Original subtitles

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Official YIFY movies site: YTS.BZ

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♪ (tribal chanting music) ♪

♪ (ethereal tribal music) ♪

Ryan Reynolds [voice-over]: There's a place on our planet,

ancient and primordial, hidden to most of the world.

♪ (uplifting music) ♪

♪ (uplifting music) ♪

♪ (uplifting music) ♪

Here, glacier-crowned peaks

protect an ancient rainforest.

[Moks exhaling]

Home to one of the rarest animals on Earth, the spirit bear.

[birds squawking]

There are fewer than 200 of them alive today.

This is Moks.

Now, you might think she's an albino or a polar bear,

but she's a rare subspecies of the North American black bear.

Now that she's left her winter den,

where she slept for six months,

you can imagine it's a little slow going just to wake up.

Not to mention... the morning breath.

[Moks exhales]

♪ (soft gentle music) ♪

[grunting]

Moks has lived in this part of the rainforest all her life.

Some years she'll have cubs, some years she won't.

But don't worry about her.

There's others in the neighborhood to keep her company.

People have lived here since the Ice Age... and still do.

Marven: Okay, that was one of the places

where she likes sleeping.

Nelson: Yeah.

Marven [voice-over]: My name's Marven Robinson,

Gitga'at First Nation.

My Indian name is Mengees Hyke.

That's from the Raven Clan.

Reynolds: Long ago, the elder chief

of Marven's First Nation tribe gave him the job

of protecting the spirit bear and its ancient forest home.

Marven: Okay, we're gonna set up

- in one of the best spots on the creek. - Okay.

Reynolds Today, he's teaching his son Nelson

about the ways of the spirit bear,

so he, too, can be their guardian in the future.

My name is Nelson Robinson.

I'm 12 years old.

My Indian name is Nu'Nuk Gamol.

That's "Baby spirit bear."

My grandfather gave me my Indian name.

I've been coming out here since I was four

I'm pretty comfortable around bears.

Reynolds The First Nations people are a big reason

this wild and unchanged place still exists.

But the very foundation of this natural wonder

comes from a unique marriage

between the rainforest and the ocean.

The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest

and most intact coastal temperate rainforest left on Earth.

This place contains more life by weight

than a tropical rainforest like the Amazon.

Some of the largest trees here

are more than a thousand years old.

♪ (uplifting music) ♪

This is one of the rarest forest types left on Earth.

The unique conditions that make these forests possible

can only be found in small,

scattered pockets around the planet.

Forests like this are so rare,

they only ever covered one half of one percent

of the Earth's land surface.

And today almost all of it is gone.

Over half of the remaining coastal temperate rainforests

lies along Canada's rugged Pacific coastline in British Columbia.

Here, there is more than 20,000 miles of coastline

winding around a maze of islands, inlets, and fjords.

This mosaic of land and sea makes for ideal conditions

to transfer marine nutrients to the forest from the bounty of the ocean.

A cold water ocean supports more life than a warm one,

making the North Pacific

one of the richest oceans in the world.

If you look deeper, you'll see that the forests here aren't just above ground.

Underwater kelp forests are one of the mos

productive ecosystems on the planet.

They're essential to one species in particular.

[animals squawking]

Sea otters.

[ocean waves crashing]

Over 100 years ago, they were hunted to extinction here, for their luxurious fur.

About 50 years ago, a few otter families were transplanted here from Alaska,

and the population has thrived ever since.

Otter moms raise their pups alone.

And, boy, are they a handful.

Or in this case, a tummy-full.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated parent.

♪ (soft lilting music) ♪

[whale bellows]

Humpback whales have also returned to the coast.

They, too, had once been hunted out,

but now thousands of whales come each year

to fatten up after their long migration from Hawaii.

[gulls squawking]

They time their arrival each spring to take advantage

of one of the biggest buffets on the planet...

[soft voices calling]

...the return of Pacific herring to spawn.

This event is so important to the Heiltsuk First Nations

that it marks the start of their New Year.

Saul [voice-over]: The wanay, the herring,

are something that we have a long relationship with.

Herring season is like seeing a relative

who we haven't seen for a while.

It's a reunion of sorts

that needs to be protected and cherished.

My name is Saul Brown.

My Heiltsuk name is Adejepa,

meaning the "silver-tipped supernatural grizzly bear."

I'm 25 years old, and I'm from Bella Bella.

Herring season is my favorite time of the year as a young person.

Getting out on the water and understanding

that what I'm doing is an ancient practice

that my ancestors did.

I love herring season because we all come together

and share that food and experience.

It always makes my heart full to see these animals

come and converge where there's a feast.

[seals barking]

♪ (upbeat music) ♪

♪ (upbeat music) ♪

♪ Whoa... ♪

♪ Whoa... ♪

♪ Whoa... ♪

♪ Whoa... ♪

[gulls squawking]

Reynolds The Heiltsuk people say that each spring,

"When the moon tips over," the herring move closer to shore,

under the forest, to lay their eggs.

The females converge,

each one laying tens of thousands of eggs

onto seaweed and rocks.

Herring can spawn in such abundance

that the milky water will stretch for miles along the coast.

While the herring are a delicacy for some animals,

others come to feed on their eggs.

[squawking]

These are surf scoters.

They time their northern migration each year

to arrive just in time

for the herring to lay their eggs.

But they have to dive to reach them.

These eggs fuel their migration north

to the scoter's nesting grounds.

The Heiltsuk people have also learned

from their ancestors to time their own harvest.

A week ago, Saul and his family

placed these hemlock tree branches

in the ocean where they thought

the herring would spawn.

And they got it right.

[cheering, laughter]

The branches are just covered in herring eggs.

These eggs are an important economic resource

and a favorite food of the Heiltsuk.

Their children sing a traditional song

celebrating the harvest.

[children singing in native language]

Saul [voice-over]: My people have been harvesting

herring eggs for 14,000 years.

The sustainability of our fishery allows for herring to come and spawn

up to six times in their lifetime,

compared to a commercial fishery that, you know,

takes the eggs right out of the belly, and that's it.

So we take care of the herring,

and the herring take care of us.

[children continue singing]

Reynolds: If the ocean is the lifeblood

of the Great Bear Rainforest, then the thousands of river estuaries,

where the fresh water meets the ocean, are its beating heart.

♪ (uplifting music) ♪

♪ (uplifting music) ♪

This abundant habitat is home to the biggest guy in the neighborhood.

Grizzlies.

They converge each spring on these tidal meadows

to feast on sedge, a grasslike plant rich in protein.

These guys have no problem eating their vegetables.

In spring, they can eat ten pounds

of these greens each day.

When they're done eating, grizzlies head for the trees for two reasons:

to mark their territory, and to get a really good back scratch.

Mmm!

[growls]

That's got to feel great.

They leave behind their personal scent

and an awful lot of bear hair, not unlike my mother-in-law.

When the bears leave, the trees attract

another inhabitant of the forest.

The Kitasoo/Xai'xais people

have been living alongside these bears

for thousands of years.

Now they're using modern technology

to study the bears that live in their traditional territory.

They collect the hair left behind on these "rub trees"

to analyze the bears' DNA.

A big part of the project is getting

the younger generation involved.

Let's come check out this rub tree here, guys.

Mercedes [voice-over]: My name's Mercedes.

I'm 15 years old, in grade Ten.

I have two traditional names, uh, Halulu, which means "Butterfly,"

and Abuxklumau, which is "Mother that keeps the family together."

[voice-over]: I'm the student field technician

for the bear research team.

I go out with the crew to these special bear sites

around the territory and collect bear hairs.

The bears' hair is basically like a fingerprint for bears.

Using DNA from the hairs,

we can discover lots of information about the bears.

If they're male or female, how old they are,

how much salmon they're eating,

and how healthy they are.

Man: See the stomp trails, Mercedes?

Mercedes: Oh, yeah.

Okay, let's see.

Reynolds Mercedes' generation

is the first to use these new research techniques

to better understand bears.

I actually really like science and biology.

Mom, two cubs.

[voice-over]: It's really great because I'm able to combine

knowledge from elders and community member

with the science that I'm learning.

Reynolds: They're combining the technology

of the modern world with the traditions

of the old, and giving her people

a fresh perspective on the bears

who share their homeland.

[birds squawking]

And it's not just grizzly bears.

Black bears also live in these forests.

[bear grunts nearby]

They have to be careful around their much bigger,

very cranky neighbors.

[grunts]

Grizzly claws aren't great for climbing, so...

up here the black bear family feels safe..

[bear grunts]

...from their grizzly cousins.

By climbing, they can also reach

a black bear delicacy:

the wild Pacific crab apple.

Out in the open, the grizzly's long claws

are the perfect tools

for digging up roots and tubers that grow wild here.

The best advice for the black bear cubs

is to keep a low profile and stay up in trees.

♪ (violin music) ♪

They'll learn how to climb

by observing the masterful climbing technique

of their mother.

I'm sure she meant to do that.

[cub crying]

Yep, seeing your child up there

hanging from a branch by their fingernails...

That's not at all precarious.

Thankfully, his climbing skills

are keeping him out of trouble.

Getting enough to eat before winter

is critical for all bears.

As summer arrives,

they're all about to get a big boost

to their diet plans.

[voices chanting in unison]

♪ (uplifting) ♪

The salmon are back.

After four years at sea, they're headed

to their freshwater home to spawn.

It's the beginning of the most important time of year

for the spirit bear.

And it's also a great time for Marven

to teach Nelson more about these mysterious animals.

You just got to watch and see which way she goes,

but it looks like she's coming up.

Nelson: Looks like she's moving slowly.

Marven: Yeah.

Pretty nice-looking bear, though.

Nelson: Yeah.

You can see fresh carcasses here.

Yeah.

So we'll just set up here for now.

Reynolds: Nelson has been coming here with his dad for most of his life.

At 12 years old, he already knows more about bears than most adults.

Nelson [voice-over]: I learned from my dad

to understand bears and what they do.

Watch his ears and his eyes

if he's smelling the air.

Move around, so the bear doesn't think you're another bear.

And wear not black 'cause it'll think you're a black bear.

Marven: You see where the moss is clear?

It should be all covered in moss.

So when that moss gets moved by them walking,

you know that a bear's been here.

So when you're walking up a creek, you look for that

on the logs in the river.

Oh.

That's my first time seeing her run.

She can run.

Yeah, that's good.

She's trying.

Reynolds: And you might wonder

why there are white bears in this rainforest.

♪ (uplifting harp music) ♪

When Moks is fishing, her white fur camouflages her against the sky.

By catching more salmon, it ensures her survival,

allowing her to pass on her genes to future generations.

The ocean has such a strong influence

on this rainforest that, over time,

it actually changed the color of a bear.

[thunder rumbling]

There's a reason this is called a rainforest.

It gets ten feet of rain a year.

[thunder cracking]

Most storms come and go

as part of the normal weather cycle here,

but today's storm dumped a full foot of rain...

A tenth of the year's total... in just one day.

♪ (soft music) ♪

The rain saturated the ground

until soil on the steep slopes gave way,

and thousands of tons of mud, rocks, and trees

came crashing down the mountain,

burying the stream and the salmon that were in it.

♪ (gentle instrumental music) ♪

Moks' beautiful salmon stream is ruined,

and the consequences are dire.

She needs to eat a lot of salmon

to gain enough weight

to survive next winter's hibernation.

The storm has impacted everyone,

even the wolves who share this valley.

[wolf howling in distance]

[birds chirping]

But with their keen sense of smell,

at least they're able to find salmon buried in the mud.

[chirping continues]

Moks is never gonna get enough to eat here.

She'll have to move if she's gonna survive

♪ (thoughtful music) ♪

Throughout the Great Bear Rainforest,

the big storm has caused the rivers to rise.

The high water is making the salmon's journey upstream more difficult.

Clearing these falls is equivalent to a human

leaping over a four-story building.

This high water is also giving the bears here

a new fishing opportunity.

But there's only one spot to stand on these falls to catch fish.

So he has to wait for the fish to come to him.

You might think that this is a bear's version

of fast food, but it's not as easy as it looks.

♪ (uptempo instrumental music) ♪

♪ (uptempo instrumental music) ♪

It takes patience until...

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

[chuckles]: There you go.

Dinnertime, baby.

Mom and the cubs are switching from crab apples to salmon,

but first they'll have to wait for the big fella to leave.

The coast is clear, so Mom and her cubs can dive in.

Coming here is risky.

Big males have been known to kill cubs.

And before she can catch a fish, guess who's back.

[growling]

The mother bear tries to make a stand against him.

The male takes back the best fishing spot,

but moms don't give up that easily.

She stands her ground.

This must be hard for the hungry family to watch.

She needs to find fish,

so she makes the difficult decision

to leave her cubs behind to try her luck upstream.

But leaving cubs alone is risky.

They're too young to know what's dangerous

[low growl]

[cub yowling]

[bears growling]

Defending cubs is how most mother bears are killed.

But not today, bucko.

Don't mess with this mama bear.

The big male wisely decides it's just not worth the hassle.

Her decision to stay

has paid off for this hungry family of four.

[birds chirping]

While other bears have been busy

fattening up for winter,

Moks has been searching for a new stream to call home.

She left her devastated fishing ground behind

and headed toward a familiar place from her past.

It's the perfect salmon stream.

Shallow water for spawning

and a set of rapids for fishing.

But like most rapids, it has its own resident bear

that holds the best fishing spot.

She's gonna have to learn to fit in

around the bears on this new creek.

First encounters between bears can be tense.

But given the fact that Moks is, well,

perhaps not the most graceful...

Oh. Oh, Moks, you poor thing.

This bear feels he probably doesn't have too much to worry about.

♪ (playful music) ♪

Moks doesn't hesitate to move right into a prime fishing spot.

But it's not that simple.

She's the new kid here, and the new

kids can sometimes be taken advantage of.

[low growling]

Moks came here for a reason.

She's hungry, and there's plenty of salmon.

She takes a stand in the stream,

like she's remembering what to do.

She has, in fact, been here before.

Marven[voice-over]: I was worried when the mudslide

destroyed her old home.

But I thought she might come back here.

I'm relieved that she's okay.

It's good to see her getting salmon she needs.

Reynolds This creek is part of her old territory,

the place where she first grew up,

where her cubs were born.

But she left it years ago

because of one bear in particular.

This young spirit bear.

It's Moks's daughter.

This could be the first time they've seen each other in five years.

♪ (gentle music) ♪

Moks moved from this perfect salmon creek

to make room for her.

It's the start of a new generation of spirit bears

for Marven and Nelson.

Nelson [voice-over]: I'm going to be able

to grow up on this creek, watching this young bear

become the new old bear of the forest.

My home is special, and I want to make sur

these bears are always going to be a part of it.

Marven [voice-over]: When I was young,

we never spoke of the spirit bear.

But Nelson is growing up in a time

when our home is facing more challenges.

If we can protect the bear, it will protect our home.

Reynolds Although there are reasons

to be hopeful, the future here is far from secure.

It's gonna take everyone,

everyone pulling together to make sure

that Moks and all who live here have a hom

for many more years to come in the Great Bear Rainforest.

♪ (uplifting instrumental music) ♪

[silence]

[rhythmic clapping]

It's "The Land of the Spirit Bear."

Take five, sequence nine, day 400.

♪ (upbeat music) ♪

Action.

- No, no. - [laughter]

Don't listen to him.

Oh, he's down there somewhere.

Never seen that one before.

I have never seen that before.

I don't even know what this is. [chuckles]

We just had a black bear come in.

He's more interested in the camera, I think, than the fish.

♪ (upbeat happy music) ♪

I just got into grade 12.

Or grade 11. [chuckles]

I keep saying "Grade 12."

♪ (upbeat happy music) ♪

I just filmed a bear rubbing on a tree right in front of us.

It's taken us months.

Or minutes, depending on how you look at it.

That was extremely lucky.

Right place at the right time.

♪ (upbeat happy music) ♪

[crunching sound]

That's it, that's all you get.

♪ (upbeat happy music) ♪

(music fades)

[silence]