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The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52

2021

Documentary

Documentary A journey to find the forgotten "52 Hertz Whale." Calling out at 52 Hz, a frequency unrecognized by other whales, this mysterious creature is believed to have lived its life in complete solitude, its calls forever unanswered by its own kind.

	Author	Review
United States	Tomris Laffly Variety	"A well-meaning but somewhat granola, partly engaging yet disorganized documentary, one that searches for an imprecise story and struggles to keep its chief ambitions afloat."	NEU
United States	Jeannette Catsoulis The New York Times	"Neither slick nor propulsive, 'The Loneliest Whale' gently combines aquatic adventure and bobbing meditation on our own species’s environmental arrogance"	NEU
United States	Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter	"The enthusiasm and unflappability of the crew are engaging, even when the film feels a bit at sea"	POS
United States	Carlos Aguilar The Wrap	"While Zeman’s enthusiasm is occasionally infectious, his conjectures, explained in voiceover, are riddled with platitudes and self-centered sound bites"	NEU
United States	Katie Walsh Los Angeles Times	"Zeman’s voyage into the heart of the sea, a modern day 'Moby-Dick' with a conservationist bent, surprises, delights and will keep you on the edge of your seat."	POS
United States	Mark Jenkins Slant	"While 52 remains something of a mystery, 'The Loneliest Whale' renders him less of a metaphor (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Tara McNamara Common Sense Media	"[It] has all the elements of an epic, kid-friendly adventure, but it only partially delivers (...) The movie lacks some of the cinematic qualities necessary to keep kids fully engaged (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United States	James Verniere Boston Herald	"At times, this visually impressive documentary seems much like a fiction suspense film with its chase theme and countdown of days"	POS
United Kingdom	Cath Clarke The Guardian	"It's no spoiler to say that a feeling of anticlimax is here from the start –though to be fair to Zeman, he gets a bombshell at the end. Before that, he fills [it] out with some interesting backstory (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU

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