Movie Review#6 [Whale Rider]

“In ancient, Paikea the brave man came from Hawaiki riding on a whale. Māori　is his descendant.” This is a legend of Māori. This is a movie about a girl of Māori and a male-dominated Māori society.

Paikea Apirana is an only granddaughter of Koro Apirana. Pikea had the same name with the traditional brave man. She was called “Pai”. Her mother and twin brother was died when she was born. Koro Apirana was the head of Māori. His son went out to German because he was grieved at the death of his wife and son. He should bring up his granddaughter with his wife. In this tribal society, it was a man only that was able to be the head of Māori and it was hereditary. Koro was not like Pai because she was a girl and she was his only descendant. But he loved Pai pure. But Pai lost heart because she was liked by her grandfather.

When Pai was 12 years old, her father came back to the hamlet. Koro hoped him to be the next head of Māori, but his son was not say “Yes”. Pai decided to go out from the hamlet with her father because she thought Koro thought distasteful for her. But she heard a voice of sea in a car on the road. She returned to her grandfather, but Koro was not changing his thinking. He thought it was sorrow that Pai was not a boy. Well, he opened the school for how to succeed the culture of Māori to only boys. He expected a boy who had character of the head appeared from the school. Pai could not attend to the school because she was a girl. But she was not give up. She learned the traditional songs, dancing, and military art” taiaha” secretly, and her uncle helped her. One day, Pai defeated with a boy who attended to the Koro’s school on a match of taiaha. Koro was angry to Pai very much what she came to the school and use taiaha.

Koro tested the boys. The test was for to be a head of Māori, boys should to pick up a rei puta the necklace of whale tooth in the sea. Koro hurled the rei puta, but the boys could not find it. Koro was sorry, and he was down with the sorrow.
Pai went to find the rei puta in the sea. But her grandmother stopped to give the rei pita to Koro, it was had by her grandmother. And, Pai wanted to get good relationship with Koro. She invited him to the school party; she thought to here her speech for her grandfather.

But, the many whales were on the shore when Pai read the speech. It is big incident. The people and Koro try to back whales to the sea, it was very difficult. When the people gave up trying so, Pai ridded on a whale. Then, the whale returned to the sea, and other whales follow with the whale which Pai ridded. In the time, Pai’s grandmother gave Koro the rei puta. Koro knew the all of things. Pai was helped uneventfully; the people cerebrated to birth of new head of Māori.

I have seen this movie 2 years ago. This movie is very good for education of different cultures understanding I think. I think we can not know about Māori without some Medias. I guess there are many male-dominated societies in the world yet like Māori. I want to go to New Zealand someday. I could enjoy watching this movie.
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