LUNA: THE SPIRIT OF THE WHALE in Toronto
April 17th, 2007 by Andre Soares
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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