Whale Rider: Film Review and Analysis of Themes

Whale Rider is a Maori drama film that was released on 9 September 2002, directed and written by Niki Caro. The movie, adapted from Witi Ihimaera’s 1987 novel, is a co-production between New Zealand and Germany and has become a global success. The film reflects the traditional lives of the native people of New Zealand (Maori) that involves gender inheritance of senior leadership positions and the sacredness of nature. The story follows the life of Paikea Apirana, a 12-year-old Maori girl who seeks to please her grandfather, Koro, and her community, even in the face of opposition due to her femininity. Underneath the drama of their tribal lives is an astonishing and legendary sacred story about the whale-formed “Taniwha”, focusing on the theme of tradition, belonging, gender roles, leadership, legacy, acceptance, and the many principles involving them. This Whale Rider film review essay will first provide a summary of the original novel and then proceed to the analysis of film techniques and themes portrayed in the movie.

Whale Rider book summary

Witi Ihimaera's original novel Whale Rider tells the story of a Maori girl named Kahu, who is born into the tribe of the Whangara in New Zealand. The book explores the themes of tradition, gender roles, family, and identity through the eyes of Kahu and her struggle to prove herself to her grandfather and the rest of the tribe.

At the heart of the novel is the ancient legend of Paikea, the whale rider, who was the first ancestor of the Maori people to arrive in New Zealand on the back of a whale. According to tradition, the eldest son of the chief is supposed to be the next whale rider and leader of the tribe, but Kahu's birth as a female disrupts this tradition and causes tension within the tribe.

Kahu's grandfather, Koro Apirana, is a strict traditionalist who believes that only a male can be the leader of the tribe and carry on the legacy of the whale rider. Despite Kahu's obvious leadership potential and deep connection to the spiritual world of the whales, Koro refuses to acknowledge her abilities and instead focuses on training the boys of the tribe for leadership roles.

Throughout the novel, Kahu struggles to find acceptance and prove herself to her grandfather and the rest of the tribe. She shows her bravery and determination by riding a wild horse and rescuing a beached whale, both of which help her earn the respect of the tribe. However, Koro remains stubborn and refuses to recognize Kahu as a potential leader.

In the end, Kahu's love and connection to the whales prove to be the key to her success. She has a spiritual connection to the whales and is able to communicate with them in a way that no one else can. When a pod of whales becomes stranded on the beach, Kahu leads them back to the ocean and earns the respect and admiration of her grandfather and the rest of the tribe.

Analysis of the film Whale Rider

The Maori culture places great emphasis on tradition, and gender plays a vital role in it. Every generation, a male is entitled as the chief of the tribe. Unfortunately, Pai, a female descendant, was next in line for this title. Pai craves for Koro's love, attention, and acceptance; however, this was a challenge for she is deemed as “no use” for being a female, and only males have the privilege and supremacy as the potential chief of the Maori community. The gender supremacy is revealed and shown in a school gathering where only males get to be seated in the first seating row. This leads to Pai's hesitancy to sit next to the males, leaving a clear gap in between. This proves that she does not belong and is not accepted to be part of the training as she is a girl. The slow-to-medium phase camera movement of the scene was intended to focus the viewer's attention on Koro and Pai, with a medium shot along with the peaceful surrounding. These camera techniques are to help the audience understand the whole concept of the two main characters' didactic dialogues. The camera had a quick shot of Nanny Flowers with a close-up and an eye-level angle to quickly deliver the empathic gaze to Pai through her eyes. Therefore, the themes of acceptance, belonging, and tradition are cleverly exhibited all together in one scene, with a touch of gender expectations.

The themes of belonging and acceptance are further proved outside the training school, where Pai is sneaky peeking through the window while young boys were training. And though Pai is unqualified to be part of the leadership training, Hemi, a local schoolboy, respected and taught Pai to use the taiaha. With her eagerness and interest, she managed to win the quick-training against Hemi. However, despite the undeniable potential of becoming a leader, Koro disregarded her skills. Koro walked in this scene with the camera moving from his toes to his head. This movement raised suspicion and showed dominance in Koro's character. Furthermore, the blurred setting behind him was done, and the camera level was at the same height as his eyes. These were great techniques to raise tension and make the viewer's eyes focused on him. Overall, the camera techniques used in this film were cleverly used to communicate with the viewers and deliver its message.