Dolphin Tale – A Fun, Family Entertainer

Director: Charles Martin Smith

Actors: Nathan Gamble, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr.

Rating: 4 out of 5

On land it’s the dog and over water it’s dolphin that is a man’s best friend. Grateful humans have cinematically paid tributes to both. Though there are less films about dolphins, those that do exist have been beautiful tributes to an enduring friendship. Joining this elite list is ‘Dolphin Tale’, a rare family film that is both enjoyable for everyone as it is intelligent and metaphoric.

Sawyer, a reserved kid rescues a dolphin and slowly opens up in her presence. The dolphin, named Winters, loses her tail-fin. Sawyer and a doctor desperately try to find her a prosthetic fin even as Sawyer’s inspiration, his cousin, returns from war a depressed and withdrawn paraplegic.

‘Dolphin Tale’ is in the true tradition of a family entertainer. It is predictable but filled with good natured and politically correct yet laugh-along humour, some subtle jibes at the brutality of man, and a heart that beats for love, humanity, inclusion of the disabled and against war. It’s a rare instance of a film which a five year old will enjoy as much as a 50 year old.

All the actors in the film do a commendable job in maintaining the seriousness and fun of a simple story. Yet, it is the non-verbal creatures that become its true star. The actually paraplegic dolphin Winter, on whose real life story the film is based, is obviously the star. But her sidekick, a psychotic pelican provides oodles of laughter and almost steals the thunder from under Winter’s fin.

‘Dolphin Tale’ is also in the best tradition of films about animals where the animal becomes a metaphor for something else. Remember ‘Chillar Party’ where a street dog becomes an emblem for every disenfranchised being in the world. Here, Winter becomes both a victim of human’s intended and unintended violence on nature, while her missing fin becomes a metaphor for our missing humanity. If we can do this to our dear friend, the dolphins, what hope does anything else in nature have?

In thus trying to help her out, humans, even if for a few moments, rescue themselves from their own brutality.

The film also makes subtle statements against our prejudice of those not like us. No one wants a handicapped dolphin. Though it is not said, but it is the same feeling that depresses a young man who has been crippled by war. Just like the dolphin it was not his fault that his self-righteous country sent him to fight a war he did not start or want. But it is indeed the nation’s and humanity’s fault if he were not to be included back.

Sadly, if you look around, especially in India, we don’t have an inclusive society. And those that are disabled by some accident at birth or after it, are unwelcome. Just like Winters and like in the film ‘300’, this cruel society would rather remove the disabled from their dream of a perfect society, than include them even when the Einstein of our generation, Dr. Stephen Hawkins, is a ‘disabled’ man who can’t even talk on his own.

In Winter, the film thus asks the question, who is actually disabled, those physically and mentally disabled or the rest of us who can’t look past this to truly consider their ability, just like Winter’s. The answer isn’t easy. Thankfully, ‘Dolphin Tale, that underplays its melodramatic elements, is. 

This review has been written for the news-wire service IANS.