The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52

I have been able to go whale watching twice (in Alaska and Australia) and seeing a whale breach is one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had.  I think whales are absolutely fascinating so I was intrigued by the trailer for The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 and I even drove about 45 minutes out of my way to see it at the only theater that is screening it in my area yesterday.  At the height of the Cold War, the U.S. Navy developed classified methods to listen underwater for Soviet submarines.  However, it was difficult to distinguish the sounds of submarines from those of marine life so an oceanographer, Dr. William A. Watkins, was enlisted to help classify the sounds.  In 1989 he discovered a single whale that broadcast at a 52 hertz frequency.  No other species of whale broadcast at that frequency so he started tracking the signal until his death 2004.  He was never able to see it or discover another whale who broadcast at the same frequency so it was dubbed "the loneliest whale in the world" and it gained a certain notoriety because people related to its outsider status.  This captured the imagination of filmmaker Joshua Zeman, who believes the ocean is a mysterious environment where unknown discoveries are still possible, and he assembled a team of scientists to try and locate the loneliest whale.  Interspersed between images of their search are discussions about the mythological characteristics of whales, the history of the whaling industry, the discovery that whales use sound to communicate with one another, the origins of the movement to save the whales, the disruption of whale communication by shipping traffic, as well as the social nature of whales and whether this solitary whale would experience the emotion of loneliness.  I found all of this to be very interesting but the footage of the whales encountered during the expedition is absolutely breathtaking, especially the images from trackers placed on the whales because they are so immersive!  I enjoyed this documentary very much but, honestly, I don't think it needs to be seen on the big screen (it will be available on VOD starting July 16).