Here are several personal reasons why I liked the movie Whale Rider:
Has lots of happy attractive fat people being physically active, with only one or two fat-negative comments.
Qualifies under the Bechdel Rule (albeit a bit scantily on the bit "about something other than men").
Has a hauntingly beautiful music soundtrack.
Has lots of underwater shots.
Has whales.
Made me cry without killing any people. (I needed to cry, and I don't cry all that often over movies.)
Includes a somewhat realistic portrayal of depression.
Has some feminist sensibility.
Has some cultural sensitivity.
Has some excellent acting.
Has lots of happy attractive fat people being physically active, with only one or two fat-negative comments.
Qualifies under the Bechdel Rule (albeit a bit scantily on the bit "about something other than men").
Has a hauntingly beautiful music soundtrack.
Has lots of underwater shots.
Has whales.
Made me cry without killing any people. (I needed to cry, and I don't cry all that often over movies.)
Includes a somewhat realistic portrayal of depression.
Has some feminist sensibility.
Has some cultural sensitivity.
Has some excellent acting.
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chasethestars
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I would add "sensitive interesting portrayal of children which neither infantilises them nor makes them into mini-adults" and "a rare film that is appropriate and relevant to viewers of many different age groups, from children through grandparents"
I was very annoyed that some of the reviews on Amazon claim it's inappropriate for children.
Portrayal of a young girl that is neither precious nor bratty.
Portrayal of a lifelong relationship (Koro and Nanny Flowers) that isn't sentimentalized.
And I loved the language and the slang, and the way every character showed beauty at one point or another.
I was grateful for seeing the transition of loafing ne'er-do-wells into Maori ceremonial warriors. I do a lot of liberal yapping about a lot of unemployment and crime being caused by racism and wasted potential and lack of community, but I never seem to get anywhere near what I am trying to communicate. In the character of Uncle Rawiri, the young man who teaches Paikea, this film just went ahead and showed it. And looking at the movie's website, I can see now that this makes sense because a whole lot of the folks involved with this film were also involved with "Once We Were Warriors," about Maori in modern New Zealand.