Fathom

I don't like animal documentaries, but in my desire to watch all the films on Apple TV I landed on this one, which is one of the most curious films I've seen recently. Its intentions are noble and subject matter is, on the surface, interesting, but ultimately, it's watching people doing a bit of research, for the entire run time.

Whale song has been a mystery for as long as we've been aware of it. The scientists involved in this film believe that it's not just idle vocalisation, but the oldest form of organised communication on the planet. Dr Michelle Fournet is in Alaska and trying to determine whether adding an artificial call into the area has an effect on local whale community. Meanwhile Doctor Ellen Garland attempts to track a specific whale song around French Polynesia to see if the songs are passed on, by the whales, like a story.

My main problem with "Fathom" is, I think, the main problem that most people have with it. Despite some lovely cinematography it's essentially watching some people do their job and their job generally involves standing still, listening to headphones. It's an honourable endeavour, trying to research a valuable subject matter than might prove vital in all sorts of unforeseen ways. I absolutely support people doing this research - but that doesn't mean I want to watch them do it. It doesn't help further than there's not much in the way of conclusion at the end of the research. With Dr Fournet, I don't understand whether they got any answers on anything, she seemed moved at the end though, so I suspect the problem there might be me. Dr Garland is a little more clear, as she hears a song several hundred miles away from where it was first identified, which does indeed suggest that the songs are passed around and copied by other whales

It feels like, rather than accept that the time spent recording these two research trips should be rolled up into another film, in a few years' time, when whatever the next steps in this research has been done, the footage was padded with personal information to make a run time, and then released anyway.

Nice to look at, but a waste of time.

I was really looking forward to this documentary but left feeling incredibly disappointed. The subject matter is great, but it turns into researchers on vacation whale watching and not much else.

What a waste of time and grant money. No wonder our college system is so bloated and expensive!

This movie has likely tanked a certain researcher's possibility of getting funding in the future. Changing research plans ad-hoc, inability to keep up on recording data, lack of time-knowledge over inputs (playing whale recordings in the ocean... "I think that's ours"?!?!), and questionable data points to begin with... Why would any agency pay for 'that'? Demonstrably amateurs.

And then there is the movie's director. Barely enough run time to qualify as a 'movie', and stacked with time-wasting scenes that arguably have nothing to do with what the viewer was expecting to see. Given camera technology, anyone can shoot great scenery in Alaska, or people goofing off on a tree swing. An evidentially poor effort; Apple producers are equally to blame. 3 stars is generous.

And ear-opening as well. Brilliant 'first step' into a deeper more 'associative' understanding of other life on Earth, starting with Whales. The scientific attention shown to every scene is brilliant.

My wife and I thought this documentary was great. It explores the scientific process and nuances behind scientific discovery especially in such a mysterious world as the the ocean.

Our current generation only cares about being blown away or constantly entertained and doesn't understand what it takes to make a scientific discovery. Every day isn't like an action packed Hollywood science fiction movie.

This movie does a fantastic job with telling a story about a group of female scientist trying to add to our knowledge of one of the oldest living animal on this planet. Sometimes telling a story involves more than the science behind story but about the people involved.

That said, I was expecting more science behind the way whales communicate, but I think it's just not as known as we like to think it is and more research needs to happen.

Documentaries like this will provide a great way to highlight and motivate future scientists and research.