The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52

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The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52

PG

2021

1h 36m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

88%

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42 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52 is a cinematic quest to find the "52 Hertz Whale," which scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude calling out at a frequency that is different from any other whale. As the film embarks on this engrossing journey, audiences will explore what this whale's lonely plight can teach us -- not just about our changing relationship to the oceans, but to each other. This is the only film that set out in search of 52.

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Critics Consensus

Proving 52 is the loneliest number since the number one, The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 is an engaging nature documentary about the leviathan efforts to understand our large aquatic counterparts.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

Apr 4, 2022

3/5

This is a film raised a fair few notches by the wonder of geekery, the absolute joy of seeing scientists living and breathing their work.

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Bilge Ebiri

Spirituality & Health

Nov 12, 2021

The result is a touching, often beautiful film. The Loneliest Whale is certainly informative, but, perhaps more importantly for our day and age, it's a mood piece that will speak to those who find something evocative and relatable about the story of 52.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Jul 22, 2021

2/4

While the dive into the history of the whaling industry is a welcome departure, Zeman's insistence of inserting himself in the action is intrusive and distracting.

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Apr 7, 2022

3.5/5

The spirit of enquiry comes to the fore.

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Joanna Langfield

The Movie Minute

Jan 11, 2022

What could have been a somewhat interesting scientific journey, searching for a whale on its own in the vast seas, casts even wider ripples, during a time when so many of us feel cut off from our own.

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Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Dec 17, 2021

4.5/5

A scientific quest for a whale unable to communicate with other whales that is also a metaphor for loneliness in our times.

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elaine

Jul 17, 2021

Very well done. I really enjoyed it.

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Dan M

Jul 15, 2021

We have so much work to do. Studying and protecting whales. humans are so dumb.

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William H

Jul 14, 2021

intriguing to learn about the human interaction, etc with Whale

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Marsha

Jul 12, 2021

Well done! I thought it was engaging, thoughtful, and entertaining.

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Leslie S

Jul 12, 2021

Fascinating story. I will there had been a more decisive resolution of the question, but that the way science goes sometimes.

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Kimberley W

@RT98345582 Oct 18, 2025

Was more than I expected, and a beautiful experience. A moment to experience and genuinely appreciate those that search for those most beautiful and complicated answers of life. Gave me a sense of appreciation for the researchers, that seem so free along there journey, maybe something I search for in myself, working so hard to bring focus back to the never ending questions of the earth, the animals that drive us. 52 hz isn’t lost, maybe he and his new found family is the profound uniqueness in us all, perhaps the true heart of the sea. Moving forward, let’s find a way to chart those channels and possibly deter the whales from traveling through, those harmful water?

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Joshua Zeman

Director

Joshua Zeman

Writer

Lisa Schiller

Writer

Joshua Zeman

Producer

Jonathan Shukat

Producer

Leonardo DiCaprio

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52 is a cinematic quest to find the "52 Hertz Whale," which scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude calling out at a frequency that is different from any other whale. As the film embarks on this engrossing journey, audiences will explore what this whale's lonely plight can teach us -- not just about our changing relationship to the oceans, but to each other. This is the only film that set out in search of 52.

Director: Joshua Zeman
Producer: Joshua Zeman, Jonathan Shukat
Screenwriter: Joshua Zeman, Lisa Schiller
Distributor: Bleecker Street Media
Production Co: ShowKat Productions, Lost Lane Entertainment, Gigantic Pictures, Alldayeveryday, Skyline Entertainment, Electric Panda Entertainment
Rating: PG (Some Unsettling Whaling Images|Language|Brief Smoking)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 9, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 16, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $41.4K
Runtime: 1h 36m

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