Paï : L'élue d'un peuple nouveau

I have not seen such a powerful and charged drama and family movie in a long time – and truth be told I saw many of them. The story of an intellectually ill-educated and demeaned girl (not in the sense of being bullied by her classmates or failing at school) who is psychologically abused by her grandfather. While she craves approval, he wants to humiliate her as deeply as he can. You do not experience these feelings while watching an ordinary movie, but Whale Rider is something else. Director Niki Caro, who was practically an amateur at the time, delivers an incredible performance, and together with Keisha Castle-Hughes, has created a monumental duo that works as wonderfully as the Depp-Burton pairing, though of course in a different genre and direction. The soundtrack is fascinating and reveals the mysteries and customs of New Zealand. The ending may turn out well in one way, however, after watching it a second time you realize it turned out even better – as true friendship, love and appreciation is stronger than anything else, and Whale Rider makes that clear. (04/03/2009)