But without any real threats (like a villain or storms), notable obstacles other than the noise of a nearby cargo vessel, or big/funny personalities to help push the story along, the film beaches. It feels like looking for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster, with only a few clues, tips and theories. Director Joshua Zeman establishes an impossible premise: Let's find a whale that hasn't been seen or heard from in more than a decade and, by the way, might not even exist.
THE LONELIEST WHALE MOVIE
The problem is that, since this is real life, rather than a scripted piece of CGI filmmaking, the movie lacks some of the cinematic qualities necessary to keep kids fully engaged. Gorgeous images of a whales moving and swimming in the water and explanations of how whales hear and communicate through oceans are fascinating. The beauty and mystery of large marine life are easy ins when it comes to connecting kids to nature, and some of the images in The Loneliest Whale are phenomenal - including showing a whale's viewpoint thanks to the equivalent of a GoPro attached to its head. This quest to find a mythical one-of-a-kind whale aboard the good ship Truth has all the elements of an epic, kid-friendly adventure, but it only partially delivers. Other iffy content is minimal but includes a brief image of a person smoking in a crowd and mild language ("damn").
A brief history of whaling is included, accompanied by upsetting images of whales being harpooned, captured, dragged onto ships, sliced, and peeled. Teamwork, perseverance, and compassion are also themes. But the attempt comes with a clear message: It's always worth it to follow your curiosity and seek answers. The movie's central mission is daunting at best: The team is trying to find one elusive whale that hasn't been heard from in more than a decade, that no one has ever actually laid eyes on, and that could be anywhere in the ocean, if it's even alive. Drawing a connection between humans' worries for the whale's emotional well-being and our own feelings, the documentary looks at the psychology of why people care about saving a species - and what it says about the collected state of human loneliness. Parents need to know that The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 is about the journey to find a whale that appears to have been all alone for decades, unable to communicate with others of its species.