Whale Rider is a family, drama film directed by Niki Caro. The story follows a young girl by the name of Pai who believes she is the heir to becoming the new chief and must overcome tradition from her grandfather who is bound to pick a male as chief. The director uses multiple film techniques to highlight that Pai is the hero, and presents her as the victim of discrimination from her community and her grandfather. Costume, setting and characterisation are some film techniques used throughout the film to give an image that Pai is the hero the community needs.
The director uses Characterisation powerfully to highlight to the audience that Pai is the hero of the film, and that Koro is the antagonist. The director gives Pai noble characteristics such as Wisdom, courage and determination. For example in the scene with Pai’s speech she states: ‘I…show more content… Throughout the film Pai is constantly seen wearing red, which symbolises strength. Scenes where she exhibits her strength while wearing red include: fighting Hemi with the Taiaha, sitting in the front in the traditional ceremony and diving for Koro’s tooth. While Pai is seen in red, Koro is seen with his staff and his tooth. When Koro has his staff with him, the staff adds a certain authority to Koro. Another good example of this authority is at the performance (at the start of the movie). When the performance is disrupted by laughters, Koro bangs his staff on the ground and the audience goes quiet. Another important cosmetic for Koro is his Tooth. It represents the tradition of the tribe, in which Koro believes. The viewers can see how much the tooth means to Koro when he goes into a gloomy-like state after all the boys fail to retrieve it. Thus, costuming is used to exhibit power and authority from different
