Review of Haulout

I'd never heard the term 'haulout' before. When this film opens, we see a lone marine biologist in the wide expanse of the Siberian Arctic. We don't know what he's studying because all the land around him appears barren and lifeless. He retreats to his cabin shack for rest and food, and it seems like a futile existence. (Obviously he can't be alone because someone has to be there to film him). Then, all of a sudden, he opens the door to his shack, and he's completely surrounded by a huge population of walruses. And when I say huge, the documentary states that its ninety five thousand, with another six thousand, give or take still in the ocean nearby. A haulout then, is when walrus, along with seals and others of like kind, migrate to land for the purpose of food, rest and birthing. It's an immensely tremendous sight to behold, an aerial view offers the sight of what has to be acres and acres of walruses, compact to such a degree that they're practically sitting on top of and suffocating each other. The pups especially looked vulnerable to getting crushed. And with their razor sharp tusks, it wouldn't be wrong to say that a fair number of them wind up goring each other, either accidentally or on purpose depending on their disposition, as they did appear to be fairly aggressive. All of which is to suggest that the idea of climate change may not be the only factor involved in the deaths of walruses observed when the haulout returned to the open sea. These factors aren't mentioned, but it looked pretty obvious to this viewer.

This film is a contender for a 2023 Oscar in the category of Best Short Documentaries. I was lucky enough to catch this film along with the four other contenders for this year's Academy Award at the Paramount Theater in Middletown, New York. If not for this limited showing, I don't know how else I would have been able to see it. So, Congratulations to the Paramount for making it available to enthusiastic cinema fans like me.