Orca – Black & White Gold
Sarah Nörenberg
Terra Mater Factual Studios Distribution pending
When it comes to orcas, also known as killer whales, films such as the documentary Blackfish and family adventure Free Willy have shown the distressing effects captivity can have on their behaviour, especially towards humans. Real-life cases include Tilikum, who was involved in the deaths of two trainers, one at Sealand of the Pacific, in British Columbia, Canada, the other at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, and a trespasser at the latter site.
A new docu-thriller by director Sarah Nörenberg highlights another, darker side of captive whales – their commercialisation. Orca – Black & White Gold , near Nakhodka, in the far east of Russia, which were being held as part of efforts to populate oceanariums in China. The film highlights the ongoing issue of marine mammals being captured for commercial purposes.
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It starts with a scene straight out of an action movie as a group of hunters looking to capture orcas target a pod in a high-speed chase on the open water. As they throw nets around the mammals, one crew member shrugs his shoulders at the number of the orcas being captured. With orca cries echoing in the background, it sets a dark and discomforting tone for the documentary.
The was dubbed a “whale jail” by the press after reports about it appeared in the independent Russian newspaper in 2018. As a result, releasing the captive mammals became both a priority and a sociopolitical mission.
Nörenberg concentrates her documentary mostly on the activities around Srednyaya Bay, and on the lucrative sale of orcas from Russia to China for its new aquariums and attractions.
The film follows various people as they track the welfare of captive orcas. From the outset, it exposes the lack of compassion of hunters and the authorities towards the whales. We see the incredulity and horror of a group of marine experts as they watch a film of professional hunters fail to save an adult orca trapped in a net. And one Russian hunter says he would rather move to the Antarctic than stop whale hunting but has mixed feelings about keeping the animals in captivity.
The film doesn't shy away from the politics of the orcas' sale, and the secrecy of the Srednyaya Bay rescue
With so many parties with such different opinions, Nörenberg maintains the documentary’s emotional balance about captive orcas by repeating facts rather than lapsing into bias.
She also holds onto the film’s serious tone, reminding audiences that commercial whale capture is not to be taken lightly. Several compelling moments change the pace by using animation to drive home facts and figures about the industry, from the first orca sale in the 1960s to SeaWorld’s stock crash following the release of Blackfish 50 years later.
A killer whale can fetch millions of dollars, making them an expensive commodity. And with Russian president Vladimir Putin a constant background presence, the documentary doesn’t shy away from the politics driving the sale of orcas, and the secrecy of the Srednyaya Bay rescue.
For instance, we see that a press conference in Moscow about the rescue mission builds suspicion about its lack of transparency, as well as the legality of whale capture and the culpability of those who engage in the practice. Kirill Viktorovich Kolonchin, director of the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), is shown unable to answer questions about the orcas’ future – fuelling worries about whether the rescue will take place at all, and feeding into the “thriller” tone set by the documentary’s opening scene.
Compelling and insightful, Orca – Black & White Gold is an enlightening look at the murkier side of commercial whale capture and it raises awareness about the treatment of these animals in captivity.
Katie Smith-Wong is a film critic based in London
