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★★★½☆
24 July 2013
This article is a review of BLACKFISH. |
“I was blind. I was a kid. I didn’t know what I was doing,” former trainer
BLACKFISH is a documentary focused on portraying the abuse of orca whales held in captivity to perform in shows, such as SeaWorld. For anyone who bothers to consider the lives of these creatures, the film still offers up some surprises, in particular the extent of how far mistreatment goes. Its vitriol is infectious, and the aim it seems is to rile and encourage seething at the plight of the whales.
The catalyst for proceedings is the death in 2010 of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, killed by Tilikum, a 12,000-pound whale. Most of the talking heads offering their opinions are former trainers, highlighting their lack of training and the misinformation provided by the employers. They express a certain guilt at the assumption of their charges’ contentment, but are not pushed by the filmmakers as to why they never bothered to study outside of hours to learn for themselves, or what they’ve done since to redeem themselves. We are shown how baby orcas are captured, separated from a knowing herd, which is both highly cognitive and emotive. The sequences are harrowing. Sympathy throughout is with them, these intelligent creatures kept in cramped, inhumane conditions. As a clip suggests, “If you were in a bath tub for 25 years, don’t you think you would get irritated, psychotic?”
BLACKFISH is a documentary focused on portraying the abuse of orca whales held in captivity to perform in shows, such as SeaWorld. For anyone who bothers to consider the lives of these creatures, the film still offers up some surprises, in particular the extent of how far mistreatment goes. Its vitriol is infectious, and the aim it seems is to rile and encourage seething at the plight of the whales.
The catalyst for proceedings is the death in 2010 of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, killed by Tilikum, a 12,000-pound whale. Most of the talking heads offering their opinions are former trainers, highlighting their lack of training and the misinformation provided by the employers. They express a certain guilt at the assumption of their charges’ contentment, but are not pushed by the filmmakers as to why they never bothered to study outside of hours to learn for themselves, or what they’ve done since to redeem themselves. We are shown how baby orcas are captured, separated from a knowing herd, which is both highly cognitive and emotive. The sequences are harrowing. Sympathy throughout is with them, these intelligent creatures kept in cramped, inhumane conditions. As a clip suggests, “If you were in a bath tub for 25 years, don’t you think you would get irritated, psychotic?”
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The corporate juggernaut is met head on, the filmmakers unafraid to show compassion/moral lapses, but SeaWorld we are told declined to comment. However, BLACKFISH trips up for being not comprehensive or detailed enough. It is certainly not an essay in the Alex Gibney mould. We jump around dates and locations as if having a conversation, rather than dissecting forensically. Where are the facts and figures? How many sea-park companies exist? How many whales and dolphins are in captivity? What is the accumulated death toll? And more importantly, the net of culpability is not thrown wider. Who are regulating these industries around the world? Government and legal responsibility are not looked at. What about the public, the consumers of these entertainments? Why didn’t the filmmakers interview customers before and after shows? There are no statistics for visitors, or returning numbers. BLACKFISH doesn’t tackle media quietness. Who are the journalists and outlets that have looked into this exploitation? It surely would have been interesting to hear from Green Peace and the WWF. All of this is what makes BLACKFISH closer to the work of Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME, THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD), polemics aimed at the lowest common denominator. A shame here, as there was much to delve into.
Worth watching as a reminder of how such an unsavoury industry is still flourishing, but only an appetiser to wider discourse.
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