Braking for Whales

source: Braking for Whales

Whilst I have to admit that this film has pretty bad dialogue at times, I do think that it has portrayed it's aim well. People may think that the scenes are over acted and yes - many of them are, but it is definitely a film that should be given a chance.

This movie is truly just gorgeous, with the cinematography and storyline beautifully done. The actors did a wonderful job and this movie has a soul and was really brought to life, unlike some of the recent hollow, bland blockbusters. I must say though, I think you must have a certain level of depth and emotional intelligence to appreciate this movie. If your'e looking for a shallow movie, It's not this!

This is a well written and acted movie. Warm, humorous, uncomfortable and satisfying all describe this trip to enlightenment. Definitely worth the trip and everything you may discover within yourself along the way!

Simple storyline, funny moments, the characters are unique and enjoyable. Really like the relationship between them all. I think it touches on family difficulties but is a very sweet film with some really touching moments.

Greetings again from the darkness. Their mother amassed quite the collection of whale-related items from eBay prior to her recent passing. The brother needs the inheritance to continue his self-discovery course, which may or may not answer the question of whether or not he is gay. The estranged sister apparently abandoned her young daughter for fear of being a lousy mother. He admits to being 'lost', and she admits to being 'broken'. Self-loathing is on full display in director Sean McEwen's first feature film. Tom Felton (Draco from the Harry Potter movies) plays Brandon Walker, and Tammin Sursok ("Pretty Little Liars") plays his older sister Star Walker. They reunite for the reading of mom's will, which includes the outlandish requirement for Brandon and Star to dispose of mom's ashes in the belly of whale in order to receive their inheritance. Needing the money, they hop in mom's old Winnebago for a 48 hour road trip to a public aquarium that houses the closest whale to Iowa. The emotional impact of a story about a brother and sister finding common ground on a forced road trip boils down to two things: the chemistry between the two actors and the script. Mr. Felton and Ms. Sursok seem to be committed to the cause, and there are a couple of moments that strike the right chord, but overall the script is what prevents us from connecting to either the characters or the story. The attempts to inject humor tend to be in poor taste, while the dramatic elements either repeat themselves or don't work because we simply don't care enough about Brandon or Star. Having the running gag of Brandon proclaiming "I'm not gay" while Star relentlessly peppers him on the topic comes across as not just dated, but also quite sad - seeing as Brandon is a thirty-something year old man. And worse than that is the stop over at Aunt Jackie's (Wendi McLendon-Covey, BRIDESMAIDS, "The Goldbergs") and Uncle Randal's (David Koechner) house. This sequence of social commentary meant to bash extreme right-wing conservatives is simply embarrassing to watch. I actually felt terrible for the actors in these scenes. Comedy around homosexuality and racism must be handled with grace ... whether it's subtle or cartoonish. The script was co-written by director Sean McEwen and his leading lady (and real life wife) Tammin Sursok. Respect is due to independent filmmakers who find a way to realize their project, but we do wish more time had been spent on the script. In fact, the whole production felt rushed and unpolished, leaving us with the most dreaded question any movie watcher might ask ... how much longer?

This is a must see! Amazing writing, brilliantly directed and award winning performances. A great escape, will make you laugh and touch your heart.

It's an interesting movie. I loved Tom's acting and also Austin Swift! Wow!!

It had potential to be beautiful. Instead they went for low hanging tug at your heart strings cheese. I wonder how much they paid the 5th grader that wrote it?

I hated this movie so much, I actually turned it off. So I honestly don't know where it ended up but I can guess because it seemed pretty basic. It was just complete nonsense. None of the dialogue or actions made sense. Losing a parent is hard even if you have a strained relationship with them but these characters didn't act like actually people. They just did "funny" stuff. Nothing seemed to follow on with the characters they created. The brother is a republican yet cares about climate change? I know I'm generalising but most republicans either don't believe it or ignore it. Things like this drove me insane. Then the sister says "let's sleep in the van" while in the van and the brother had to point out "oh well we can't because of all them boxes in the back of the van". Like why!!! She can see the boxes, she has been driving in the van right next to them!!! And why not take them out before you set off! It drove me insane but Aunt and Uncle Caricature really took the cake for me, that's when I had to tap out.