Film Review (Documentary)

Title: Saving Luna

Co-Directed by Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit

Written by Michael Parfit

Produced by Suzanne Chisholm

Mountainside Films (Sidney, BC, Canada)

Length: 92 min

Language: English

Reviewed By: Colette Gunson (Vancouver Correspondent – Canada)

Saving Luna is the extraordinary true story about the baby killer whale that tried to befriend people after becoming separated from his pod. Normally, orcas spend their entire lives with their families; but Luna, a two-year old orca-child, was lost and alone. When he couldn’t find members of his own species to interact with, he turned to people for companionship instead.

Winner of 17 international awards including two “Green Oscar” Panda awards at Wildscreen, the world’s largest and most prestigious environmental film festival, Saving Luna is a film that people of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy.

Beautifully written with stunning high definition footage of British Columbia’s majestic coastline, the film transports audiences to Nootka Sound, a region halfway along the west coast of Vancouver Island. This feature-length documentary carefully traces Luna’s life for almost three years from 2004 to 2006 and raises difficult questions about the relationship between humans and wild animals.

How are we supposed to react when a young whale is trying so desperately to play with us? Do we acknowledge that he is lonely and give him the attention that he seems to need or do we try to keep our distance recognizing the dangers of an animal getting too close to human activity? Should an attempt be made to reconnect him with his family? And if so, what is the best way? This was the dilemma.

Luna’s atypical behavior created mounting tensions between the Gold River residents, scientists, the Canadian Government, and the local First Nations people. Everyone had different ideas as to what was best for the little whale. The government tried to implement rules prohibiting people from interacting with Luna, but the more people ignored him, the harder Luna tried to entice them to play.

For the most part the story is told from a strict journalistic standpoint—a balanced portrayal of the parties involved in what the media often referred to as a “tug-of-whale” at the time. At a certain point however, filmmakers Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit are overcome with compassion for the little whale and make a fundamental break from their journalistic rules to try to help him.

In many documentaries this could be a fatal move, jeopardizing the credibility of both the film and the filmmakers. In this case, however, their decision to get involved with their subject is a wonderful expression of the story’s primary theme and highlights the conflict between our objective scientific rationale and our intuitive emotions. The filmmakers are still very careful not to tell audiences what to think and leave them to form their own opinions as they witness the story unfold.

It is clear that this charming and spirited whale had a huge impact on the people who met him and the film offers audiences a chance to observe these experiences up close. Saving Luna is a first-rate story that is sure to resonate with people around the globe.

Saving Luna opens in Vancouver on December 5th at The Ridge Theatre (3131 Arbutus Street). Other cities to follow. Check local listings.