Don't Delete This Email..It's A "Must Read"

Indigenous art: A carved head adorns an aboriginal church in Nootka Sound on British Columbia's Vancouver Island.

Lucidio Studio Inc./Newscom

How many emails do you get in a day? Are you ever tempted to press delete without reading them? I am definately guilty of pressing the delte button before reading some messages. Not yours of course, I'm talking about some that you know are not "must reads". Last week while I was going through my inbox I came across an email that I nearly clicked delete but for some reason hesitated. As I scanned through the content it mentioned a "must see" documemntary about a whale. This movie was being shown at a local movie theatre that I had never gone to before so I thought it would be a great stop. 

The theatre:

When I walked in I was pleasantly surprised. The Cape Ann Community Theatre is a quaint  living room style cinema, that shows first-run independently produced films from around the country and around the world to local audiences who might not otherwise discover them. This was exactly the case with the feature film that we had come to see. 

Photo By: Mardi Carter

The movie....

The Whale is a true story about a young Orca whale, named Luna that seperates from its family and finds its way into the Nootka sound. The Nootka sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of Vancover Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. I was not familiar with this particular sound but after seeing this movie I either want to move there or visit for an extended time. The scenery was breathtaking; its no wonder that Luna wanted to stay for a while. In fact the story tracks her visit to the sound which lasted about four years.

Orcas are extremely social creatures that crave constant contact with their extended families. So when Luna lost her family she went looking for a substitute; and she found these substitutes in the people of the Nootka Sound. She followed and played with vessels, canoes, ships, kayaks, and anyone who would give her attention, play with her or pet her. The people fell in love with her and she fell in love with them. The story tells us about a friendships, about amazing moments in life that are given to us, and what we do with those moments. 

Unfortunately this story has its ups and downs. Because of two differing views between the First Nations tribe who thought Luna was a reincarnated spirit, and the fish-and-wildlife officials who were convinced that he needed to be forced back into the wild people are torn with what to do with this beautiful visitor......

Photo By: Mardi Carter

If you want to know what happens next you really need to catch this film at a theatre. It's Rated G- perfect for family movie night, and totally worth it.