Monday 8 November 2010

To Be or Not to Be Moved.

I watched Whale Rider again tonight. And, of course, the ending got to me - as usual!

Why is it that I find deliverance far more emotionally engaging than things like tragedy and disaster? I mean, I’m with Oscar Wilde when he said:

One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.

And yet give me something like Whale Rider, in which the little girl not only survives her seaborne sojourn on the whale’s back, but wins the respect and contrition of her grandfather into the bargain – and becomes chief of the tribe like she’s supposed to be – and there I go again. Hopeless.

You must understand, however, that this isn’t simply a matter of being moved by a happy ending. Most happy endings leave me cold. That’s one of the things I so hate about Walt bloody Disney (there are others.) The ending doesn’t have to be happy, just as long as the goal is reached and the struggle come to fruition.

So, if there are any psychologists in the house, do enlighten me. Wendy?

4 comments:

Maria Sondule said...

I love this movie too! It really inspired me. I actually liked it better than the book, which is a rare occurrence.
I enjoy Walt Disney as well. Those kinds of overly sappy movies have a place in the world. They give me fond memories of my childhood.
However, you are right that Disney movies are never as satisfying as things like Whale Rider.

JJ said...

And you're right too, Maria, sappy movies do have a place in the world. (What's wrong with me tonight?) It's just that they're not my kind of thing.

Wendy said...

I still get shivers every time I watch this movie. For me what saved it from turning into another "Free Willy" which I hated (while laughing hysterically at the title) was the simplicity and spirituality that was so well acted with genuine honesty. Here was a tribe who lost connection with the old ways and had to adapt to a new connection or else not only they would perish but the totem spirit of their tribe would also die. It's a "fairy tale" with all the classic archetypes and beauty. The story of redemption.

JJ said...

It still doesn’t answer my question – why my emotions are so stirred by people (or animals) ‘getting there.’

I think what so affected me about this film was the courage and tenacity of the little girl. She went through an emotional mangle in a big way, and yet she carried on to the point of anticipated death. But the real heart crusher was this: When the moment of triumph came there was nothing remotely triumphal about it, just a quiet acceptance that right had prevailed. People punching the air and beating their chests mean nothing to me, but the penultimate scene in which the child opens her eyes to look at her grandfather and then goes back to sleep without so much as a smile says it all.