LUNA: THE SPIRIT OF THE WHALE in Toronto
Tomorrow, April 18, the Toronto International Film Festival for Children will screen Don McBrearty’s Canadian drama Luna: Spirit of the Whale.
Written by Elizabeth Stewart — whose screenplay was “inspired by real events” — Luna: Spirit of the Whale shows “how the plight of an orphaned orca impacts the lives of a man and a boy who are each searching for their place in the world.”
The film stars Adam Beach (who received considerable praise for his performance in Flags of Our Fathers) as a man who, following his father’s death, returns to the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nations reserve on Vancouver Island’s Nootka Sound. Once there, he becomes a mentor to a troubled youth (Aaron Miko). The appearance of an orphaned orca connects both men to their cultural heritage — with happy results for all involved.
Jason Priestley plays the role of a culturally disinherited government official from Ottawa who wants to take the whale elsewhere.
If this sounds like a sort of Canadian Whale Rider-meets-Free Willy, that’s probably no coincidence. In any case, no matter how corny the storyline any movie co-starring a whale is worth a look — and as a plus, Luna supposedly boasts excellent underwater cinematography.
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Luna is an inspiring story. Everyone should see it. It talks about people and nature and animals and how we all have to get along and respect one another to survive.