When Zeman began work on the movie, 52 had not been heard for over 10 years. The project gained additional momentum when actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio donated $50,000 to the film’s Kickstarter, and even signed on to co-produce alongside his Appian Way colleague Jenifer Davisson, Zeman himself, and fellow actor and environmentalist Adrian Grenier. Just one week to find the elusive 52 a single whale somewhere in the 63 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean.Ī team of scientists, biologists, and other experts assembled for the search, including John Hildebrand of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography-who has recorded the 52-hertz whale song on several different occasions-and Oregon-based marine-mammal expert Bruce Mate. Zeman began crowdfunding for the project back in 2015 and managed to get together enough backing to ensure seven days at sea. | The Loneliest Whale Finding One Whale in 63 Million Square Miles of Ocean Underwater recordings show that the lonely whale sings at a peculiar frequency. This personal development is apparent in the film itself, which sets out to define and demystify the story of 52 once and for all, using all technical and theoretical means at Zeman’s disposal. This almost universal appeal is what first started the director on his path to making The Loneliest Whale, though he now talks enthusiastically about the hard science behind his search-and whale behavior in general.
Of course Zeman is not the only human to respond so strongly to 52’s compelling (though almost certainly anthropomorphized) story, which has inspired music, plays, merchandise, and tattoos since going viral in 2004. Because none of us want to die alone, and that’s basically our biggest fear.” “That’s our human existential crisis looking back at us. “The idea of this lonely whale swimming out through the ocean, that’s like our mirror,” he says. In turn, that moniker has given 52’s story enduring appeal to those it resonates with, including Zeman. This, in part, is how 52 has earned his nickname as the world’s loneliest whale. While 52’s sex is still technically unconfirmed, singing is overwhelmingly the remit of male whales-possibly used as seduction, communication, or both-making it extremely likely that 52 is, in fact, a male.īecause of his unusual singing, some researchers hypothesize that 52 may have been unable to connect effectively with other whales at all, perhaps spending his long life alone and isolated. The majority of other fin and blue whales in the Pacific Ocean sing at approximately 10 to 20 hertz, meaning that 52’s vocalizations are at best peculiar, or at worst unintelligible, to the rest of his species. That’s just above the lowest register available when playing the tuba, and slightly higher than the deepest note on a double bass. The 52-Hertz whale, or just plain 52, is so-called because of his higher-than-average singing voice, recorded at (you guessed it) 52 hertz. | The Loneliest Whale Who is the Loneliest Whale? “I never would have had that experience or those emotional thoughts if it wasn’t for talking about a whale.” Joshua Zeman became “obsessed” with finding 52-Hertz, aka the world’s loneliest whale. It’s not necessarily just me and you talking, it’s me and you talking about a whale that suddenly makes you and I that much more connected,” he adds. “I connected with so many people on such a deeper level.” “I never would have guessed that making a film about a whale would have made me a better human being,” Zeman says laughing, when asked if looking for the whale really did help him work through his breakup.
But for The Loneliest Whale, he worked simultaneously as writer, director, producer, narrator, and co-star, in order to document what became an intense passion project.
“I think we’re all so caught up in our lives that we don’t go on quests anymore.”Īn American producer and director, Zeman is best known for his work on 2004’s Mysterious Skin and 2009’s Cropsey. “The film is about a quest,” explains Zeman. Something about the whale’s story resonated with him, and Zeman says that from the very first moment he learned about 52, he was “immediately moved.”Īs he dug deeper, he began what he describes as an “Ahabian,” decade-long study of the elusive animal, culminating in the upcoming documentary The Loneliest Whale: The Search For 52 (2021), which is co-produced by actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio. Joshua Zeman’s obsession with “52,” the so-called loneliest whale in the world, began during a particularly difficult breakup.