Documentary Review: The Islands and the Whales
How do we come to believe the science we are told? How do we reconcile that science with our traditions?
Filmmaker Mike Day seeks the answers to these questions in The Islands and The Whales, a documentary about the environmental impacts on tradition in the Faroe Islands. This small island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean hunts seabirds and whales as their main source of food, sometimes to the chagrin of eco preservation organizations. As the oceans become more polluted by emissions, the mercury levels in these types of meat have risen. The Faroese are now faced with high levels of mercury poisoning in their population and a decision to stop eating these meats or continue a tradition that has existed in their culture for hundreds of years.
Although, condensing these themes into such a short explanation doesn’t seem to do the film justice. Here, Day is exploring what it means to live sustainably. Those cultures who do the least polluting are often the ones most affected by pollution. The Faroese, perhaps the most sustainable Westernized population on the planet, still receive intense criticism for their way of life. The film suggests that the Faroese are only the first to experience these levels of poisoning, and without a change in our environmental policies, this will be the fate of other nations as well.
The Islands and the Whales is stunningly beautiful to watch. It employs the perfect mixture of intimate vérité moments and awe inspiring drone shots. These two so radically different styles are delicately woven together to inspire a sense of tension between humans and their environment. It reminds you that, although we often try, humanity is unable to dominate over nature.
There is a tension between old and new also explored in this film, a questioning attitude towards modernization. An old Faroese folklore tale woven throughout the film’s narrative lays the foundation for this uncertainty. Modernization is, in fact, the very thing that has poisoned the whale meat.
Mercury levels are set to double by the year 2050 if no action is taken. There is, however, some good news. As mentioned in his Q&A, Mike Day is working towards using this film as an advocacy piece. The UN is attempting to ratify a global treaty to reduce these levels. The mercury levels could return to normal in a relatively short period of time if emissions are cut.
The Islands and the Whales is an environmental advocacy film in disguise. The film is really a look at a culture, people who are struggling against adversity affecting their way of life. It is a welcome commentary on a culture that receives a lot of negative press, and a look inside another’s daily experience. It was one of the best films I saw at the Camden International Film Festival this year, and a truly transformative experience.
Check out the trailer below:
Originally published at thedullbits.wordpress.com on September 26, 2016.
