Story

Fifteen-year-old Quinn (Izabela Rose) has been missing her best friend, Daniella (Ella Proberts). Daniella left the United States with her father, marine biologist Charlie (Rowan Chapman), who is managing a dolphin research centre in Queensland, Australia.

When Quinn gets the opportunity to visit Daniella and Charlie, she’s excited, particularly because she’s also very interested in the reef and its biodiversity. When Quinn arrives, however, she finds she is 1 of 4 interns who’ll be taking a course in the ecology of Dolphin Bay. Quinn is also disappointed to find that Daniella has a new best friend, Jennifer (Allegra Teo). Daniella, Quinn, Jennifer and Teddy (Jayden McGinlay) are the 4 interns.

Quinn feels rejected by Daniella and forms a friendship with Teddy, the son of a British diplomat. Teddy runs a YouTube channel called Ted Head. Teddy confides in Quinn that he isn’t really there to learn about the reef but instead is looking for long-lost family treasure. His ancestor’s ship sank off the coast of Dolphin Bay many years ago, and Teddy wants to be the one to find the treasure.

Themes

Ghosts; supernatural

Violence

The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay has little violence, but it includes the following:

  • A man locks Quinn and Teddy in the bottom of a boat.
  • Daniella pushes a character into the ocean.

Sexual references

The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay has some sexual references. For example, there’s some mild flirtation between Daniella, Jennifer and some boys they arrange to meet.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no use of substances in The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay.

Coarse language

The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay has some mild coarse language, including ‘bloody’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay is an adventure mystery movie, mainly aimed at older children and pre-teens. It has stunning cinematography showing the pristine, clear waters of South East Queensland, both above and under the water. The main actors are teenagers, which is the age group most likely to enjoy this movie.

This is a family movie. Although there’s little violence, there are a few scary scenes. It isn’t recommended for children under 8, and we recommend parental guidance for children aged 8-10 years.

The main messages from The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay are to face up to your fears and to see things from other perspectives.

Values in The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay that you could reinforce with your children include adventure, kindness and forgiveness.

The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like staying safe online and never arranging to meet people you don’t know. For example, it isn’t clear whether Daniella and Jennifer know some boys before they arrange to meet them.

Supported By

Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

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