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DESCRIPTION
A small Maori village faces a crisis when the heir to the leadership of the Ngati Konohi dies at birth and is survived only by his twin sister Pai. Although disregarded by her grandfather and shunned by the village people twelve-year-old Pai remains certain of her calling and trains herself in the ways and customs of her people. With remarkable grace Pai finds the strength to challenge her family and embraces a thousand years of tradition in order to fulfill her destiny.System Requirements:Running Time: 101 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396022720 Manufacturer No: 02272
One of the most charming and critically acclaimed films of 2003, the New Zealand hit Whale Rider effectively combines Maori tribal tradition with the timely "girl power" of a vibrant new millennium. Despite the discouragement of her gruff and disapproving grandfather Rawiri Paratene, who nearly disowns her because she is female and therefore traditionally disqualified from tribal leadership, 12-year-old Pai Keisha Castle-Hughes is convinced that she is a tribal leader, and sets about to prove it. Rather than inflate this story from a novel by Witi Ihimaera with artificial sentiment, writer-director Niki Caro develops very real and turbulent family relationships, intimate and yet torn by a collision between stubborn tradition and changing attitudes. The mythic whale rider--the ultimate symbol of Maori connection to nature--is also the harbinger of Pai's destiny, and the appealing Castle-Hughes gives a luminous, astonishingly powerful performance that won't leave a dry eye in the house. With its fresh take on a familiar tale, Whale Rider is definitely one from the heart. --Jeff Shannon
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