Firstly, the movie portrayed strong cultural roots and beliefs systems. Among them, there was the concept of a chieftain. I presume that these customs had practical reasons behind, as the chief needed to protect his people. A chief had to be strong, angry, skilled in the tongues of the tribe and so forth. However, it is interesting to see how traditions tend to turn into 'laws'. Not just the way it should be done, but also the way it MUST be done. Soon, these traditions become rigid and stiff, allowing no room for discussion or protest. This tendency is prevalent in many other customs, cultures, religions and so forth. When examining the roots and origins of it, I noticed how these ideology develops over time, and how it tends to somewhat stray from its original purpose. The elders of a particular culture are typically unyielding in their ways, claiming any manner of questioning as dissents and deem as unforgivable. To a certain degree, although the current practices are technically correct, but its true intention behind it may have been muddled.
In my mind, Koro's character is a true manifestation of a traditionally and culturally rooted man, which is admirable in the lost and wandering ways of today's world. To me, he comes across as one of a choleric temperament. As such, it is not surprising that he is of the line of chieftains, although whether he was born that way or brought up that way is uncertain. I like to describe him as a quiet Alpha male. He is domineering in nature and in many aspects of his life, except over his wife, Nanny Flowers. I had a laugh when Nanny said that Koro think he does, but actually does not. He is also proud and sure in himself, which, arguably is both his Herculean strength and Achilles heel. He can be resolute, or in other words, stubborn. This can be seen in his unyielding efforts to not teach Pai the ways of the chief and only limiting the candidates to the boys. No other opinion was allowed or given thought. Right until the very end.
Moving on to the next generation, or rather two generations, Pai was brought up as an only child, although she is technically born as a twin. As according to Adler's birth order, she tends to portray adult characteristics, even at such an early age. Her emotional regulation can be seen as steadfast and strong. For example, during a stage play where Pai was leading the presentation, a fellow student farted and caused a uproar of laughter, disrupting the performance. Although feeling slight discomforts, she did not react negatively at the embarrassment, but merely composed herself and carried on with the stage play. Furthermore, when Pai's father, Porourangi, showed up for the performance, I was surprised to see her not shaken nor feeling bitter, but rather joyful that he came to see her perform. As far as I can tell, her father has been absent in most of her life, yet at that moment, she was not holding a grudge but set aside any misgiving about him and just enjoyed his presence. Huge respect for such maturity.
The movie showed how strong beliefs and values can be, which in this case, is likely to be perceived as gender stereotypes in today's world. They keep us rooted and firm, knowing that the ideology we possess will bring us stronger into the future. Nonetheless, this movie also shows strength, in the form of a steadfast, mild-mannered girl who was determined in her ways. A twelve-year-old girl who was sure of her identity as a chief of a tribe and was loyal to her people, despite all the chances and reasons to leave, she still followed her heart and kept moving forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment