are done well. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. With a poorly explained cultural foundation, a badly written lead character and a clunky story, it's a wonder why this movie became such a hit back in 2002. I can think of a half dozen foreign and/or indie films that impressed me more. By several orders of magnitude.
In Maori tradition, it's the first born grandson of the leader who inherits the title, back to the original whale rider who arrived from Hawaiki. But tragedy has struck: the grandson of the current leader, Koro (Paratene) has died along with his mother, leaving his twin sister Paikea as the sole survivor. After his son Porourangi (Curtis) flees in grief, Koro raises Paikea (Castle-Hughes) himself. But he resents her for being female and blames her for conflict within the tribe. Koro reluctantly tries to find his successor in the other first born boys of the tribe, but Pai feels that it is her destiny to be the leader. Needless to say, Koro does not take this well.
"Whale Rider" could, and should, have been an excellent movie. But it's not. It's a muddled mess of a movie that has little narrative momentum and few dramatic moments that actually land.
One reason is that the Maori traditions are poorly explained. It's a little unfair to blame the film for this, since it was made for a New Zealand audience, who I'm assuming would be more familiar with such traditions. But there's no denying that a more thorough explanation would have helped the film's start considerably. Too little is explained and what is told is not communicated effectively.
Certainly, such an oversight is problematic. But that's hardly the only flaw of the film. The film falls into an extremely predictable rhythm. Not only in broad strokes (which are a given), but in the details. Not only do we know what is going to happen, but how it's going to happen. For example, after Koro and Porourangi have an argument where the older man viciously insults Pai, she walks outside and stares at the sea in heartbreak. Her father joins her, they have a "deep" conversation, and thus begins the plot of the movie. How moving! And that's not the only case of this happening. During the middle portion of the movie, after Koro forbids Pai from learning the roles of the tribal leader, she's taught by her uncle, who conveniently knows the ropes and will teach her because it will make Koro mad. And of course all of his friends get in on it. Who hasn't seen that before?
Structurally, this film is extremely repetitive. In essence, it goes like this: Koro needs something to happen for the new leader to arise. Pai volunteers, of course, but Koro shuns her. No one else can do it. Pai does it in secret. This repeats ad nauseum. This isn't even formula. It's just bad storytelling.
If there's one thing that saves this from being a complete train wreck, it's the performances. Keisha Castle-Hughes, in her debut performance, scored an Oscar nomination as Pai, but I'm at a loss to understand why. This is less a criticism of her acting (which is excellent when she's afforded the latitude) than how her character is written. Pai is supposed to be this great inspirational heroine, but until the final scenes, she's kind of a doormat. Presenting her with more strength would have made her more interesting and identifiable.
The supporting roles are better. Rawiri Paratene is perfect as Koro. With a constant sneer and bullish attitude, there's no mistaking him for a staunch traditionalist. However, Paratene uncovers a lot of depth and presence to make him a man who clings to the old ways rather than a generic jerk. He's blind to the obvious and stubborn as a mule, but at least he has motives for it. Cliff Curtis shows up for a few scenes as Pai's father, who is all too aware of Koro's rigid nature.
The film is nicely photographed by Leon Narby, although director Niki Caro's attempts to show "realistic" imagery to set the stage can get a little clumsy, and her attempts show a connection between Pai and the whales lack any semblance of subtlety.
For those who are interested in a movie about Maori culture, there is a much better movie called "Once Were Warriors." Unlike this movie, it's definitely not for children (it ranks alongside "The War Zone" as one of the most brutal movies I've ever seen), but it's a much stronger film.
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