Whale Rider

I really enjoyed this movie and I regret not having watched it sooner. This movie was very emotionally touching and had a great story line. I think that it's horrible that Koro resented his granddaughter, Pai, so much because she was female, the first-born, she had the name of their ancestor, and she was basically the "end" of their family-line of chiefs. It was especially saddening when Koro would not treat Pai respectfully while training the boys in the town to be future leaders because she was a female, and he felt that she had caused enough damage. I think it's great that Pai's grandmother Flowers believed in her and loved her so much. Also, it's great that Pai was able to learn all of the different characteristics of a leader, even if it was done behind her grandfather's back, but it proved to be useful becase she really was the next chief. One could see that she loved her grandfather so much, and it was awful that he believed her birth to be the reason why the Whangara people were suffering so much. Her speech about her ancestors that was dedicated to Koro was very moving, and even had me in tears! I felt so bad that Koro was prepared to go to her concert, but never showed up once he saw all of the breached whales near their house. After much hardship, I'm glad Koro was finally able to accept Pai as the new cheif. This movie emphasized the importance of change, especially when it comes to culture, because change is necessary in the modern world, and in order to continue one's traditional ways, one must be willing to accept changes.