Synopsis
A pair of children befriend an eccentric old man, who lives isolated on the far shore of their island home. But it turns out that the old man knows a terrible secret about the island and the narwhales who sometimes come. Meanwhile, World War I is making life hard in the village.
Scores
Overall Score
18.8
Popularity Percentile (Year)
5.1%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
8.0%
Review Aggregate
68.5
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 50% of 2 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize character-driven, emotional, visually striking. Common reservations focus on uneven tone, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
character-drivenemotionalvisually strikingthought-provokingrealisticuneven tone
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Mirren | 1989 | $1,000 | $2,000 | (est) |
| Paul Scofield | 1989 | $0 | $1,000 | (est) |
| David Suchet | 1989 | $0 | $1,000 | (est) |
| Barbara Jefford | 1989 | $0 | $1,000 | (est) |
| David Threlfall | 1989 | $0 | $1,000 | (est) |
| John Hallam | 1989 | $0 | $1,000 | (est) |
| Barbara Ewing | 1989 | $0 | $0 | (est) |
| Jeremy Kemp | 1989 | $0 | $0 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score60.0
RT critic review count5
Rotten Tomatoes audience score83.0
RT audience rating count250
IMDb rating6.2
IMDb votes479
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1989 | $73,131 | $185,010 |
| International | 1989 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1989 | $73,131 | $185,010 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1989 | $36,566 | $92,505 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1989 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1989 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1989 | $1,470,000 | $3,718,863 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1989 | $815,000 | $2,061,819 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1989 | $36,566 | $92,505 |
| Total Revenues | 1989 | $2,358,131 | $5,965,691 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1989 | $250,000 (est) | $632,460 (est) |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1989 | $80,000 (est) | $202,387 (est) |
| Participations | 1989 | $94,000 | $237,805 |
| Residuals ? | 1989 | $162,000 | $409,834 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1989 | $50,000 | $126,492 |
| Total Expenses | 1989 | $636,000 | $1,608,977 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1989 | $1,722,131 | $4,356,714 |
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