Pai is a 12-year old Maori girl living in a rural town on the coast of New Zealand. Her family has traditionally supplied the leaders for the local Maori, and her grandfather, Koro, has the responsibility of selecting and training the next one. The town is spiritually and physically deteriorating, the young men becoming lazy and hedonistic, forgetting the ancient and honorable Maori ways. Pai's mother and twin brother both died in childbirth, and Pai's father left shortly thereafter for Europe. Pai has no siblings. In desperation Koro widens his search to all the Maori village boys hoping to find the next leader. But Pai knows that it is she who has actually been chosen to lead the village back to the righteous path. But how can she convince her Grandfather of this? He firmly believes that teaching girls Maori leadership skills is taboo.
The casting is nothing short of perfect. Keisha Castle-Hughes plays Pai, and has an acting range rarely seen in children. In one scene she's acting the role of average kid, in another incredible nobility as she stands up for her convictions, and in another deep, tortured grief. I fervently hope she gets an Oscar nomination. Rawiri Paratene and Vicky Haughton as Koro and his wife also give excellent performances. Niki Caro's screenplay and direction infuse the story with the reality of small-town life, but also with the deep mysteries of the Maori people. In my opinion this is one of the best movies of 2003.
The casting is nothing short of perfect. Keisha Castle-Hughes plays Pai, and has an acting range rarely seen in children. In one scene she's acting the role of average kid, in another incredible nobility as she stands up for her convictions, and in another deep, tortured grief. I fervently hope she gets an Oscar nomination. Rawiri Paratene and Vicky Haughton as Koro and his wife also give excellent performances. Niki Caro's screenplay and direction infuse the story with the reality of small-town life, but also with the deep mysteries of the Maori people. In my opinion this is one of the best movies of 2003.