Whale Rider
Movie • 2003 • Drama
ReportOn 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.
Filter to only show:
Both
Yes
No
Your Triggers
Yes
0
No
7
Unanswered Triggers
Yes
0
No
0
Were animals harmed in the making?
178 supporters
Yes
0
No
0
0
Silod
Real whales were not used in the filming and underwater footage was digital.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Yes
0
No
0
Yes
0
No
0
Yes
0
No
0
Yes
0
No
0
0
JediMasterTessa
Riding a whale into deep water could be seen as suicidal
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Yes
0
No
0
Are there abusive parents?
61 supporters
Yes
0
No
0
0
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
Abandonment
Yes
0
No
3
Abuse
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
4
No
4
0
Silod
Emotional abuse by grandfather.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there domestic violence?
National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233)
90 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Addiction
Is there addiction?
25 supporters
Yes
2
No
5
0
JediMasterTessa
Women are seen smoking, then trying to hide the smell
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
1
No
5
0
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
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
7
No
0
1
Anonymous
During a scene involving beached whales, one whale dies
2 comments | Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Is there a dead animal?
134 supporters
Yes
8
No
0
0
JediMasterTessa
Dead whale
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
3
Does a dragon die?
1 supporters
Yes
0
No
6
0
JediMasterTessa
No dragons in the movie
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Are there bugs?
42 supporters
Yes
0
No
3
0
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
Assault
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
3
Bodily Harm
Yes
0
No
3
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
3
Does someone struggle to breathe?
32 supporters
Yes
2
No
5
1
Crow75
There are a few underwater scenes, where you could be worried about that, but no struggling shown
2 comments | Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Children
Yes
0
No
3
Does a kid die?
79 supporters
Yes
8
No
1
1
Anonymous
During a scene where a woman dies giving birth, one of the babies die
2 comments | Add comment
Family
Does a parent die?
28 supporters
Yes
9
No
0
2
Anonymous
At the beginning of the movie, the mother of the protagonist dies during childbirth
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
0
No
6
Fear
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Is there a shower scene?
13 supporters
Yes
2
No
2
0
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
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Gross
Is there farting?
12 supporters
Yes
3
No
0
0
Silod
A boy farts audibly during a school performance. The audience laughs and the performance is disrupted.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
6
Does someone spit?
1 supporters
Yes
5
No
0
0
Nie6315799.
People spit out seawater
1 comment | Add comment
Medical
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
5
Is there a hospital scene?
1 supporters
Yes
8
No
0
1
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
Yes
0
No
6
Mental Health
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Does someone die by suicide?
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
95 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Noxious
Yes
3
No
2
Yes
0
No
6
Pregnancy
Yes
0
No
6
Is there childbirth?
30 supporters
Yes
8
No
0
0
Silod
Not graphic. We see the mother's upper body and her straining.
1 comment | Add comment
Does a pregnant person die?
29 supporters
Yes
7
No
1
1
Silod
The protagonist's mother dies in childbirth, so not TECHNICALLY, but extremely likely triggering for this category.
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone miscarry?
31 supporters
Yes
1
No
5
1
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
Prejudice
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
7
Are there fat jokes?
1 supporters
Yes
4
No
1
1
alba04
Not exactly jokes, but there are comments about one character having gained weight.
3 comments | Add comment
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
5
Yes
0
No
3
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
7
Sex
Yes
0
No
7
Are there incestuous relationships?
National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.4673
97 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
3
Spoiler
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
6
Vehicular
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
7
Yes
0
No
7
Violence
Yes
0
No
6
Does someone drown?
31 supporters
Yes
0
No
5
1
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
Yes
0
No
6
Yes
0
No
5
Where to Watch
