Whale Rider poster & wallpaper

Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa, Keisha Castle-Hughes

On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding...( read more  read more... ) to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs have always been the first-born and male. Many generations later, the contemporary tale revolves around a young mother whose male newborn twin dies in childbirth. Her young husband flees New Zealand in grief, leaving grandparents Koro and Nanny Flowers to raise the sole survivor, a feisty little girl named Pai, who radiates with life and energy. It's no wonder that her grandmother and the entire community love her, but alas, the grandfather she worships is too busy mourning the loss of the baby boy he expected would lead the tribe to better days.

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143 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Niki Caro

Release Date: June 6, 2003

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DVD Release Date: October 28, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (2,786)

  • SirPant
    September 22, 2009
    SirPant
    A really touching film, Keisha Castle-Hughes should have won the Oscar in what was one of the greatest performances ever! The speech scene is just awesome cinema!
  • KellBell184
    June 3, 2009
    KellBell184
    A lovely film about the tension between tradition and change. Keisha Castle-Hughes deserved that oscar nom, and does an excellent job.
  • 76Majikat
    May 4, 2009
    76Majikat
    Heard good things about this film and every word of it was true. Great storyline which gives the viewer some kind of insight into the culture and tradition of the group of Maori people in a coastal village in New Zealand.. A fantastic performance from Keisha Castle-Hughes..

    ...( read more)This film totally held me from beginning to end and is very much about the storyline, one which is unique, full of emotion and not by any means a soft girly film, it?s a film of true spirit and loyalty and tradition.
  • AgentLexi2132
    December 8, 2008
    AgentLexi2132
    ''My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs.''

    A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.

    Keisha Castle-Hughes: Paikea

    Whale Ri

    ...( read more)der gets its namesake from the legend, a legend involving the Maori people coming to New Zealand as a result of their patriarch riding there many generations ago, from Hawaiki upon the back of a whale.

    After many studies of language, farming, artifacts and sailing techniques, experts seem to agree that 'Hawaiki' is in fact the Huahine Island in French Polynesia, the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti and perhaps 3000 miles northeast of New Zealand. It has been fairly firmly established that all of the Polynesian peoples originated from Eastern Asians who developed skills to build and correctly navigate large ocean-going douple-hulled canoes, which could transport not only people but also livestock including dogs, pigs, and chickens plus seeds and plants.
    Today it is believed that the Maori in New Zealand and the natives Hawaiians originated from the same Polynesian people.

    This background is necessary to fully appreciate the movie, Whale Rider while ultimately a simple story of family pride and honour.

    Tradition has it that the first-born son of the chief will be groomed to become the next chief.
    But Koro's son is not interested, instead wants to go to Europe and pursue his passion for art. His wife gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, but the mother and son die at childbirth, leaving only the daughter, Paikea or Pai for short. But tradition does not allow a girl to become chief.

    Whale Rider requires alot of thought and detail to capture into words. The sheer beauty of the film conveyed not just through the breathtaking scenery including vast landscapes, tantalizing oceans stretching out into the horizon or underwater shades of blue and green, but one of family, of people and of love, tradition and a bond that remains unbreakable.
    This makes Whale Rider beautiful not just to look at but on a whole new level that transcends anything we see.

    Be it Koro, perfectly played by Rawiri Paratene, who stubbornly sticks to tradition and rests all his hopes on a boy to carry on his tribes legacy. Not realizing that what he has is already before him, regardless of gender and a break from tradition.
    Cliff Curtis as Porourangi also is breaking from his traditional roots as mentioned before. His acting and bond with Paikea wonderfully shown in a scene with them in the night where they talk about Koro not wanting them and this for me really moved me and made me begin to cry. End of the day acceptance is important, and not being wanted is the most painful thing imaginable. We all want to be loved and to be appreciated and valued and Whale Rider does a perfect job of capturing this as best it can, effortlessly.

    Keisha Castle-Hughes as Paikea really ends up being the star of the show, showing pure talent and believability. Just watching her in the play, reciting a memorized verse for Koro tears rolling down her cheeks, shows how immersed she is in the role of Paikea. In my mind she IS Paikea and thats how far the believability for me goes, and thats all the way.
    Also I'd like to mention Vicky Haughton as Nanny Flowers who was totally lovely in her role as a loving yet firm woman who shows her love for her family, for Paikei and for Koro.

    Whale Rider cleverly plays on your emotions until the very end, and so immersed, that I totally felt as if I was part of this world, part of their life. When a film like Rider achieves this successful capturing of your soul and captivates you so intensively you are left breathless.
    I just know that Maori people and customs, these warriors of old, these legendary men and women, I am totally and completely in awe of and fascinated by.

    Whale Rider's story of Paikea Apirana, is like the Ocean. Infinite and forever connected, each time you immerse yourself into it, you always see the beauty.
    Like rain drops that fall down from the sky, every single tear from the heavens above, of Paikei riding her people's symbolic Whale. That is how I feel about Whale Rider, truly beautiful, like a vision of heaven itself.
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 30, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "When she was born, that's when things went wrong for us."

    Traditional rich Maori culture is preserved marvellously with Whale Rider; this captivating slice of New Zealand filmmaking. Whale Rider was a complete surprise for me. Habitually, I had mistaken t...( read more)he film for some propaganda that promotes the ideologies of the Maori culture. On the contrary, Whale Rider was the farthest thing from my initial anticipations.

    The film offers an exquisite glimpse of traditional Maori customs and traditions wrapped up in this touching, tear-jerking, moving drama.

    Paikea Apirana (Castle-Hughes) is born into a Maori family that comes from a long line of tribal chiefs. Her father Porourangi (Curtis) is the first born son of the chief Koro (Paratene), a direct descendant of the original leader of the Maori tribe. Paikea was named after the original chief who arrived in New Zealand on the back of a whale - he was the whale rider. Koro naturally expected Porourangi to produce a son to continue carrying the long line. But Porourangi's wife dies during childbirth after she delivers twins. The boy twin dies, leaving the girl. Porourangi leaves New Zealand after naming his daughter Paikea much to the horror of his father.

    The story then resumes eleven years later when we find Paikea living with her grandparents. Her grandfather Koro has no use for a girl as a grandchild and feels it would be infuriating to see a girl become chief. Paikea does not see it like this and yearns for the respect of her grandfather.

    Whale Rider is a beautiful, poignant, moving tale rich in powerful themes and stunning performances. Keisha Castle-Hughes hits all the right notes in her debut performance. She became one of the youngest people ever to be nominated for an Oscar. And it was for Best Actress. She was up against people like Diane Keaton and Naomi Watts. She was favoured over the hundreds (probably thousands) of actresses working during 2002 and she's a young Maori who had never done acting before. Keisha's performance is guaranteed to make you cry. It doesn't matter if you're made of machine parts; your eyes will not be dry! Rawiri Paratene was another truly remarkable member of the cast. His character is quite despicable at times, but his performance was excellent. Cliff Curtis plays a very minor role. It's disappointing that he didn't surface more often. Despite his small screen time he certainly makes his mark for the scenes he features in.

    I will admit that the strong accents present in every single cast member were a little distracting at times. As a matter of fact, I'm not a fan of the accent at all. And yet the actors never struck a false note. When the characters want to be likeable they certainly are. And for the characters we're not supposed to like, we don't. The chemistry was sometimes astoundingly brilliant. The obvious camaraderie of the cast shines like a new penny. Never was there a contrived moment of dialogue delivery. Everyone is engaging, and everyone contributes to the film's compelling nature.

    Whale Rider is a stunning film that also showcases some gorgeous visual images. The landscape, the nature, the animals...they all look encouragingly dazzling. The film also triggered the thought of another New Zealand film - Once Were Warriors. Both productions address a different aspect of living in New Zealand, and both are filled with strong drama. Whale Rider is easier viewing of course and a lot less violent. This is made up with its dominant themes.

    It came as no surprise that Whale Rider was nominated for so many awards, and walked away with a sleuth of wins. The film was a refreshing breath of fresh air in a year that boasted such a number of high profile releases. In a nutshell, Whale Rider is essential viewing.
  • JediAlex
    October 19, 2009
    JediAlex
    An incredible story about family and traditions. I'm glad that I finally saw it.
  • tuuchii
    September 23, 2009
    tuuchii
    is always the watching film with good feel
  • llamaspit3838
    September 20, 2009
    llamaspit3838
    wonderful movie too say the least
  • jakris9
    September 6, 2009
    jakris9
    The Whale Rider movie was a great movie!!! The movie was about a young girl named Paikea that had to prove that she was the one that could save her people, but her grandfather didn?t believe she could. Her grandfather believe that the only one that could there people was a first ...( read more)born son. Since her twin brother died at birth she had to prove her grandfather wrong. The movie begins with her and her twin brother being born, her mother and her brother died at birth. Her father was really hurt and got in an agreement with his father because he felt that his father did not care that his wife and son just died, that he only cared about him having a son to carry on the traditions. The grandfather did not want to accept his granddaughter at first, but came around later. Paikea throughout the movie tried to prove to her grandfather that is was the one, but by him being in tradition he did not want to accept that. He started on own school to find the boy to save their people. He put through training and tested them but he could not find the right one. But Paikea trained behind her grandfather back and passed the test that the others could not pass. Proving in the long to her grandfather that she was the chosen one going against what he believed.
    This relates to World religion because it shows something that people believes in. They worship a higher power; they believed that things happened for a reason. The grandfather believed that by his granddaughter trying to be the whale rider it would make the ancestors upset but it did not. Their people believed that if things was going wrong it was because of the ancestors being mad also.
  • aedorraugh
    September 6, 2009
    aedorraugh
    "Whale Rider" was a beautiful film that embraced the importance of tradition, the pain of neglect, and the love of family. Keisha Castle-Hughes gives an incredible, heart wrenching performance as Paikea. During Pai's birth, her mother dies, along with a twin brother. Koro's (P...( read more)ai's grandfather) thought at that time was not for his grieving son, but only that he lost a male grandchild. A granddaughter can not carry on the long line of chiefs. He wanted nothing to do with a granddaughter. Pai grows to be a spunky free spirit being raised by her grandmother and Koro. Her father is an artist who travels Europe and is not always around. It is clear he loves his daughter and she loves him. Pai wants disparately to be what Koro wants. Koro loves Pai but he has never gotten over that his grandson died and she survived. Pai's father returns home for a visit and wishes for Pai to come live with him. After saying her emotional goodbyes, she can not leave her grandparents. From this moment on, Koro is cruel to Pai. Pai fights for his approval. Though Koro shows his disapproval to Pai, she never loses respect for him. She idolizes her grandfather. Pai retrieves Koro whale tooth necklace after the young group of boys he was teach failed to do so. One night, Koro finds a group of beached whales on the shore. Everyone tries through the night to save them. Koro is most emotional toward the largest whale. After a failed attempt to return the whale to the ocean, they give up. Pai was told not to touch the whale by Koro, that "she had done enough." When everyone left, Pai rides the whale into the ocean. Koro's wife gives him he necklace Pai got back for him as he watches Pai go under with the whale. Pai survives causing a new found appreciation in their culture from everyone. Pai gains the respect from Koro and is reunited with her father. This film portrayed a group of people unwilling to give up on their culture. Koro is somewhat of a storyteller who passes down the history of their people through the story of the whale rider. The film is rich in indigenous culture seen through initiations, rituals, and history. The whale is almost worshiped for its' significance to the people. It could be seen a animism. There is a strong spiritual meaning to the whale. The young boys are put through teaching from Koro on becoming a chief like an initiation into adulthood. Being told to dive for Koro's necklace is also seen in the same light. In the end, a beautiful ceremony was held as the canoe (carrying Pai and her grandfather) was put to sea. Rituals like that are thick in indigenous cultures used to represent significant moments in an individual's life as well as a cultures.

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Critic Reviews

June 27, 2003
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

[The story] is so simple that the audience gets ahead of it from the beginning. full review

June 27, 2003
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

A story that J.K. Rowling fans young and old will savor. full review

June 20, 2003
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Features one of the finest child performances in years. full review

June 20, 2003
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

At its transporting best, Whale Rider seesaws between archetype and innocence -- it's a re-founding myth that happens in real time, before an audience's wondering eyes. full review

June 20, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The genius of the movie is the way is sidesteps all of the obvious cliches of the underlying story and makes itself fresh, observant, tough and genuinely moving. full review

June 5, 2003
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Caro gives the fablesque story -- based on a 1,000-year-old Maori legend -- both a contemporary and timeless quality, anchored by newcomer Castle-Hughes' powerful and haunting performance. full review

June 5, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Castle-Hughes is a star in in the making. She and her movie are worth cheering for. full review

View more Whale Rider reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • March69
    February 23, 2009
    March69
    Tino pai...
  • krukru0520
    December 10, 2008
    krukru0520
    boring at the beggining yet so positive.
    unique story for everyone.
  • babeenora4891
    November 21, 2007
    babeenora4891
    MaN dIz wUz mAh FaVoRiTe MoViE...u No i LuV aNyMoVie...dat iz taken in mah homeland anytime man...any time...an diz wuz mah first movie ive seen dat wuz taken in new zealand...first...
    heck ya...
    !!!New Zealand!!!
  • Ngarui
    January 11, 2007
    Ngarui
    The best positive Maori film EVER. I love that they are talking about my ancestors (: GO NEW ZEALAND FILM-MAKING!
  • jbpelican
    September 3, 2006
    jbpelican
    Big hairy deal, ancestors yadda yadda, whale spirits yadda yadda, attempting to recreate a myth, nearly drowning in the process, mildly amusing.
  • mlhamilton2005
    July 22, 2006
    mlhamilton2005
    it rocks nd i seen it sum yrs ago nd loved it
  • chocolateabo
    May 29, 2006
    chocolateabo
    Has anybody ever seen Whale Rider f you have you would know that it is a great movie.
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