Whale Rider

This topic contains:

• details about Whale Rider's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Whale Rider completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 30 April 2003.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Whale Rider contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message
• overall comments

A synopsis of the story

Koro is a Maori chief of a coastal village whose ancestor Paikea arrived there over 1000 years earlier riding on the back of a whale that had saved him from drowning. The movie starts when Koro’s son’s wife is giving birth to twins a boy and a girl. Unfortunately both the boy and the mother die leaving the girl Pai alone. Porourangi, the father, is distraught and leaves Pai to be brought up by his parents Koro and Flowers. Koro is a very traditional man who believes that the death of his grandson was a bad omen for the village and won’t accept Pai, a female, as his heir.

Consequently Koro teaches young men to be warriors so that one can succeed him. He throws a whale’s tooth into the ocean and sends the boys in to fetch it – the one who finds it will be his successor. However none finds it and Koro feels that he has failed. Koro fails to see that Pai has inherited many gifts and when she retrieves the whale’s tooth it only makes him angry.

One day as Koro is walking down to the beach he finds that many whales have beached themselves which distresses him deeply. The whole village come to try and save the whales and get them back in the water to no avail. Then when all have left Pai approaches one of the whales and climbs on its back. She lovingly strokes it to which the whale responds and starts moving its tail. It then manages to turn around and heads out to sea with Pai on its back. It appears that Pai is drowning in the water but she survives and finally Koro accepts that Pai is his rightful successor.

Use of violence

There are a few violent scenes; however none are glamorised or performed by attractive heroes:

• Koro loses his temper and bangs on the table smashing some crockery
• Stick fighting is taught to boys to become warriors
• Koro teaches boys to extend their tongue which says to their enemies that they are going to eat them.

Material that may scare children

Under seven

There are scenes in this movie that would scare children in this age group:

• The movie starts with a mother giving birth; she is obviously in much pain. Both the Mother and the boy baby die in the process
• The violent scenes mentioned above may be frightening for some small children
• Uncle demonstrates stick fighting with a broom and looks quite fierce
• Maoris do traditional dance in which men look very fierce
• The whales washed up on the shore is a distressing sight.
• Pai falls off the whale’s back and appears to drown.

Aged seven to twelve

Some children in this age group could be upset by the scenes mentioned above as it set in a realistic situation.

Over the age of twelve

Children in this age group should be able to cope with the realities of life and death portrayed in this movie.

Sexual references

There are not really any sexual references.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no nudity.

Use of substances

There is drinking of alcohol and smoking.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language. Some of the women’s talk is coarse. The Grandfather tells the boys that there are consequences for not getting it right – “their dicks will fall off – hold on to your dicks”.

The movie's message

The take home message of this film is that traditions can be challenged and changed if need be and that girls are able to take on traditional male roles.

Values that parents may wish to encourage include:

• girls are as capable as boys
• loyalty
• respect
• empathy
• resilience.

Values that parents may wish to discourage include:

• laughing at one’s misfortunes
• disobedience
• belief that girls aren’t allowed to do anything boys do.

Overall comments

This is an important film that speaks of Maori culture, beliefs and spirituality. The dialogue is sometimes hard to pick up and the pace of the film is very slow. However it is a very moving story of a young Maori girl who wants so much to please her Grandfather who in turn resists her efforts as he sees her as the cause of all the problems in the village. Her persistence and resilience finally win his approval but almost at the cost of her life.