Hunting Season - Tracking the Whalers - DVD

Movie: The Greenpeace ship Esperanza sets sail with a difficult mission: in the Arctic, the 37-member crew wants to track down a Japanese whaling fleet and stop them from pursuing their slaughter of the docile marine mammals under the guise of scientific research for as long as possible. The journey presents many problems and dangers, but the idealists are not deterred from their goal.

"Hunting Time - The Whalers on the Trail" is an exciting documentary that not only draws attention to cruel abuses, but also offers an interesting insight into the work of Greenpeace activists. The camera accompanies the crew, which is made up of different nationalities, in their everyday work, from shovelling snow on deck to maintenance work in the engine room to decorating the common Christmas tree. You can really feel how the constant uncertainty as to whether the journey will even lead to the desired destination, the longing for partners and family and the almost complete lack of opportunities for retreat gnaw at the nerves of the men and women on board the Esperanza. But especially in the case of Sakyo from Japan, who is being attacked in his homeland as a traitor to his country because of his work with Greenpeace, it is also conveyed in a very understandable way why these people have dedicated themselves to this difficult and actually also thankless task and are willing to give up much more than just a regular work and family life for it.

The confrontation with the Japanese ships then additionally proves how difficult the work of Greenpeace is: on the one hand, the activists in their rubber dinghies sometimes have to fear for their health and even their lives, on the other hand, a certain politeness and diplomacy must always be maintained in contact with the whalers. The fact that reason must always prevail over anger and frustration here is a damn tough task, but one that must be mastered in order not to make any rash and purely emotionally motivated mistakes.

"Hunting Time - On the Trail of the Whalers" impressively shows how important, but also how frustrating the work of Greenpeace activists in the fight against whaling is. A very exciting eco-documentary, which shows a different side of the work of Greenpeace and also deals with the fact that the work of the organization does not only find supporters and that there are also controversies within Greenpeace from time to time. But the fact that such discussions completely fade into the background as soon as it is about saving living creatures and making the world aware of grievances is a positive conclusion that remains at the end.

It is commendable that the makers have refrained from showing too bloody pictures of whaling until the last minute. Only at the last moment is the viewer made aware of how cruelly the animals perish when they are dragged aboard the ships, struck by Japanese harpoons. But by the time these terrible images are seen, the viewer has long realized the importance of fighting illegal whaling, without the need for any additional emotional impact.

Suspensefully directed, interesting to watch, and moving in the best sense of the word: "Hunting Time - Tracking the Whalers" joins "Sharkwater" and "The Bay" as another important contribution to the conservation of marine life. Absolutely recommendable!

Picture + Sound: Since the viewing DVD available for testing does not correspond to the final product, a rating of the picture and sound quality can not be given. However, since the quality of the screener is quite satisfactory, it can be assumed that the purchase DVD also meets the requirements that can be placed on a documentary like this.

Extras: Bonus material has not to offer the DVD.

Conclusion: "Hunting Time - Den Walfängern auf der Spur" is narratively not quite as intense as "Die Bucht" last time, but is no less worth seeing and certainly no less important. A film that on the one hand shows what destructive acts greed for profit can drive people to, but on the other hand also gives courage. Absolutely recommendable!

Director:

Length: approx. 88 min.

FSK: age 6+

Number of discs: 1

Languages:

Subtitles: German, English

Image Format:

Extras: None

Regional Code: 2

Label: Zorro Film

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp