The Whaler Boy

Name: The Whaler Boy
Genre: Drama
Released: January 14, 2022
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 70
Cast: Ankas Aimetgirgin, Arieh Worthalter, Evgeny Ayanto, Gennady Iuneut, Kristina Asmus

2022

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Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Critic Reviews

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The Whaler Boy (US Trailer 1)

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Movie Details & Credits

Film Movement | Release Date (Streaming): January 14, 2022 | Not Rated

Starring: Ankas Aimetgirgin, Arieh Worthalter, Evgeny Ayanto, Gennady Iuneut, Kristina Asmus, Maria Chuprinskaia, Nikolay Tatato, Timofey Tymnevye, Vladimir Lyubimtsev, Vladimir Onokhov

Summary: 15-year-old Leshka lives in an isolated 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-dominated15-year-old Leshka lives in an isolated 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. He becomes determined to meet her in real life, setting forth on a dangerous adventure across the raging waters of the sea. [Film Movement]… Expand

Director: Philipp Yuryev

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

Bobby LePire

Jan 13, 2022

The Whaler Boy is an engaging, somewhat fraught look at coming-of-age, sexual awakening, and a broken mind. Onokhov brings the role to mesmerizing life and is supported by a good secondary cast, though they’re playing thinly written parts. But, the epic look and majesty of the visuals carry this drama over any rough waters it occasionally hits. Read full review

The Film Stage Rory O'Connor

Dec 29, 2021

All that flare and stealthy humor give the familiar sense of a young director attempting to flex every creative muscle at once. Seldom is this advised, yet it’s nothing if not thrilling to watch. Read full review

William Repass

Jan 11, 2022

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

Wendy Ide

Dec 29, 2021

What The Whaler Boy lacks in story complexity and character depth, it more than makes up in its bone-deep immersion in Lyoshka’s world. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Dec 29, 2021

There’s merit in this story, which takes its hero on a circular path back to what anchors him in his world. But the novelty of the setting and the characters doesn’t mean we give the storyteller, who gets lost in the sordid sexual side of life above the Arctic Circle, a pass. Read full review

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Brent_Marchant

May 11, 2022

Coming of age is a universal human process that virtually everyone goes through, no matter where they live and under what conditions. So it is for Lyoshka, a 15-year-old who lives with his grandfather in a whale hunting village in the Chukotka region of eastern Siberia along the shores ofComing of age is a universal human process that virtually everyone goes through, no matter where they live and under what conditions. So it is for Lyoshka, a 15-year-old who lives with his grandfather in a whale hunting village in the Chukotka region of eastern Siberia along the shores of the Bering Strait. Like many of the men in his community, which has a pronounced dearth of women, he’s a red-blooded sex-starved male whose only contact with the opposite sex is through the performers on erotic video chat sites. And, like many young men in his peer group, he’s captivated with what he sees as his hormones flourish. He’s particularly smitten with a woman who goes by the screen name HollySweet999, a flirtatious blonde with whom he naïvely believes he’s made a genuine connection – and is determined to meet by somehow crossing the narrow nearby strait and making his way to her in, of all places, Detroit. In bringing this story to life, writer-director Phillip Yuryev’s debut feature skillfully blends elements of multiple genres and narrative formats, including elements of road trip tales, cross-cultural stories and personal transformations, along with adventures in sexual awakenings, loss of innocence and rediscovered gratitude. The picture’s expertly penned script captures and conveys a variety of moods, from refreshingly whimsical to delightfully humorous to deadly serious and even deftly surreal, making for a viewing experience that’s always engaging, never dull and generally free of flotsam. In tandem with this, though, sensitive viewers should be aware that the director rarely holds anything back, including rather explicit depictions of sexuality and graphic footage of an actual whale hunt, story elements that some might find offensive or disturbing. There is also a slight tendency for the story to drag a bit toward the end. These matters aside, however, “The Whaler Boy” is an inventive take on a formula format that could easily have become trite, clichéd and melodramatic if left in lesser skilled hands, and, thankfully, that’s not the case here. This enjoyable little-known gem is well worth the time.… Expand

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