The title of Drew Xanthopoulos’ new Apple TV+ documentary is a play on words that borders on willful deception. The poster for the film features a majestic humpback whale front and center, so it stands to reason that “fathom” in this context means the watery depths in which these creatures exist. Your mind immediately recalls stunning nature documentary series like Planet Earth and in this case, most obviously, Blue Planet. You imagine up close footage of cetaceans breaching waves and moaning whale song, all the while a stately narrator describes why humpbacks are so astonishing. Fathom is decidedly not that kind of documentary.
In this case, the title instead refers to the verb synonymous with understanding, and its central subject is not the humpback, but the two marine biologists studying them. Whales are our subject’s subject, and they’re rarely seen from a close distance. This is not entirely a bait and switch – the film’s trailer prominently features these two teams of (mostly) women researchers hard at work doing science.
But the degree to which Fathom is about the process of rigorously testing hypotheses and not a semi-educational feature about those cutting edge theories is mildly disappointing. This is a story of science in action, which to be honest is not exactly the most riveting sort of work to observe onscreen. That’s why subjects like this typically lend themselves to the page, where a skilled author can mix the day-to-day experiences of field scientists with theory, history, popular culture and even politics and religion.
Still, there’s something undoubtedly fascinating about the ideas the two women at the center of Fathom are testing. Dr. Michelle Fournet conducts her work in Alaska’s panhandle. She’s attempting to use common humpback vocalizations to “speak” to the animals. Dr. Ellen Garland, on the other hand, is half a world away in French Polynesia, where she’s researching whale “culture,” the transmission of specific sounds from one humpback to another across great distances. Unfortunately, by the end of Fathom neither we nor the scientists seem any closer to getting answers because that’s how science works: in tiny increments.
Xanthopoulos peppers what is mostly dry academics with animations, to visualize these women’s theories. But mostly we observe the observers trolling bodies of water with fancy equipment, and then regrouping back at camp with their teams. It’s no doubt compelling to see highly competent women struggle with the difficulty of being away from home for long stretches of time. Their singular drive and all around excellence is inspiring to witness, and Fathom as a document is ideal for young adults (especially adolescent girls) who hope to one day become scientists. But as a film, it’s frustratingly narrow and borderline ho-hum. So much so that a lovely little scene featuring Fournet and her team cutting loose on a makeshift tree swing provided a bit of levity and oomph to what, at a mere 87 minutes, came to feel like a slog.
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