movie rec

[permetaform]

go watch Whale Rider.

yeah, I *know* the story's been told before, female empowerment and breaking tradition and whatnot. But not like this.

This? This is magical-realism at it's best, it's storytelling and acting and three dimensional characters. It's some humor, some drama, moody scenery of both the uplifting and the depressing sort. It is a fabulously nicely-paced bit of work that, note:

Does not try to shove sentiment in your face.

and yet it's inspirational. It will leave a happy feeling, one that's not false because the performances don't feel false, so real it could be a documentary and it just sucks you in.

Go watch, yea? And pass the word along.

Comments

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Wow, and here I thought I was the only one in fandom to have seen the movie. I love how...unapologetic...it is about the grandfather's attitudes, even though I wanted to smack him many, many times.

[permetaform]

yes! exactly! And the kicker is that it *shows* that the grandfather does feel love for Pai, he was all dressed and ready to go to her performance and that first sequence with them on the bike. It's trying to balance this with his strong sense of duty that I think broke him.

Incidentally, it also makes me view Pai's dad as just a teeny bit whiny, but is understandable I think, because Pai's grandfather transferred so much of his belief in the spirituality of the leadership to Pai's father that perhaps at one point her father looked within himself and found himself lacking...

but that's just me

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