Whale Rider
Movie • 2003 • Drama
ReportSynopsis
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.
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Your Triggers
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Needs More Answers
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JediMasterTessa
Riding a whale into deep water could be seen as suicidal
1 comment | Add comment
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Are there abusive parents?
70 supporters
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Silod
Emotional abuse from grandfather, who raised female lead. He openly resents that she is not a boy and abruptly emotionally distances himself from her partway through the movie. He condemns her for taking an interest in traditions intended only for men and blames her throughout the film for his own perceived failures. He unexpectedly stops picking her up from school, leaving her to walk home. Midway through, she is sent to stay with her uncle because her grandfather refuses to have her in the house anymore. When the whales beach themselves, he yells at and openly blames her.
1 comment | Add comment
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Does an abused person forgive their abuser?
53 supporters
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Silod
Female lead's grandfather openly resents that she is not a boy. He abruptly emotionally distances himself from her partway through the movie. He condemns her for taking an interest in traditions intended only for men and blames her throughout the film for his own perceived failures. He unexpectedly stops picking her up from school, leaving her to walk home. Midway through, she is sent to stay with her uncle because her grandfather refuses to have her in the house anymore. When the whales beach themselves, he yells at and openly blames her. Throughout the movie, she accepts the rough treatment and apologizes.
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Is a baby stillborn?
50 supporters
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Silod
This isn't totally clear. The protagonist's twin does not survive birth, but cause/timing of his death is not elaborates upon. The deceased is extensively shown, but mostly only the blanket he is swaddled in is visible.
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Abandonment
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Abuse
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Silod
Emotional abuse by grandfather.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there domestic violence?
National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233)
110 supporters
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Addiction
Is there addiction?
26 supporters
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JediMasterTessa
Women are seen smoking, then trying to hide the smell
1 comment | Add comment
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saebou
One character has a bag of weed and a pipe, which implies that he smoked marijuana before the scene. It is a very short scene.
1 comment | Add comment
Animal
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Are there bugs?
45 supporters
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alba04
A large crab is seen outside of the water. If you don't like looking at bugs, you might not like that either.
1 comment | Add comment
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Is there a dead animal?
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JediMasterTessa
Dead whale
1 comment | Add comment
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Does a dragon die?
1 supporters
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JediMasterTessa
No dragons in the movie
1 comment | Add comment
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Anonymous
During a scene involving beached whales, one whale dies
2 comments | Add comment
Assault
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Bodily Harm
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Does someone struggle to breathe?
1 supporters
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Crow75
There are a few underwater scenes, where you could be worried about that, but no struggling shown
2 comments | Add comment
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Children
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Does a kid die?
103 supporters
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Anonymous
During a scene where a woman dies giving birth, one of the babies die
2 comments | Add comment
Family
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Does a parent die?
36 supporters
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Anonymous
At the beginning of the movie, the mother of the protagonist dies during childbirth
1 comment | Add comment
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Fear
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Is there a shower scene?
15 supporters
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Silod
Female lead is shown in a bath. She is naked, but she's about eight years old and the scene is modest.
2 comments | Add comment
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Gross
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Does someone spit?
22 supporters
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Nie6315799.
People spit out seawater
1 comment | Add comment
Is there farting?
18 supporters
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Silod
A boy farts audibly during a school performance. The audience laughs and the performance is disrupted.
1 comment | Add comment
Medical
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Is there a hospital scene?
1 supporters
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Silod
The film opens with the protagonist's birth. She is also shown in the hospital near the end of the film. Minimal medical equipment is shown.
3 comments | Add comment
Mental Health
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Does someone die by suicide?
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
1 supporters
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Noxious
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Pregnancy
Does someone miscarry?
43 supporters
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Crow75
Not miscarriage, but at the very beginning of the movie, a woman dies while giving birth to twins and one of them dies too.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there childbirth?
40 supporters
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Silod
Not graphic. We see the mother's upper body and her straining.
1 comment | Add comment
Does a pregnant person die?
37 supporters
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Silod
The protagonist's mother dies in childbirth, so not TECHNICALLY, but extremely likely triggering for this category.
1 comment | Add comment
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Prejudice
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Are there fat jokes?
1 supporters
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alba04
Not exactly jokes, but there are comments about one character having gained weight.
3 comments | Add comment
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Sex
Are there incestuous relationships?
National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.4673
105 supporters
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Spoiler
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Vehicular
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Violence
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Does someone drown?
1 supporters
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Silod
There are a couple of drowning scares, but no one drowns. In one scene, the protagonist dives into the sea and stays down off-camers for so long that another character goes in and begins searching for her, but then she pops back up and is completely fine. At the end of the movie, she rides a whale and it is clear that the community believes she has drowned, but they later receive a call from the hospital and, again, she is fine.
2 comments | Add comment
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