The Whaler Boy

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1:57

The Whaler Boy

2022

1h 33m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

15-year-old Leshka lives in a secluded village on the Bering Strait. Like most men where he lives, he is a whale hunter. When internet arrives in the village, Leshka becomes infatuated with a webcam model from America -- so far away and yet almost close enough to see across the waters of the Strait. Coming of age in the male-dominated whaling community, Leshka's encounter with this mysterious woman awakens in him a desire to find love outside of the confines of his tiny world.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

02/09/2022

3/4

An exceptional lead performance and a tender but realistic worldview make it an undiscovered gem.

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Jessica Kiang

Variety

01/15/2022

Essentially a coming-of-age fable, the film is also an ambitious, sometimes self-consciously ironic blend of genres and influences, which perhaps convince most when they do not cohere.

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William Repass

Slant Magazine

01/11/2022

3/4

The film is a vivid rumination on the fuzzy border between fantasy and reality.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

04/11/2024

6/10

...as much a mood piece as a conventional story-focused film and makes good use of the raw beauty of the Chukotka landscape, half of which lies above the Arctic Circle.

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Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

07/19/2022

The film has sufficient intelligence and brilliance of making this romantic journey a metaphor for what it means to be an illegal immigrant. [Full review in Spanish]

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Tim Brennan

About Boulder

02/07/2022

From a narrative perspective, the Russian/Polish/Belgian film The Whaler Boy isnt entirely satisfying. But maybe that doesnt matter since it takes us on a journey that we can all understand.

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avindu g

@RT86379654 08/31/2022

It's an innocent love story pictured with effective visuals and scenery. It's just heartwarming how the storyteller convince the misty cold whaler life got more to offer than what's in the land of skyscrapers. A beautiful relaxing tale.

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Philipp Yuryev

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The Whaler Boy: Trailer 1

1:57

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Synopsis

15-year-old Leshka lives in a secluded village on the Bering Strait. Like most men where he lives, he is a whale hunter. When internet arrives in the village, Leshka becomes infatuated with a webcam model from America -- so far away and yet almost close enough to see across the waters of the Strait. Coming of age in the male-dominated whaling community, Leshka's encounter with this mysterious woman awakens in him a desire to find love outside of the confines of his tiny world.

Director: Philipp Yuryev
Producer: Alexei Uchitel
Screenwriter: Philipp Yuryev
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Rock Films, Man's Films Productions, Orka
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 4, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 14, 2022
Runtime: 1h 33m