Whew......after a week plus movie glut the results are in. Out of all the dozen movies I consumed this week the one that left the sweetest aftertaste was Whale Rider. This film by Niki Caro, only her second at feature length, won countless awards and received an Oscar nod for it's child star Keisha Castle-Hughes. Ms. Hughes has reunited with the director for the upcoming film The Vintner's Luck. Ms. Caro's third film and follow up to this one was North Country, which again received two Oscar nods as well as winning several others.
As the director and writer of this film, she creates a feeling from the start that mesmerized me. The color is consistent throughout and this creates the feeling of the ocean even in scenes not showing water. I was soothed as well as anxious the whole time. A combination not easily achieved.
The overall 'message' or at least idea I took from it is acceptance. She wasn't accepted as she was by her family since her birth. What a difficult place to grow up in!! Nagging, being told 'who' she was, and being shunned for her sex didn't deter this girl, however. She was determined to be who she 'was' and not who everyone expected or wanted her to be. This never failing attitude coupled with a rich sense of tradition and family is something I strive for and is something I certainly didn't uncover before I was a teenager.
Overall, a great and moving story which locks you in early on and doesn't let go. I hope that the message of hope and acceptance is past on to any viewer, and that you'll leave with a sense that "You're perfect just as you are".
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