Finally!!! A movie about Alaska...
.... that is actually filmed *IN* Alaska!
It's hard to explain to folks from Outside just how much it annoys us when all these films are made about our wonderful state, but are filmed in Washington or Canada. I caught this film while flipping through the channel guide around 1am and instantly reckognised the plant life and mountain ranges, which stand out to us just as clearly as the empire state building does to a New Yorker.
I found the harsh tone the narrative takes against the tourism trade in AK to be odd however, as we are glad to show off our home to people from all over the world, and our economy is very much reliant on the revenue and taxes the cruise industry brings in each year. To be honest, the only people I've ever heard voice any sort of objection or annoyance with tourists are from 'Alaskans' that came from someplace else like Washington or Oregon, and are usually the same people who get bent out of shape over ANWR, logging, etc.
The scenes in the bar and cannery where some of the characters blame foreigners for ruining the seafood industry for locals also stood out to me as ignorant. As someone who grew up in a small Alaskan town the was devestated when our local cannery was shut down thanks to the devestation to the marine ecology brought about by the Exxon Valdez spill, that plot line resonated on a very personal level. Exxon has stalled for 20 years through legal and political maneuvering to pay off what it owes the state in damages, and while things have gotten better every year, they are from how they used to be. Though Russians aren't an issue at all to the industry, it is true that several asians companies love to stick their toes into our waters with their fishing vessels, then transfer their catches to floating canneries which process the fish onboard and then dump the waste back in our waters before sailing back to theirs. The worst part about this is the federal government is well aware of it, and only takes minimal notice of it occasionally. A far greater threat to the small local fisherman is the industry as it is portrayed in 'Deadliest Catch.' Take a good look at the back of those big fishing boats. None of them are from Alaska, instead listing various parts of Washington etc as their ports-of-call. The majority of the hands they hire are also from out of state, from Utah, Oregon, Washington etc, and very rarely from Alaska. To add insult to injury, the larger companies don't even bother purchasing supplies locally either, instead packing them on pallets in Seattle and barging them over or sending them by truck up the AlCan.
This isn't just the commercial fishing industry either, as in some parts of the state, sometimes as much as 70% of the fishing/hunting guides only call Alaska home for 3-4 months out of the year. I hate to sound greedy about what God and Nature have provided for all, but if you go over and take some beer and pizza out of your neighbors fridge, it's sorta expected to leave a couple bucks on the counter. In the years following the Exxon Valdez disaster that all but destroyed the local fishing industry, outside companies like Trident Seafoods etc have made an art out of taking as much as they physically can from this state while giving as little as possible back.
Anyway, I wanted to just add a local perspective to that narrative and clear things up a bit. That sort of thing does happen, but there aren't many around here that blame the Russians or Asians for it. Loved this movie just as much as I hated the ending. Oh, one last thing... in Juneau's defense (where much of this was filmed) it's not like that ALL the time. When the sun comes out there are few places more gorgeous then our state capitol. The rest of the time, the weather is pretty close to Seattle's.