Deep Reservations

A comedy set in the Pacific Northwest, “Deep Reservations” combines the warm vibe of “Reservation Dogs” with a set of converging storylines that would make Larry David proud. Defying Tribal norms, and her clownish ex-husband, Ella leads her Tribe’s first whale hunt in a century. Unbeknownst to her, the Tribe’s whaling commissioner has contracted with a Japanese seafood company to purchase the whale meat and exploit the hunt on social media in a misguided effort to make fishing “sexy again.” The arrival of the company’s reluctant rep, Tajiri, exposes the scheme and triggers internal conflict as the Tribe struggles to balance a badly-needed windfall against fears of cultural misappropriation. Jake, a reporter from Seattle, covers the controversial hunt but finds himself increasingly smitten by Ella and her quest. Meanwhile, a gold-digging socialite unleashes a protest of the whale hunt in a bid to improve her social status. She ropes in a bigoted congressman and a couple known for producing lucrative movies starring Renaldo the whale. The tragi-comic demise of one of the producers compels his grief-stricken widower to embark on an Ahab-like quest in a high-tech personal submarine. As events draw these characters toward the reservation, a hulking, drug-addled, dementedly carnivorous Austrian arrives, seeking a place on the whaling canoe and a seat at the post-hunt dinner table. His former lion-taming partner, a whip-wielding terror out for revenge, is hot on his trail. During the hunt, Ella discovers her quarry to be none other than Renaldo. She honors her ancestors with a bold, yet gentle surprise. Tajiri sets in motion a risky financial stratagem to protect the Tribe and turn the tables on his idiotic boss. The feuding lion tamers, Ella’s ex, and the socialite discover that their paths converge happily in unexpected ways. The grieving widower grapples with two old foes in a final, poetic quest for redemption.