Of all the supporting characters, the grandmother and uncle had the most realistic understanding of life as it was with the tribe today. The focus of the story was on Pai, of course, and she was a remarkable character.
But Uncle Rawiri's character was also ignored by Koro all his life because he was only the second son. There was another great scene that passes so fast it's easy to miss. When Koro is desperate to move the big whale and tells Rawiri to gather the men again, and Rawiri tells him they're all "stuffed" from working all night, Koro says to him, "They'll do it for you" - finally recognizing that Rawiri himself is a leader respected by the tribe.
Gordon
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
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subtextual
13 years ago
I'm glad someone else noticed Rawiri.
Pai was really my favorite character, but I love the subtle hints of the grandfather's earlier failure: he was so deadset on his eldest son being the next tribal leader that he overlooked the fact that his SECOND son was the right choice.
The scene where Rawiri first uses the warrior stick (don't remember what it's called, sorry), his skill and ease with it is incredibly clear. He may be fat, but he moves in such a way that you see how the warrior stick should be used (the grandfather's school demonstrations didn't quite get that far).
And the way he helps his father teach the school, and is obviously a natural leader in the community... makes it clear that his father missed the tribal successor in the previous generation, too.
Koro isn't just blinded by sexism-- he's blinded by the rigidity of his insistence that the formula for the new leader demands a _firstborn_ son.
Character actors: the backbone of the industry and the reason for half my visits to imdb.com
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douglas111
8 years ago
So quick to view the world through any set of eyes except those of Koro.
--East lie the Iron hills where is Dain--
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