Whale Rider Reaction



 



     The Whale Rider is the story of a young girl named Paikea who becomes the leader of her tribe called the Maori. Throughout the story she has to face many challenges involving the traditions of her people. Typically the leaders of her tribe are male and Paikea is the first of her family to break this tradition. Paikea's grandfather, Koro, searches the tribe for the new leader in an attempt to save his people. Paikea, against her grandfathers will, completes the tasks that he gave to the boys to become leader. This angers Koro because it goes against their tradition. By the end of the movie Paikea proves koro wrong and becomes the new leader of the tribe.
      I really enjoyed watching this film. I thought that Paikea was a character that was easy to relate to because She did everything she could to make her family proud; even if it almost cost her her grandfather's love. One thing that i thought was portrayed well in the film, was how important tradition was and how even traditions can change over time. Throughout the film Paikea went against tradition to prove that she was supposed to be the new leader of her tribe. She became the first woman to be leader in her tribe. I believe that tradition is an important part of family. Overall i enjoyed the film and plan on watching it again soon.