An inside view of a threatened centuries-old Faroe Islands tradition

Faced with health risks from industrial pollution, Faroese are reexamining their deeply held whaling tradition. The recent documentary film “The Islands and the Whales” looks at the difficult choices they face.

In the opening sequences of Michael Day’s recent documentary “The Islands and the Whales,” snow-dusted peaks rise out of a dark ocean and steep slopes are draped in luxurious green mosses. The Faroe Islands, an archipelago halfway between Norway and Iceland, seem steeped in nature. Gannets and gulls wheel overhead, and the sleek arched backs of long-finned pilot whales break the ocean surface.