Big Miracle

A film about something that happened in Alaska in 1988. Three grey whales become trapped under the ice near Barrow. The hole they breathe through is closing and there are more than ten kilometres of ice between them and open sea. A local television reporter files the story. When it reaches the national networks the thing grows: journalists arrive, the White House takes an interest and companies see a promotional opportunity. An unlikely alliance forms. An oil company, an environmental group, the local hunting community, the national guard and a Soviet icebreaker end up in the same operation. Each has a different reason. That is what the film is interested in: nobody is there for the same reason and the work gets done anyway. The narrative also handles the position of the indigenous community; the argument between a whaling tradition and a rescue effort is the film's most honest section. The source is Tom Rose's book about the event. Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Ted Danson, Kristen Bell and Dermot Mulroney are in the cast. Ken Kwapis directed. A heartening example for anyone who likes family films based on real events. For a viewer expecting something harder, the film keeps its register optimistic and softens its conflicts.