WHALE RIDER

Whale Rider. NZ/DE 2002. Director: Niki Caro. Screenplay: Niki Caro. 97 min. Feature film. OV w/Ger. sub. FSK 6. Recommended from age 10.

The inha­bi­tants of the New Zealand vil­la­ge of Whangara belie­ve that their ances­tor Paikea rea­ched land more than a thousand years ago on the back of a wha­le. Since then, a male des­cen­dant of the wha­le rider has held this title in every gene­ra­ti­on and is the head of their tri­be. However, when the off­ing bea­rer dies in child­birth and only his twin sis­ter sur­vi­ves, lea­der Koro finds hims­elf unable to accept his grand­d­augh­ter Pai as the future chief. The twel­ve-year-old must rebel against him and a thousand-year-old tra­di­ti­on to ful­fill her desti­ny. Director Niki Caro takes a tou­ch­ing look at a cou­ra­ge­ous girl’s strugg­le against out­da­ted tra­di­ti­ons and for love and recognition.