Humans have always had a unique relationships with particular animals. When it comes to spiders most sense fear, puppies often ignite smiles and snakes will often result in a sprint in the other direction. We have our instant reactions to different species based on what we are taught growing up. But every once in a while a particular animal can challenge what we thought we knew and give us a new connection in which to explore. Enter Luna, a killer whale who lost contact with his family on the coast of British Columbia and turned up alone in a narrow section of sea in Nootka.
The Whale is a unique film that reveals Luna's story as he adapts to his surroundings and works to survive a life of solitude. Killer whales love attention and hardly ever stay alive when on their own, but Luna challenges that statistic as he becomes friends with the locals, swimming up to their boats in hopes of a belly rub. But rather than focus on what Luna was doing, the film takes an interesting side step and explains the dangers that these acts have on Luna and those she is approaching. No one had ever seen such a gesture from a wild animal, and while there were no deaths reported by whales living in the ocean, no one really knew how to handle the situation.
The film is executive produced by former couple Ryan Reynolds and Scarlet Johansson. Reynolds serves as our narrator throughout, providing interesting facts about Luna and the killer whale species. The film is both entertaining and informative, appealing to the entire family as you get to see the wall broken down between nature and human. It was an extraordinary sight that will tug at your heartstrings as you witness a young killer whale adapt to the world around him in an effort to feel the emotion we all strive for most throughout life: love.
