Whale Rider

The title may well strike thunderous dread into your little fluttering heart, as you conjure up dread visions of Free Willy 3; Willy Vs the Japanese Fishing Industry (This time it’s personal). Fear not though, this feelgood Maori movie from New Zealand is arguably more Flipper than Once Were Warriors, but it’s still a far cry from your typical fishy Hollywood gunk.

This charming fable sees a young Maori girl battling against the ingraining patriarchal prejudices of her culture. Pai (played with aplomb by newcomer Castle-Hughes) is a surviving twin and part of a community which claim to be descendants of a whale-rider. She adores her grandfather, Koro, but he’s a traditionalist who resents her greatly for not being a boy (especially as her twin brother has died), and blames her for every misfortune that befalls her tribe.

When the time comes to pick a new leader, Koro begins to train the local lads in the traditional manner. Needless to say, they’re all abysmal in the ‘old ways’, while Pai kicks arse. But will Koro ever notice?

Clement Freud was once asked for his impressions of New Zealand, and he remarked that he found it “hard to say because when I was there it appeared to be shut”. Between the anti-industrial moralising of Lord Of The Rings, and the quiet rhythms of Whale Rider, their film industry seems keen to maintain this reputation for tranquility.

Certainly, this is an unassuming film, but it’s sensitive and disarming enough to deserve its sleeper hit status in the US. Besides, not only will Whale Rider provide welcome cinematic refuge from the big-bang splatterfest of blockbuster season, but how many other movies with an upbeat anti-patriarchy message do you expect to see this summer? Unless of course Arnie gets a sex change in Terminator 3.