whale rider (2002)

the legend tells that paikea, the first ancestor of the maori people, reached the coasts of new zealand on the back of a whale. today, paikea is a sweet and stubborn girl, a direct descendant of the lineage of the chief. but for her it will not be easy to become a leader of the maori community, being female. her grandfather, koro, does not forgive her for having survived the difficult birth in which her mother and twin brother, a male candidate for the leadership of her people, lost their lives. he will have to demonstrate to his family and his people that he knows how to fight like a boy and can talk to the whales. in the fight against prejudice, whales will help paikea conquer her place in the world and become the depository of maori warrior culture and pride in the challenge to traditions.