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Whale Rider
***
Capsule-length
Cinema Review - July 27, 2003
Rated on a 4-star scale. Certificate PG. New
Zealand. 105 minutes. Written and directed by Niki Caro; based on the novel
by Witi Ihimaera. Produced by John Barnet, Frank Hubner, Tim Sanders. Starring
Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant
Roa, Mana Taumaunu, Rachel House, Taungaroa Emile, Tammy
Davis.
"Whale Rider" won audience awards
and standing ovations at the Sundance, Toronto and Rotterdam film festivals,
but it doesn't feel to me like that kind of crowd-pleasing masterpiece. It's
a pretty obvious triumph-over-the-odds story -- a Maori "Karate Kid" at a
deliberate pace.
It's the story of a little girl, descended from
a great tribal leader, whose mother and twin brother died in childbirth.
Her grandfather is a stern patriarch who believes that a saviour will come
one day and return his floundering community to their proud old ways; the
kid is interested in all this stuff, but the old man doesn't respect young
women, sort of blames this one for the bad luck of those around her, and
doesn't want to know.
We can see where it's going: The kid will suffer
through, and end up proving herself, and gain the respect of her grandpa
in an inspirational ending. What makes it involving are the textures of rural
New Zealand and the modern-day versions of Maori ways, and the touchingly
dignified performance of Keisha Castle-Hughes. She's a pretty but not cutesy
12-year old who looks small, fragile and emotionally vulnerable, but just
about keeps her gaze strong and head up high, her body language surprisingly
effective at telling us something about courage, strength and
love.
COPYRIGHT©
2003 Ian Waldron-Mantgani
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