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"Whale Rider" was first released at the Toronto Film Festival in September, 2002, where it won the "People's Choice Award". As it was shown at various independent film festivals that followed, including the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, it continued to win awards and was finally released for general cinema in May, 2003 in Australia and in the U.S. one month later. Shortly thereafter, the Keisha Castle-Hughes received serious attention from film critics. She was rewarded for her performance in "Whale Rider" with an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Though she did not win the Oscar, she will hopefully continue to develop her acting abilities and continue to be a superb member of her generation of actors and actresses.

For its superb acting, wonderful story and incredible cinematography, I rate "Whale Rider" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. Other memorable characters in the film include Uncle Rawiri (Grant Roa), Hemi (Mana Taumaunu) and Shilo (Rachel House). Memorable scenes include Pai trying to clandestinely learn from Koro, Koro taking pupils out on a canoe, Pai finding the necklace, Pai reciting her history at school and the whales. I highly recommend this film to everyone.

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With her grandmother and aunt as strong female role models, and her uncle encouraging her along the way, Pai finds the strength to challenge tradition and save it all at once. While her grandfather toils to find a chief among the village's boys, Pai secretly learns the chants and rituals, and passes the tests required of a Maori leader. But her grandfather refuses to see that his successor could be a girl, even if that girl is his own granddaughter.

Filmed in a remote Maori village in New Zealand, Whale Rider treats its subject with respect. Many of the lead actors are Maori and most, if not all, of its extras are natives of the village. Keisha Castle-Hughes is astounding as Pai, the modern day Whale Rider and first female chief of her tribe. The movie absolutely could not have been made without her.

Although rated PG-13, this is a great movie for family viewing. Girls will draw strength from Pai, and boys will learn from her. So, why is it PG-13? I'm convinced the ratings people are crazy. They'll let any grossly inappropriate joke sneak by as long as its a Disney movie, but a movie as innocent as Whale Rider gets the ol' 13 treatment. The film contains no nudity (or even near nudity), no curse words, and no violence. There are two scenes that could potentially cause a parent concern. First, while training the village boys to become chief, Pai's grandfather Koro tells them that if they don't recite a chant correctly, their private parts will fall off (he uses a nickname for Richard when referring to the part), so they should hang on while reciting to keep that from happening. The second is the climax scene that gives the film it's name. Pai is in danger, and especially tenderhearted children may worry. It's an intensely emotional moment, and may be a little much for very young viewers. My sweet little six year old daughter was concerned, but not overly so, and it all turns out alright in the end. If you have any question about whether or not this movie would be appropriate for your family, I recommend you view it first. Just don't reject it outright because of the rating. It's too good to miss!

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