The Islands and the Whales

2016

1h 24m

Documentary

List

100%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

On the isolated Danish Faroe Islands, the longtime hunting and fishing practices of the Faroese are being threatened by animal rights activism, plummeting wildlife populations, and rising mercury levels.

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Linda Marric

CineVue

By shining a light on this remote community, Day has managed to inadvertently provide an all too real example of what life could be like for most of us if nothing is done to curb the threat of toxic levels in our oceans.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 30, 2018

Full Review

Ed Potton

Times (UK)

Mike Day intercuts the angst with serene, swooping landscapes and tales of the huldufolk, mythical people who appear from nowhere to give helpful advice... a strange, melancholic documentary.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 29, 2018

Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

In its depiction of the islanders lowering themselves down cliffs to capture birds or going about their everyday lives, even as the world changes dramatically around them, the film has a similar feel to Michael Powell's The Edge Of The World.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 29, 2018

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

A mostly observational film that neither pushes forward an agenda or seeks to sway.

Rated: 2.5/4.0

Sep 12, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

Presents a difficult and complicated issue with clear eyes and a keen sense understanding of its sensitivity.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 4, 2019

Full Review

Katie Goh

The Skinny

The Islands and the Whales is a sensitive portrait of the Faroe Islands that neither romanticises nor explicitly criticises a community's culture.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 20, 2019

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greg r

Sad, but well put together documentary about a people who clearly could have been solid Trump voters. Science is real.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A beautiful and nuanced film with a moving and powerful message that transcends debates about controversial customs

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Synopsis

On the isolated Danish Faroe Islands, the longtime hunting and fishing practices of the Faroese are being threatened by animal rights activism, plummeting wildlife populations, and rising mercury levels.

Director: Mike Day
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2017
Runtime: 1h 24m

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