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.
2006 Toronto Film Festival Winners
This movie is so wrong on a number of levels. The eeeeeeevil portrayal of a conservation officer, as portrayed by Jason Priestley, is very disrespectful to the men and women in that profession who do a lot to prevent poaching, illegal hunting and fishing, and making sure species are not wiped off the faced of the planet by the greed and profiteering of humans.
Also, and forgive the controversial statement I'm going to make and I hope the moderators don't censor this comment because both sides have to be stated if we are to claim we live in a democracy: the fact is that Luna may have been able to reunite with her pod and could be alive today if it were not for the interference of the Muchalaht First Nations who claimed her to be the spirit of a god.
Treating Luna like a domestic pet caused her to become dependent on human contact which eventually let to her demise. If the Muchalaht considered her the spirit of a god then perhaps it would have been better for Luna if she had been worshipped from afar.
Regardless, this TV-movie is one-sided and exploitative and, in typically apologetic Canadian fashion, is obsequious to the First Nations people.
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.