Exclusively at the Bytowne Cinema
Jan.30 to Feb.8
Check out these two great reviews:
A wild, woeful tale
Saving Luna a sad commentary about tensions between human and orca
By Katherine Monk, The Ottawa Citizen
January 30, 2009
SAVING LUNA
****
A documentary by:
Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit
Rating: PG, Coarse language
Playing at: ByTowne Cinema, today through to Feb. 8
It's a story so entirely tragic and nauseatingly sad that some viewers may look at Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit's movie about Luna -- the lone Orca who tried to befriend humans on British Columbia's Nootka Sound -- as an experience too depressing to relive.
After all, it's not like the three-year saga didn't get ample media coverage when it first unfolded as everyone from First Nations oral historians, to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, to schoolchildren across the province found themselves snagged in the gill net of public opinion.
Whether you loved or hated the idea of an orca seeking human company, the story resonated across generational lines and tugged at something deeper, perhaps even primal, in the human psyche.
Because Parfit and Chis- holm explore this psycho-spiritual element of the strange encounter, Saving Luna is more than a simple retelling of a very sad marine mammal tale. It's a thoughtful and often provocative exploration of humanity's larger relationship to the natural world.
It's also deeply personal.
Co-director and narrator Parfit tells us in the opening frames that he and his partner Chisholm intended to stay in Nootka Sound for a mere three weeks after they were asked to write a story about the little killer whale who refused to leave.
The veteran team, with several National Geographic projects under their belt, imagined they would be able to keep their professional distance and remain objective observers in the denouement.
Yet, after three years covering the story and moving into the community, Parfit and Chisholm crossed the line and became participants in the drama. They literally let Luna into their hearts and minds, as everyone around them picked sides. Casual sailors were frightened by the orca's love of nudging boats. First Nations people saw the whale as the reincarnation of their ancestral chief. And fishers swore to put a bullet in the whale's blowhole when no one was looking.
As the tensions swirled, the federal government found itself unable to come up with a consistent plan. At one point, a DFO representative said the only humane thing to do would be ignore the whale for its own good, but the policy was impossible to enforce.
Despite the apparent goodness of their intention to help the whale, DFO looked ill-prepared and wishy-washy -- and given the department's history of species culling (this is the same department that once mounted giant knives to the prows of vessels to cut B.C.'s now non-existent basking sharks in two), as well as the controversial idea of live marine mammal capture -- there's little doubt as to who comes off as the central villain in the piece. The department probably had the most power to help Luna, but red tape, egos, jurisdiction and a growing media circus prevented the creation of a comprehensive and workable policy.
Moreover, other specialists in cetacean behaviour were full of doubts about the establishment school of thought, and began to question previous assumptions about why some whales want to hang out with us landlubbing two-leggeds.
As Parfit and Chisholm watched the "tug-of-whale" unfold, their central focus was always Luna, and watching him pulled in one direction to the next pushed them into an emotional corner.
Their hearts were aching for the whale and, one day, when Luna came up to greet Parfit, he decided to break his own code of journalistic objectivity. He looked into the eye of the orca, and even stretched his hand into the icy waters of Nootka Sound to stroke the creature.
When Parfit describes the moment on film, and tells us about the sensation of touching Luna's warm skin in the cold ocean, it sends a shiver down your spine because the connection between man and creature is suddenly undeniable.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
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Saving Luna: A whale of a true tale
By Liz Braun, Sun Media
SAVING LUNA
Sun Rating: 4 out of 5
Saving Luna is a film about a lonely little whale who tried to befriend humans in Nootka Sound. Just so you know, this is a movie that makes grown men cry.
Luna, a baby Orca, became a cause celebre in Canada several years ago when he was separated from his pod.
Luna came on his own to the west coast of Vancouver Island, a rare event. Orcas are social animals, and Luna was extremely lonely. And so he sought out human company, swimming up to boats in Nootka Sound and allowing people to interact with him.
Filmmakers Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit went to the village of Gold River in 2004 to investigate Luna and write a magazine article about the juvenile whale who was stirring up controversy.
They intended to stay for three weeks. They ended up staying for three years.
Scientists believe that interaction between wild animals and humans generally leads to grief for both parties. As a result, fishery officials involved in the Luna case told people not to befriend the little whale -- in order to keep themselves, and Luna, safe.
Native groups in Gold River, however, saw Luna as a supernatural being, the spirit of a recently deceased chief. They interfered with plans to move the Orca away, fearing that Luna was secretly bound for captivity in a marine amusement park.
Some boat owners and fishermen, meanwhile, saw Luna as a nuisance, a large and uncontrolled force whose 'playing' damaged boats. And when Luna began trying to play with the expensive float planes that landed in the area, there were those who wanted the Orca shot.
Saving Luna examines the various viewpoints involved in the situation of the orphan whale, but the filmmakers seem most interested in the idea of friendship and communication among species.
What did Luna need from humans? What was at stake for him? What should have been done to protect him?
Extraordinary footage is the highlight of Saving Luna. It is truly mind-boggling to see and hear the Orca, an endearing creature whose playfulness is unexpected and surprisingly moving. Everyone charged with not showing friendship to Luna (including the officials who threatened to fine people for patting the whale) wound up being won over by the whale.
Luna pursued friendship with humans. The film is full of interviews with officials, local people and scientists, and almost everyone who encountered the whale talks about how much they came to love him. Luna had a distinct personality.
Saving Luna is a truly fascinating movie, both entertaining and educational, and it has won 18 awards at various film festivals around the world.
As it's not devoid of tragedy, the movie is not suitable for very young children.
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