The expansive natural background that the director utilizes in Whale Rider actually sums up the personality of the protagonist almost exactly. She is most at home in the ocean, and she feels that she is able to relate more strongly to the whales than she is able to relate to people, because the people around her want to stereotype her, and use those stereotypes to prevent her from fulfilling her destiny. The use of the ocean backdrop also suggests limitless possibility, something that Pai believes she has inside her, and it suggests a power that is stronger than any power wielded by man. This, too, is something that Pai believes she can harness. It is her destiny to become the leader of the tribe and she believes strongly that this is something even her stubborn and chauvinistic grandfather cannot prevent, because it is nature's will.
This is not just a film about a little girl with a big dream; nor is it an "all lived happily ever after" kind of fairytale set in a typical Māori settlement of New Zealand. This is a film that gets to the heart of prejudice, not against an ethnic group, or a nationality, but against an entire gender. Pai's grandfather would rather train a young boy with no ties to himself whatsoever, and precious little aptitude for the task, than accept his granddaughter as the tribe's new leader. His ideas on gender roles are entrenched and honed by a lifetime of seeing women as subordinate to men, although this is somewhat ironic because in his own household the quiet storm that is his wife actually seems to be the one in charge. Koro's prejudice throws up an interesting philosophical point; at what point is tradition something that is important in order to preserve the ways of a people, and at what point is it a tool for oppressing a particular group within that people? His chauvinism also prevents Koro from having the most rewarding relationship with his granddaughter that he could have, because they are at odds, rather than working together to help her become the strongest leader that the tribe has had to date.
Ultimately, even a stubborn old man cannot stand in the way of the gods; it is destiny that Pai become the leader of the tribe and the movie shows this very well. Just as the ocean dwarfs the people in the film, we are reminded by the narrative that the power of the gods and nature is far superior to the power that we humans think that we have.
