|
Blackfish
| Released |
26 July 2013 |
| Director |
Gabriella Cowperwaite |
Writer(s)
|
Gabriella Cowperwaite, Eli B. Despres |
| Producer(s) |
Manuel Oteyza |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
82 minutes |
| Genre |
Documentary, drama |
| Rating |
TBC |
| Website |
blackfishmovie.com |
|
|
Sea change.
"I believe the common denominator of the universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility and murder", so said Werner Herzog in reference to the unabashed ignorance of his Grizzly Man subject Timothy Treadwell, who would end up killed and partially eaten by one of the bears he had wanted to protect. Gabriella Cowperwaite clearly agrees with Herzog’s wax philosophical - her film Blackfish at once a gut-wrenching exposé of the horrific conditions endured by captive orca whales, many of whom are driven to psychosis in their considerably shortened lifespan.
Played out like a serial-killer thriller, the film hones in on one particular “blackfish” (the name given to killer whales by Native Americans), Tilikum, who was involved in the deaths of three people in circumstances ranging from murky to suspicious to downright tragic while being trained at numerous marine-parks. We first meet Tilly (as he is affectionately known by trainers) as a calf in Iceland in the 1980s before he is captured from his mother’s side and sold for upwards of a million dollars to SeaLand, British Columbia. Awe-inspiring footage of the orca’s swimming gracefully alongside each other, communicating with those in their own individual pod immediately reveals that these are fiercely intelligent and cultured animals – a fact which is painfully strengthened by the cries of Tilicum’s mother as he is hauled aboard the hunting ship. From here, the film changes tack to a series of talking-head testimonials from former SeaWorld employees, neuroscientists and behavioural experts in order to establish the link between Tilicum’s captivity and his increasingly violent behaviour.
While one ex-trainer remains staunchly committed to defending the parks, the remainder of them talk candidly about their past roles and the regrets and guilt they now live with, and with SeaWorld representatives (perhaps wisely) refusing comment, the film can seem a little unbalanced. What emerges is a searing indictment of the entire killer-whale-as-entertainment industry but of particular interest are the lengths to which these multibillion dollar corporations go to preserve the belief that orcas are docile and harmless animals – because that belief helps sell stuffed animals. Going to extreme measures in court to ensure each act of animal violence is deemed an “accident” or “trainer mistake”, these companies place all the blame on their young and often naive trainers, who through hard work and perseverance forge a deep connection with these leviathans.
Killer is in the name, not in the nature; Cowperwaite’s slight but brave film may be somewhat slanted in its view, but it’s worth seeking out if only as an eye opener to the extent of human ignorance.
- Cathal Prendergast |
