Whale Rider washes other movies away

In today's world of superfluous effects and gratuitous violence, graphic sex scenes and glorified drug use, seeing a film that is pure and wholesome but not geared towards a five-year-old audience is refreshing. With its haunting music, breath-taking backgrounds, and powerful plot, Whale Rider is the movie that breaks trends this summer.

Based on the book of the same name by Witi Ihimaera, Whale Rider is the story of a young girl, Paikea, born into nobility in a New Zealand tribe that is struggling with modern reality. The poignancy of this clash is hard to take in when one sees the depressed area in which the tribe lives. However, the opening scene in which Pai's family chants over her dead mother and sibling in a hospital is nothing less than beautiful.

Though she was in line to the next leader, Pai is rejected by her grandfather, the current leader, because she is a girl. Pressing his desperate need for salvation for the poor tribe onto her, he forces Pai to embark on a journey of self-discovery to escape her his impossible expectations.

Pai, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes, is a stunning character with resolve and good-will enough for us all. Though this is Castle-Hughes' first picture, she does the job well, capturing Pai's reluctance and shyness perfectly. Kudos also go out to director Niki Caro and especially to Lisa Gerrard for the most gorgeous music ever to be in a film.

The final spectacle of the movie is the whales, far more amazing in their own natural splendor than anything Disney could ever create. Whale Rider is a must-see, if only for the footage of majestic whales and the serene New Zealand beaches.

Whale Rider is rated PG – 13 and now playing at select theaters.