In a small bay on the Japanese coast near the fishing port of Tajii there is an annual mass slaughter of wild dolphins. Some eco-activists set out to capture the event on film to bring it to the world’s attention. This is the subject matter of The Cove, an eco-documentary. Not high on your agenda of must-see films Think again. This is an Oscar winning critically acclaimed film, neither sanctimonious nor self-righteous, in fact at times its intensely dramatic.
The documentary brings together a team of marine biologists, world class divers and activists, including former Flipper trainer Ric O’Barry. It tracks their progress as they plan and execute their underwater infiltration of the high security zone which surrounds the cove where the covert cull takes place the film plays out like Mission Impossible. There’s talk as well as action as we hear the opinions of the Japanese fishing and whaling industry spokespeople, activists, Ric O’Barry’s back story and just how the dolphin flesh, high in mercury levels, is used. The cull is bloody and is shown at the end of the film.
Psihoys (The Singing Planet 2012), a former still photographer and National Geographic contributor, has created a stunning documentary with a clear agenda. It can be criticised for being a little thin on information at times, lacking statistics on dolphin populations and credible opposing views, but it packs enormous emotional punch and is a beautifully crafted documentary that oozes verve. Its impact in Japan is telling, with right-wing activists attempting to stop the films distribution on grounds of cultural attack by foreigners. They managed to delay the release but the film was later shown in cinemas nationwide.
Positively Shakespearean. Trevor Johnston, Time Out. A documentary that is not only very important, it is dramatic, engaging, surprising, sometimes funny and almost like a spy thriller. It is incredibly cinematic a really fine piece of work. Mark Kermode, BBC Radio 5.
The Cove engages the heart and the mind it dares you to find out more and formulate your own opinions. Caleb Starrenburg, The Lumiere Reader.
