Day 73 - The Cove

The Cove (2009) directed by Louie Psihoyos

Last year I went to the Bahamas and partook in a dolphin encounter at the resort. I got a chance to see them up close and personal, learn about them, touch them, play with them a little and take a $15 photo at the end. It was a fascinating experience just like the at least half a dozen dolphin shows I've seen at aquariums in my lifetime.

However, it is easy to overlook the fact that dolphins are wild animals, they are not our pets, they are not meant to live in tanks or enclosed spaces. Their natural intelligence and friendly nature make it easy for us to assume they have no problems living side by side with humans and often for our amusement. But like animals trained for the circus, there is a deeper and darker truth behind it all, the sad exploitation and cruelty placed upon these animals. The Cove is a documentary that exposes the shocking truth behind the dolphin industry in the small coastal town of Taiji, Japan. Here, tens of thousands of dolphins are rounded up and trapped in a secret cove. The good looking ones are picked to go to aquariums around the world, often netting fishermen as much as $150,000 per dolphin. And the rest? Unmercifully slaughtered. The film goes on to explain that over 23,000 dolphins are killed in this cove every single year for their meat, which isn't even that desirable or nutritious. Much of the dolphin meat is heavily tainted by mercury, but is often looked over. In fact, the meat is often purposely mislabeled and passed off as whale meat. The Cove goes on to examine Japan's efforts to keep this under the wraps and the filmmakers' attempt to expose it in a cat and mouse game that feels more like a heist movie than a documentary at times. There is even a scene when they gather a team together, comparing it to Ocean's Eleven.

The film follows the exploits of Ric O'Barry, the man who is largely responsible for the human fascination with dolphins. He was the trainer for the popular show Flipper during the 1960's that brought dolphins into every living room in America. Soon after, dozens of aquariums across the world desired dolphins creating a market for their exploitation. It was only after a dolphin literally died in O'Barry's arms did he realize what he has done and he has spent the better part of the past 40 years as an activist, attempting to free the dolphins. When he found out about the secret cove in Taiji, it became his life mission. You can sense the feelings of anguish and regret and his desperate desire to set things right when he speaks. Director Louie Psihoyos agrees to help him expose this truth in one of the best informative and moving documentaries I've seen. They gather a team together to try to infiltrate the security of the cove, going on missions to set up cameras and listening devices until they finally get the footage they need to show the world.

The footage in the end is absolutely devastating and inhumanely cruel. The waters are literally crimson red from all the blood of the dolphins. It is a sad reminder of just how much impact humans have had on the planet and our need to fullfil our ever growing appetite. Humans have virtually wiped out entire whale populations that they have resorted to hunting the next best thing, dolphins, despite the fact that nobody even seems to want to eat them. Despite the sad nature of the documentary there are also several wonderful moments and insights. Among them are the scenes with deep sea diver Mandy-Rae Cruickshank where she swims with the dolphins. It is a reminder of just how majestic and wonderful these creatures are and exactly why we must stop what goes on in Taiji, Japan.

Grade: A-