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Whale Rider (2003)

90 ^%

Reviews Counted: 137 Fresh: 123 Rotten:14 Average Rating: 7.7/10

Consensus: An empowering and uplifting movie, with a wonderful performance by Castle-Hughes.

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Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Theatrical Release: Jun 6, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $20,661,128

Synopsis: In a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation for more than 1000 years, a male heir born to the Chief succeeds to the title. The time is now. The Chief's eldest son, Porourangi, fathers twins - a boy and a girl. But the boy and his...

The time is now. The Chief's eldest son, Porourangi, fathers twins - a boy and a girl. But the boy and his mother die in childbirth. The surviving girl is named Pai.

Grief-stricken, her father leaves her to be raised by her grandparents. Koro, her grandfather who is the Chief, refuses to acknowledge Pai as the inheritor of the tradition and claims she is of no use to him. But her grandmother, Flowers, sees more than a broken line, she sees a child in desperate need of love.

And Koro learns to love the child. When Pai's father, Porourangi, now a feted international artist, returns home after twelve years, Koro hopes everything is resolved and Porourangi will to accept destiny and become his successor.

But Porourangi has no intention of becoming Chief. He has moved away from his people both physically and emotionally. After a bitter argument with Koro he leaves, suggesting to Pai that she come with him. She starts the journey but quickly returns, claiming her grandfather needs her.

Koro is blinded by prejudice and even Flowers cannot convince him that Pai is the natural heir. The old Chief is convinced that the tribe's misfortunes began at Pai's birth and calls for his people to bring their 12-year-old boys to him for training. He is certain that through a gruelling process of teaching the ancient chants, tribal lore and warrior techniques, the future leader of their tribe will be revealed to him.

Meanwhile, deep within the ocean, a massive herd of whales is responding, drawn towards Pai and their twin destinies.

When the whales become stranded on the beach, Koro is sure this signals an apocalyptic end to his tribe. Until one person prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the people. The Whale Rider. -- © Newmarket Capital Group [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Vicky Haughton, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa

Director: Niki Caro
Screenwriter: Niki Caro
Producer: John Barnett, Tim Sanders, Frank Hubner

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 28, 2003

[DVD Details]

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Reviews

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08/07/08

Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

N/R

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07/22/08

Dennis Harvey

Variety

Top Critic

The third act -- where all our predictions come true -- has a quiet dignity and, although it moves from A to B as expected, how it gets there is surprisingly mysterious.

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Comment

06/03/08

Robert Davis

Paste Magazine

N/R

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11/01/07

David Ansen

Newsweek

Top Critic

N/R

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01/26/06

Time Out

�Whale Rider� is a mystical, gentle movie that goes beyond the boundaries of the usual coming-of-age film.

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06/03/05

Linda Cook

KWQC-TV (Iowa)

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03/05/05

Ethan Alter

NYC Film Critic

...an uncommonly intelligent, well-crafted movie that -- despite the curious PG-13 rating -- parents shouldn't hesitate to see with their kids.

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Comment

01/29/05

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The climactic revelation, when it comes, is something so ambitious that I never would have dreamed it would work convincingly. But it does.

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12/06/04

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

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10/07/04

Tony Medley

tonymedley.com

Encapsulates the grace and beauty of international cinema.

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Comment

08/13/04

Mark Sells

Oregon Herald

No se queda en la mera descripci�n antropol�gica; es ante todo una fascinante historia sobre el coraje, la auto confianza, los v�nculos familiares, las tradiciones...

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Comment

03/16/04

Enrique Buchichio

Uruguay Total

Stirring story of Maori culture

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Comment

03/02/04

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

The key to "Whale Rider's" appeal is that the film doesn't force an opinion upon its viewers

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Comment

02/24/04

Vanessa Sibbald

Zap2it.com

Young Keisha Castle-Hughes is a Down Under wonder in the lead as Pai, a spunky little Maori girl who could.

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Comment

02/09/04

Thomas Delapa

Boulder Weekly

'Niki Caro's striking visual images match her elegant, understated prose creating an uplifting story.'

Full Review |

Comment

01/30/04

Lori Hoffman

Atlantic City Weekly

The movie is smart with its storytelling and delivers several powerful scenes.

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01/05/04

Mark Robison

Reno Gazette-Journal

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01/04/04

Colin Kennedy

Empire Magazine

Simp�tico e bem-humorado, o filme � imensamente beneficiado pela brilhante atua��o de sua jovem protagonista, Keisha Castle-Hughes.

Comment

11/03/03

Pablo Villaca

Cinema em Cena

Caro seems less concerned with evoking the economic or socio-political baggage bringing the film�s characters down than she is with telling the same sappy tale of patriarchal perseverance we�ve seen so many times before.

Full Review |

1 Comment

10/16/03

Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

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