Blueback Parent Guide

On Abby’s (Ariel Donoghue) eighth birthday, she makes an unexpected acquaintance. Her mother (named Dora and played by Radha Mitchell) has taken her diving in the nearby reef on Australia’s western shore and Abby meets a blue groper, a large fish who she promptly names Blueback. Gropers tend to remain in the same waters throughout their long lives, so Abby visits often to interact with her aquatic friend.

As Abby (now played by Ilsa Fogg) reaches her teens, she learns that Blueback and the other residents of the coral reef are in danger from two directions. The first is a decision to dredge the reef, allowing larger ships to enter the bay. The second is a plan to develop land around the coast. Dora is a committed activist, and Abby works with her to halt both assaults on the bay – although the two often differ on tactics. While Dora is busy chaining herself to construction equipment, Abby is meticulously documenting the reef’s biosphere and studying to prepare herself for a scientific career that will allow her to save the seas.

The dedicated student reaches her goal, and we are introduced to an adult Abby (Mia Wasikowska), who is conducting scientific surveys of bleached, dying coral reefs. When Dora has a stroke, Abby rushes home to care for her – and while there she reflects on her own life and the direction of her career.

Blueback is a completely unobjectionable film. It’s also familiar. Like every other environmental film it presents an urgent cry for conservation. In this case, the movie focuses on imperiled marine ecosystems, particularly the crisis facing coral reefs, which are dying as ocean temperatures rise. The story’s protagonists, Abby and Dora, both work passionately to save the bay on which they live, and they square off against the local bad guy, an unscrupulous developer who is as uninteresting as he is obnoxious. By focusing on one villain, the movie tightens the plot, but it misses the point. Marine life isn’t in peril because one Australian businessman is getting greedy: aquatic animals are dying because they are swallowing microplastics and because they are being overfished and because the global climate crisis is making their underwater homes too hot to handle.

Fortunately, the movie does offer audiences a great example of what can be done to mitigate the harms to our world’s oceans. Dora is dedicated to having the bay declared a marine reserve, and her battle for that cause is a critical part of the story. This is a film that not only celebrates the wonders of the undersea world, it also delivers strong messages about integrity, courage, perseverance, dedication, and education. These themes come with minimal negative content and gorgeous aquatic vistas. (At my showing, the colors were somewhat desaturated, but I suspect that’s due to the age of the theater and it’s likely that a newer theater will have brighter colors on the screen. If not, that’s a terrible shame.)

Blueback is a slow, quiet film but older kids with the patience to let a story unfold will learn a lot from this story and from Abby. Viewers of any age will marvel at the maritime world and the beauty of Australia’s ecosystem, on and off shore. And we can all remember that friends can be found in the most unexpected places.