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The Cove
Directed by: Louie Psihoyos Starring: Richard O'Barry Genre: Documentary Run Time: 92 min. Release Date: August 2009 On The Web: Official Site Teaser: Movie Trailer Reviewed by Byron Merritt |
About 3/4 of the way through THE COVE, I nearly turned it off. Not because it was a bad film, but because it was almost too painful to keep watching. I grew up, like many my age, watching the hit TV show, FLIPPER. It was a great adventure going along with Bud, Sandy, their dad and, of course, Flipper the dolphin. I used to pretend to swim with him (Flipper) and thought it would be the coolest thing to be able to feed and play with a dolphin. So it was doubly troubling to see Ric O’Barry (the man who helped capture and train Flipper) as the centerpiece for this film. After watching the original Flipper die in captivity, Ric learned a hard lesson: that creatures with this kind of intelligence should never be kept in captivity, nor should they be harmed. Fast forward to today, and we find Ric in Taijii, Japan near a small cove where, every September, the unthinkable happens. A mass slaughter of hundreds or even thousands of dolphins turns the water (literally) red. The local government and fisherman don’t want anyone to see this event, nor even get too close to the cove. Ric and his friends, who simply try to film here, are harassed, pushed away (physically) or arrested on "pending" charges. So, in order to get the footage they need, Ric and friends hire specialized cameras and camera operators to hide digital recorders around the cove (including an underwater microphone) so that this atrocity can be witnessed. They go in like a Navy Seal team, with night-vision and under the cover of darkness. It is an act of incredibly risk because it has become all too apparent that the locals will do anything (including act violently) to protect their secret slaughter. When the recordings come back, and we get to see them, it is ....how to even put it into justifiable words ...it’s so painful to watch that I actually got choked up. There’s no music playing; nothing to add to the pulling of your heartstrings. The repeated stabbing of the dolphins is ...beyond cruel. They literally bleed to death. But if it weren’t tough enough watching that, we get to see the response of the other dolphins while they await their turn. A baby dolphin, probably no more than two feet long, tries to jump out of the water in order to save itself, only to fall back into the red sea and be slashed across the throat. It is this brutal act that will stun most viewers and will undoubtedly spur some into action against Japan’s ocean policies. Not surprising, Japan has been battling to keep it’s commercial whaling and fisheries open. And in these tough economic times, it has even found friends in the IWC (International Whaling Commission). The great thing about the film is that it isn’t anti-fishing. It simply asks that this type of senseless slaughter stop. No one eats dolphin (knowingly), and most shouldn’t because of the high levels of mercury present in the meat (even sushi-grade tuna has high levels). So why does this slaughter happen? The real answer is individuality and not wanting to be told what to do by outsiders. A few of the dolphins are singled out for "saving." They’ll become trained dolphins at Seaworld and the like. But the rest become additive fish meat wrapped in plastic in the fresh fish section. The only downside to the film is that it doesn’t address what would happen to the small city of Taijii if the dolphin slaughter were stopped. Would the city survive? What would happen to the fisherman who’s livelihood relies on this? If those who really want to affect change are interested in procuring that change, they should make a plan that involves the Taijii fisherman and their future livelihoods if the dolphin slaughter were halted. That would be a great way to succeed in stopping this annual "event." Still, this story was amazingly told and was so tough to watch, that it will linger with me for a very long time.
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Image from The Cove
DVD cost: $21.44 Purchase: Tower.com Film Review Stew Favorite? Yes. Stew Poo-Poo? No. Newsworthy: thecovemovie.com Movie Quote: "If you didn't know what was going on over here, you'd think this was a town that loved dolphins and whales."
Other Actors/Actresses from The Cove
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Images from The Cove
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