The Whale

Narrated by Ryan Reynolds, this beautiful, bittersweet documentary examines four years in the life of Luna, the young killer whale who became separated from his pod off the west coast of Vancouver Island and took up residence, alone, in the Nootka Sound fjord. Like a child, Luna spent his time trying to forge relationships with local residents in boats and on docks. Most of the footage finds him engaging humans through gentle play, although he occasionally refused to let kayakers and people in small boats reach shore by pushing them back out to the water. For a long time, folks spoke to Luna, touched him, gave him toys, and developed a strong bond. Inevitably, however, a tug of war developed between different parties who each felt they knew what was best for Luna, including citizens, Canada's Department of Fisheries, activists, and a First Nations tribe, which believed Luna was the reincarnation of a late chief. The situation continued unresolved for years, with various plans to reconnect Luna with his family repeatedly scuttled by one or another of the players in this drama. Co-directors Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit eventually get into the act, crossing the line from objective witnesses to advocates. As heart-wrenching as The Whale can be, the film is also uplifting in its portrayal of a special and mysterious bond between humans and orcas. DVD extras include deleted scenes and a World Wildlife Fund PSA. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)