The Walrus and the Whistleblower (2020)

The Walrus and the Whistleblower: Directed by Nathalie Bibeau. With Phil Demers, Doug Draper, John Holer, Jimmy Kimmel. An animal trainer becomes an unlikely whistleblower and is sued for $1.5 million for plotting to steal a walrus, falling down the rabbit hole of a personal quest while a larger movement grows to end marine mammal captivity.

“Greetings again from the darkness. Is this Canadau0026#39;s answer to the ground-breaking documentary BLACKFISH (2013), which destroyed SeaWorldu0026#39;s status as wholesome family entertainment? Well, kinda sorta. MarineLand is the popular amusement park located in Niagara Falls, Canada. It was founded in 1961 by John Holer, a former circus animal trainer, and has a catchy jingle known by most Canadians: u0026quot;Everyone loves MarineLand!u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is the first feature length documentary for director Nathalie Bibeau, and rather than structure as an exposeu0026#39; (like BLACKFISH), this comes across as more of a psychological profile of Phil Demers, a former trainer at MarineLand, and the titular u0026quot;whistlebloweru0026quot;. In 2012, he quit his job at the park and began going public with reports of the mistreatment of animals, in particular a walrus named Smooshi that Demers personally trained. He took to social media to make his case, and garnered thousands of followers as @WalrusWhisperer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe parku0026#39;s owner, John Holer, is referred to as u0026#39;The King of Niagarau0026#39; and is cast as the villain to Demersu0026#39; crusading hero. As Demersu0026#39; social media generated more attention and he became involved with anti-captivity protesters outside the park, MarineLand filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Demers, claiming he was u0026quot;plotting to steal a walrusu0026quot;. Now Iu0026#39;m no legal expert, but I would guess the number of lawsuits that mention a walrus is actually quite low, and it would be a bit humorous were it not for the ongoing mistreatment of animals.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDirector Bibeau includes some archival footage of Demers and Smooshi inside MarineLand, and throughout the film there are clips showing animals and other trainers, although we are never really sure of the timeline. A significant portion of the time is spent with Demers (seen jogging and eating ice cream?) and his partner Christine, also a former MarineLand trainer, as they worry about the media attention and the financial implications of this legal battle.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCanadian politics and the economic impact of the fight against MarineLand collide, and we see and hear some of the dialogue that occurs between lawmakers and activists. We are also witness to an interesting conflict between the anti-captivity protesters and Demers, as he admits to not being a Vegan (eating steak makes him feel good). So heu0026#39;s both an insider and outsider, as his passion for saving the park animals from drugs and food deprivation for training is admired, while his dietary preferences are most assuredly not.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMarineLand did not participate in the film, so what we have are Demersu0026#39; statements and passion, and the video clips. There is little doubt that animal abuse is occurring at the park, and director Bibeau does allow a most interesting comparison: thousands of paying customers vs the hand full of protesters. An often emotional Demers keeps our attention for most of the movie, but whether heu0026#39;s enough for a full length documentary that lacks a true finale, is questionable. What would he do if granted custody of Smooshi? And why is his approach lacking in structure and organization? It often plays as one guy trying to correct a wrong while lacking a plan. To its credit, the film references the Lewis Carroll poem, The Walrus and the Carpenter, u0026quot;The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things.u0026quot; Animal rights is an ongoing issue, and … #SaveSmooshinTheatrical release on October 9, 2020 and On Demand November 24, 2020”