Protecting the seas is not just a documentary topic. A new, fictional ARD series focuses on two very different sea savers.
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The largest mammals in the oceans are also socially intelligent beings: a baby whale has stranded on a beach in Mauritius, where tourists usually romp. So the whale cow will try to get to her calf – 17 more sperm whales in tow. Commitment to the heroes of the Global Ocean Foundation (GOF): While marine technician Morten (Erik Madsen) tries to prevent the animals from entering the dangerous zone with his boat, team leader Pit (Daniel Roesner) and oceanographer Yuna (Luka Omoto) take care of around the cub on the beach. The pilot film “Tödliche Strandung”, directed by Sven Fehrensen, of the new ARD drama series “Retter der Meere” with Hannes Jaenicke begins dramatically and deals with the big issues of marine protection.
Littered waters and animal suffering caused by humans: The international production has set itself the goal of drawing attention to human errors, while embedding its message in an entertaining feature film. The bottom line is that the risk can be considered a success, even if it gets a little morally sour now and then. On the credit side, “Tödliche Strandung” (book: Nils-Morten Osburg) has dosed moments of tension, successful action scenes and the dreamy backdrop of Mauritius and the Indian Ocean. A whale was specially “built” for this, and documentary recordings were also included in the film.
Marine biologist Dr. Reno Finnings (Hannes Jaenicke) founded the GOF with the aim of saving the seas. The organization maintains a protection zone in front of Mauritius. At the beginning of the film, the established team members are joined by Dr. Manuela Hauser, who as a behavioral scientist for marine animals is supposed to close a gap in the team. The fact that the new employee was hired without consultation with team leader Pit (hard shell, soft core: Daniel Roesner) also creates tension between the partners, as does Reno’s pomping at the unsympathetic luxury hotelier Aigner (Raymond Thiry). Everything revolves around the question: Why do the whales lose their orientation? Of course, polluters are to blame, but the GOF team has to find out exactly who is responsible.
Marine biologist accompanied production as an advisor
There is a clear division of tasks between the two alpha animals of the GOF: On the one hand there is the doer type and Dickkopf Pit, who like to go in a casual outfit and is an idealist through and through. His motto: Don’t mess around, tackle, save whales. And in a pinch, annoying tourists or environmental offenders are just pissed off. On the other hand, Hannes Jaenicke stands as Reno Finnings, visionary and head of the troop and responsible for collecting urgently needed donations. In the past he also wanted his head through the wall, but now he’s inevitably more opportunistic. He has to come to terms pragmatically with politics and business. This conflict about the direction of the GOF, which may be representative of many real NGOs, definitely has potential.
The two fighters seem predestined for their roles: Hannes Jaenicke has been campaigning for environmental protection for years, Daniel Roesner is an enthusiastic diver and sailor. In addition, the scientific aspect of marine biology seems well researched. This is mainly due to the contribution of the marine biologist Dr. Karsten Brensing, who accompanied the production as an expert.
Sometimes caring for marine mammals is a bit touching, but the lofty goals of sea savers are beyond reproach. When people don’t just talk about the often abstract demands of environmental protection, but have dedicated their lives to the fight against the extinction of species and environmental pollution, this also compels the viewer to respect and provide points of reference for identification.
Only at second glance does you get a little bit angry, as can also be read from the appearance of the do-gooders: Now the Europeans are coming to show the locals in the holiday paradise how environmental protection and species protection work properly. At least here and there this conveys the bland aftertaste of a kind of moral development aid.
Source: teleschau – der mediendienst GmbH –
