Whale Rider
PG-13 ‧ 2002 ‧ Family/Adventure ‧ 1h 41m
Only males are allowed to ascend to chiefdom in a Maori tribe in New Zealand. This ancient custom is upset when the child selected to be the next chief dies at birth. However his twin sister, Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes), survives. At age 12, she enlists the help of her grandmother (Vicky Haughton) and the training of her uncle (Grant Roa) to claim her birthright. But to break with convention, she'll have to do the impossible: win over her ultra-traditional grandfather (Rawiri Paratene). Based on the 1987 novel by Witi Ihimaera.
"Evokes its spirituality with deft strokes and wonderful humor." - Washington Post
"The rhythms of Whale Rider are hypnotic as the ebb tide, haunting as the song of the humpback sea mammal, bracing as the ocean spray. It's a movie that rewards the patient viewer." - Philadelphia Inquirer
