Synopsis
Small wooden boats carry a vanishing breed of ritual sperm whale hunters from the coastal village of Lamalera in the Indonesian archipelago. Every year for many hundreds of years these men have journeyed far from land into dangerous seas in their canoe-like boats with palm-leaf sails to hunt for the one whale who's spirit has responded in sacrifice to their medicine man's call. With little productive land on the whale hunters' rocky island, the sperm whale is the village's best resource for food and trade. But for this ancient island culture, the sperm whale is not only essential sustanence; it represents and embodies the peoples' ancestors, their myths, the give and take of creation itself, and their own union with God.
Using hand-made ropes, harpoons, and boats held together with simple wooden dowels as part of an ancient ritual sacrifice, the hunters row 30 miles form shore to either meet and kill the sacrificial whale that will sustain them, or to die themselves in sacrifice. But there are many dangers and struggles, as the film shows in exciting and beautiful detail.
Concerning the physiology of this production, one must note Whale, Man and God serves as the impetus of an excursion into the realm of Lamaleran history and folklore; but more importantly as an allegory of the world of mythic jurisprudence with the struggle of the hunters in an environment where the disadvantages were many. The production brilliantly conveys this allegory.
Boulevard Denim is a critic and has
extensive experience in film production and analysis. His background includes
work for directors Dean Merriman and Fred Besche. He also assisted the late
experimental filmmaker Stan VanDerBeek with his multimedia presentations in the
late 1970s.
It takes a village to slaughter a whale. The people of the island of Lamalera manage to accomplish this astonishing feat every year, not for some rite of passage, but to provide resources to feed and provide raw materials for their clan. It's an astonishing thing to witness, and "Summoning the Sacrifice" is one filmmaker's attempt to enhance our understanding of what, on the surface, may seem to be a brutal and hunger-driven task.
As a documentary of the daily life and elaborate preparations for the whale hunt, the film succeeds in a visual sense while a narration focuses on the spiritual underpinnings of the villagers' life, their relationship with the whale, and with the earth. That's not to say that the insights are not valuable.
The cinematography of "Summoning the Sacrifice" is impressive. Especially notable is the hypnotic way we are pulled out to sea, and back to land as the hand-made boats and meticulously-crafted harpoons are prepared for the hunt. Accompanying music doesn't compete with the imagery, instead supplying an emotional undercurrent and blending well with the brief samples of indigenous music we hear.
The actual hunt is portrayed in an unsentimental way. I was most impressed at the almost disturbing ease with which a boatful of men, armed with only the simplest of unpowered weapons, manage to bring about the death of a sperm whale. When first harpooned, why doesn't the whale dive deep, or swing his tail and destroy the boat? How can a few men armed with knives penetrate the whale's vital organs? Of course, the answers can be found in the rest of the documentary; the whale, as portrayed, is as much participant as victim. Altogether a fulfilling, if somewhat long, journey into a ritual that shows one of the myriad ways of life on this earth.
- Michael Martin
Michael Martin is a former filmmaker and critic currently residing in
Maryland.