Saturday, August 3, 2013

Blackfish

The new documentary, Blackfish, is an indictment. A condemnation against SeaWorld and organizations like it to know better. An accusation of cruelty, greed, and cowardice. The film is, in no uncertain terms, a depiction of hell on Earth. Hell for innocent creatures who have no choice; inarguably wise mammals who live in fear and die too young because of it.

The thing is, Blackfish isn’t an agenda film. Not really. It doesn’t tell us, the audience, or them, the perpetrators, what to do. There are no pleas for how to “fix this.” No title card telling us what organization to follow as a means of support. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite has been upfront about the fact that she isn’t an activist, but rather an observer. And that’s what Blackfish asks us to do: observe. Which works as much in its favor as it does to its determent.

In Blackfish, Cowperthwaite assembles several interviews from insiders who, essentially, discuss the cruel practices of SeaWorld. Cowperthwaite talks to former SeaWorld trainers, oceanographers, whale experts, neuroscientists, eye witnesses, and so on. A few common threads are shared instantly among all the interviewees: orca whales are smart and not meant for captivity, and SeaWorld deserves harsh criticism for exploiting the animals’ intelligence, and forcing imprisonment on them.
We hear stories. Stories of how orcas are captured from vast oceans. Stories of food deprivation as a method of teaching orcas new tricks. Stories of SeaWorld trainers being hurt and killed by the whales. Stories of cover-ups, lies and deceit. Make no mistake, although Cowperthwaite claims to have attempted to make a impartial film (she insists several inquiries for SeaWorld interviews were denied), Blackfish is anything but. The film is a scathing indictment of an industry worth millions. And that’s fine. A documentary doesn’t have to be fair to be great. But if it is so staunchly going to choose a side, then I need more.

I need to know Cowperthwaite’s intentions, and what she wants me to do with them. Watching Blackfish, I was sad, angry, and never hopeful. And perhaps that’s the point. Cowperthwaite paints a nasty picture, and perhaps the picture is meant to speak for itself. Still, I wished for more direction. Blackfish feels like I spent 90 minutes searching YouTube videos of how much SeaWorld sucks. And when I was done, I sat there and asked myself, “Okay… so, what now?”
And here’s where I get personal. Here’s where I break the rules and ignore film criticism for a moment. I am an ardent animal rights activist. I choose not to discuss it often in open forums, because many people are offended by my beliefs. I live my life the way I choose to live it, and would never dare tell someone how to live theirs, eating and vacation habits included. Truth be told, I walked into Blackfish as a biased viewer. When I sat down in the theater, I literally told myself, “Okay, forget everything. Have an open mind.” And I did. I didn’t start the film with hatred toward SeaWorld (and believe me, I fucking hate SeaWorld). I didn’t let the film reinforce my beliefs, but rather sat and judged the film as critically as I would any other.

The result was a feeling of confusion. I have no idea what Blackfish hopes to accomplish or achieve. As a film lover, I hoped the film would entice me emotionally. It did. But not fully. Those expecting a movie as accomplished and confident as The Cove would be better off rewatching that 2009 Oscar winner. Perhaps my personal and critical standards for Blackfish were too high going in. Or perhaps the film simply could’ve offered more. More what? Hell, I’m no teacher. But more, certainly. B- 

16 comments:

  1. I recently heard about this one and it did sound quite intriguing. I appreciate you leaving your personal biases out of the review (shows just how great a writer you are - can't wait to hear that script of yours on the big screen!) because while I don't share your disdain for sea world, it's interesting to hear how you "interacted" with this film.

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words. The movie certainly has an intriguing premise, but it never fully hits. It gets close, but doesn't push hard enough.

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  2. The trailer honestly turned me off from this. It was so melodramatic and histrionic, took this whole "WE'RE TURNING ORCAS INTO PSYCHO-KILLERS OH NOOO" approach. Agenda documentaries on the whole bother me as well. Is the film tonally similar to the trailer?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OEjYquyjcg

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    1. I hadn't seen the trailer until right now. No, it is not nearly as melodramatic as that. In fact, its lack of melodrama is one of its downfalls. It honestly doesn't push hard enough. While that trailer pushes WAY too hard.

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  3. I've been hearing about this film for months. You have me intrigued but also wary about the fact that the film doesn't go deep enough since it leaves you wanting more questions and such. I've never been to Seaworld and probably never will. Besides, I ain't fucking around with orcas. Ever seen that movie Orca? A film in which you root for the orca.

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    1. Ha! That Orca movie rocks, and actually makes a cameo in Blackfish. I'm glad I saw Blackfish, but I can't fully recommend it. Good but not great.

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  4. I'm not sure I can stomach this film, but I'm definitely interested. I've never had the balls to watch The Cove either, but my typically passive brother said it made his want to murder someone. So...I'm likely going to dodge that one for awhile longer.

    If the story is as bleak as you say...how could it end, in your opinion? Is there really another side to this or angle to take? Just curious...but if this movie is like you describe...I'm wondering what else could have been done.

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    1. The Cove rocked me to the fucking core. It is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, on a critical and personal level. Just... wow.

      When you say, "how could it end" do you mean the movie, or SeaWorld capturing and exploiting orcas? As for the movie, like I said, I'm not a teacher, so I wouldn't want to say "Oh it should've definitely ended like THIS!" but I suppose it could've made its point clearer, because I have no idea what its point is.

      As for ending SeaWorld in general. I guess you'd have to convince thousands of people to stop contributing to their organization every year. Which I doubt will ever happen.

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    2. I meant more of the former. Again, I haven't seen it, but I just imagine the whole situation is so f--ked, so seemingly hopeless I can't visualize a proper ending. I should probably just shut the f--k up til I see it. Well, if.

      As for SeaWorld? F--k that place.

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    3. Yeah, that's a good point. It's such a clusterfuck of a situation, I cannot imagine how to wrap it up. F SeaWord, indeed.

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  5. I will never understand the allure of these parks, zoos and circuses. Even if the animals are treated nicely, it is sick! And it just baffles me how so many people can't see that. Why do we even need to see wild animals in cages or performing stupid tricks?? When I feel like watching animals I turn on Nat Geo Wild, or read a magazine.

    Anyway, as much as I love animals and nature, I feel like these docs are often melodramatic and misleading, so I tend to hate them. Like Earthlings, I found it utterly annoying and frustrating, although I am not acquainted with slaughterhouses in America -- I only know that ours are nothing like the ones on the doc.

    But I digress, my point is: I'm not going to watch this, but I understand what you mean because I've felt the same about similar documentaries. And great review, Alex.

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    1. Thanks Sofia. Seems like we fully agree on parks and zoos. I've never liked or appreciated them, and will never support them. (sigh). Pisses me off.

      I can also understand why you don't like these kinds of movies. You make a fair point that they can be misleading. I think it's safe to skip this one.

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  6. If the film offers nothing but criticism of the industry, I probably won't see it, as I'm also against places like SeaWorld. They're an illusion, and nothing more. It's a shame so many people still go to them.

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    1. Definitely a shame people go to them. Sadly, Blackfish doesn't do nearly as much as I hoped it would in persuading people to stay away.

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  7. I'm really looking forward to this one. Especially as someone that thought SeaWorld was the most amazing place I had ever visited as a kid, to being horrified at the size of the tanks they keep these Orcas in. Personally, I want a little more info on Keltie Byrnes. There's really nothing out there, and that surprises me. You would think that would be a HUGE deal. Especially after what happened to Dawn Brancheau.

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    1. The Byrne story is definitely an interesting part of the movie. I hadn't heard much about her either. I've always been weary about SeaWorld, even as a kid. They've never sat right with me.

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