When I found out that the Midvalley cineplex was going to show Whale Rider I was determined to watch it. We did and we came home tonight “nourished”. May Chin & I found it to be not only a movie that touches that whcih relates to our humanity, it is also rich with layers of culture, tension between past & future and of course a wonderful piece of story telling.
Amongst the many things that struck me, one is worth mentioning immediately. I realized that even though the Moari culture and the New Zealand context at first seems so distant from us here in Malaysia. Somehow the story still touched me at a most profoundly deep level – e.g. the relationships in the story, the struggles they faced, the whole quest for some way to move forward as well as preserve the past, etc. I was simply encouraged that the most local & authentic sharing of one’s journey can connnect across boundaries and become bridge not only for me to understand the one sharing but as one listening I’m drawn to understand myself better.
Here’s a study guide from Damaris for those who wanna explore deeper.