Children's Media Response: #7

Talking about Whale Rider in the context of diversity is a conversation that could be eons long.  The film handles the portrayal of a Maori Tribe with no apologies and extreme reverence and respect.  It's almost strange for someone with little to no exposure to the cultural beliefs and traditions of those peoples to come into a film that hits the ground running in the middle of a tension between a chief and his son that is based in a cultural tradition.  I, being very unfamiliar with the ways of Maori tribes, was confused for a good part of the beginning.  It took me a little bit to adjust to a language I was unfamiliar with--there was a bit of a learning curve, I guess, to understanding the film.  But once I was able to immerse myself in the world along with the characters, I found great beauty and joy in the traditions and music and beliefs of the tribe.  

But I feel that a conversation that is more complex or more intriguing is not just pointing out the way the film portrayed the diversity of the tribe in comparison with American culture, but the way in which the film was trying to merge contemporary culture with an ancient one.  Mostly dealing with preexisting gender roles, the journey of Pai is a paradox.  By defying ancient tradition, she is also able to continue it and help it to pass along.  She is, essentially, able to save her people because of her breaking the rules.  This film does a great job of showing how, in a different culture, the necessity of growing and adapting ones mind and standards can lead to beautiful and prosperous results.  Pai understands the beauty and breadth of her tribe's cultures and traditions.  She understands something that her grandpa does not, and her journey is less of self-discovery as the new chief of the tribe, but more of a journey of self sacrifice in order to help him understand something new.  

Whale Rider  is a beautiful combination of beliefs across two cultures.  It is a film that I watched as a kid and didn't understand at all.  I wonder where its place is in the children's media sphere.  Is it a film that children will understand?  Or is it something that exists purely as exposure.  I remember watching this when I was younger and feeling alienated by some of the things I was seeing.  I didn't get it, and therefore thought the film was kind of boring.  Perhaps I was too young when I saw it, I should have been ten or eleven instead of only 6.  I do think, though, that it is something that would be beneficial to older children, who can more fully adapt and understand.  I think the early exposure to diversity is really important.  Disney is great, but doesn't give any insight into cultural difference.