The Islands and the Whales

Lying between Scotland and Iceland are the Faroe Islands, a self-governed archipelago that remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Barely touched by globalisation, the Faroes proudly continue their Viking ancestors’ traditions of whale hunting, which has lead to pressure from both inside and outside the islands over animal rights, mercury poisoning, and pollution. Today, these “48,000 descendants of Vikings” have a predicament: do they modernise and forsake their culture or do they continue with tradition to the future detriment of their health and the environment?

These are the questions posed by Mike Day’s documentary. Breathtaking aerial shots of the islands are interspersed with scenes of domesticity as we follow a few locals who are asking themselves these questions. While the connection between the islanders and nature is central to the film, Day’s camera never feels voyeuristic or patronising as the locals are given space to speak for themselves.

While The Islands and the Whales captures the rugged beauty of the landscape, Day is unflinching as he shows us the whale hunt or, as the locals call it, the “grind”. In a gruesome scene, boats steer the whales to the shore and the locals rush in in their hundreds to kill the whales with spears and hooks, turning the sea red. However, Day importantly shows us the aftermath of the hunt: how the meat is divided between the islanders, prepared, cooked, and eaten, with scenes of families enjoying their dinner.

The Islands and the Whales is a sensitive portrait of the Faroe Islands that neither romanticises nor explicitly criticises a community’s culture. Day poses the same uncomfortable ethical questions that the islanders are asking themselves to the viewer as we watch their brutal but joyful way of life.

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Released by Cosmic Cat Film