Abby (Mia Wasikowska), a young marine biologist heading an expedition to document the deterioratin of Australia's coral reefs, receives a call telling her her mother Dora (Elizabeth Alexander) has had a stroke and probably hasn't long to live. Rushing back to her mother's side, she finds her in a pitiful almost vegetative state, unable to speak and showing little in terms of reaction to anything. So Abby tries to make her remember, like how Dora (in flashbacks played by Radha Mitchell) pretty much raised Abby by the sea and actually in the sea, having her taken on many dive sessions from an early age, how Abby on her 8th birthday (and played by Ariel Donoghue) befriended a grouper housing in the local reefs and christened him Blueback, how when Abby was in her teens (and played by Ilsa Fong) Dora took on local fishing magnate Costello (Erik Thomson), who tried to turn their aquatic paradise-like laguna into his private fishing grounds, endangering unique wildlife in the process. And how Abby, inspired by her mother, tried to save Blueback from the harpoons of Costello's men ...

Eric Bana plays an eccentric but benign coral collector.

The blend of coming-of-age story with eco-activism and even some thriller elements is inspiring to say the least, and the film certainly has its heart in the right place. Furthermore its direction is assured and subtle while the screenplay by and large avoids the typical tearjerker moments that usually come with a film like this. And of course, a very solid cast doesn't hurt either ... but what really makes the film is its many breathtaking underwater sequences, which work quite so well because they're never gratuitous but always serve the plot, and not only that but also the film's ecological message - and it's almost safe to say, even if underwater wildlife is not your thing for whatever reason, you'll be properly impressed by this movie for its sheer beauty.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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