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Resident Orca tells the unfolding story of a captive whale's fight for survival and freedom. After decades of failed attempts to bring her home, an unlikely partnership between Indigenous matriarchs, a billionaire philanthropist, killer whale experts, and the aquarium's new owner take on the impossible task of freeing Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut (Lolita/Tokitae), captured 53 years ago as a baby, only to spend the rest of her life performing in the smallest killer whale tank in North America. When Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut falls ill under troubling circumstances, her advocates are faced with a painful question: is it too late to save her? (Miami Film Festival)
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This documentary is shocking in its depiction of the conditions in which American authorities allow anyone to keep an animal in captivity, including Lolita, a well-known killer whale held for decades at the Miami SeaQuarium. It’s as if there are no laws against animal cruelty, or no one is enforcing them. The film follows a group of Native Americans from the orca’s territory of origin as they strive to secure her freedom. They explain their spiritual connection to the killer whale and the importance of returning her to her native waters, where she can still encounter her mother again after fifty years. Don’t expect a story like My Octopus Teacher and the emotions that it evoked, as Resident Orca is purely a television-style documentary featuring interviews with people involved in the issue. Its power lies in the question of whether the orca will be freed and in the unexpected outcome of the story. [Miami Film Festival]
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Photo © Everyday Films
