The Whaler Boy

Philipp Yuryev's 2020 Russian film is set in a Chukchi village on the Bering Strait. When the internet reaches the village, Lyoshka, a young whale hunter, attaches himself obsessively to a woman on a video chat site; learning that she lives in Detroit, he decides to cross the strait. The film's strength is taking that absurd decision seriously: for Lyoshka distance is not information but an obstacle, and obstacles exist to be crossed. Yuryev shows the hunting order of Chukotka and the daily life of a community coming apart in detail. Vladimir Onokhov in the lead is not a professional actor. The film took the director's award in the Venice Days section at Venice. The pace is slow and the closing section left ambiguous. Who it's for: viewers interested in Russian independent cinema and life in northern communities. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a fast narrative, or avoiding scenes of animal hunting.