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Lately I’ve been drawn to movies with magnificent
preteen heroines, self-possessed girls who kick some
serious ass, in spite of having to devote huge chunks
of their time and energy to fending off the usual
patriarchal bullshit. These young role models (and I
mean they are ideal role models for grown women, not
just other young girls) are smart, strong, feisty,
courageous, defiant, resourceful, and still passionate
about their own lives and interests because they
haven’t yet been indoctrinated to believe that their
only value lies in being found desirable by males.
Summary From Amazon:
"On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people
believe their presence there dates back a thousand
years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who
escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to
shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara
chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been
considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an
11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe,
believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her
grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male
leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world,
but she must fight him and a thousand years of
tradition to fulfill her destiny."