Because none of us want to die alone, and that’s basically our biggest fear.” “That’s our human existential crisis looking back at us. “The idea of this lonely whale swimming out through the ocean, that’s like our mirror,” he says. In turn, that moniker has given 52’s story enduring appeal to those it resonates with, including Zeman. This, in part, is how 52 has earned his nickname as the world’s loneliest whale. While 52’s sex is still technically unconfirmed, singing is overwhelmingly the remit of male whales-possibly used as seduction, communication, or both-making it extremely likely that 52 is, in fact, a male.īecause of his unusual singing, some researchers hypothesize that 52 may have been unable to connect effectively with other whales at all, perhaps spending his long life alone and isolated. The majority of other fin and blue whales in the Pacific Ocean sing at approximately 10 to 20 hertz, meaning that 52’s vocalizations are at best peculiar, or at worst unintelligible, to the rest of his species. That’s just above the lowest register available when playing the tuba, and slightly higher than the deepest note on a double bass. The 52-Hertz whale, or just plain 52, is so-called because of his higher-than-average singing voice, recorded at (you guessed it) 52 hertz. | The Loneliest Whale Who is the Loneliest Whale? “I never would have had that experience or those emotional thoughts if it wasn’t for talking about a whale.” Joshua Zeman became “obsessed” with finding 52-Hertz, aka the world’s loneliest whale. It’s not necessarily just me and you talking, it’s me and you talking about a whale that suddenly makes you and I that much more connected,” he adds. “I connected with so many people on such a deeper level.” “I never would have guessed that making a film about a whale would have made me a better human being,” Zeman says laughing, when asked if looking for the whale really did help him work through his breakup. But for The Loneliest Whale, he worked simultaneously as writer, director, producer, narrator, and co-star, in order to document what became an intense passion project. “I think we’re all so caught up in our lives that we don’t go on quests anymore.”Īn American producer and director, Zeman is best known for his work on 2004’s Mysterious Skin and 2009’s Cropsey. “The film is about a quest,” explains Zeman. Something about the whale’s story resonated with him, and Zeman says that from the very first moment he learned about 52, he was “immediately moved.”Īs he dug deeper, he began what he describes as an “Ahabian,” decade-long study of the elusive animal, culminating in the upcoming documentary The Loneliest Whale: The Search For 52 (2021), which is co-produced by actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio. Nevertheless, this offering also draws a number of relevant and pertinent parallels between the human condition and that of the lonely whale and its kindreds, metaphorical parables that we had all better heed if we hope to save the whales - and ourselves.Joshua Zeman’s obsession with “52,” the so-called loneliest whale in the world, began during a particularly difficult breakup. The film generally tells the tale in a beautifully filmed and engaging vehicle, though it has unfortunate tendencies to slip off into tangents that are awkwardly introduced and to insert annoying, somewhat self-aggrandizing observations from the director/narrator, intrusions that needlessly impede the flow of the narrative. This has thus led to the emergence of a mythology sentimentally celebrated in story and even song, all backed by an abundance of empathy for this loner of the deep, a creature that has come to be known as "the loneliest whale." The search for this elusive cetacean provides the focus of filmmaker Joshua Zeman's captivating new documentary, which shares the story of this solitary specimen and the long-shot expedition launched to find it. Such is the case for a believed-hybrid whale that sings its songs on a unique frequency, making it fundamentally unable to communicate with its peers and causing it to labeled as the ultimate social outcast. So, when we hear about an individual who is unable to fulfill that requirement, we're often saddened by this deficiency, regardless of whether this circumstance involves a human or some other creature. So, when we hear about an individual who is unable to fulfill that requirement, we're often saddened by this deficiency, regardless of whether this The search for connection is something that we all understand, not only as a social practice, but also as a personal and collective need. The search for connection is something that we all understand, not only as a social practice, but also as a personal and collective need.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |