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Documentary 85 min
Rotten Tomatoes93%Metacritic82IMDb
After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.
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Contemplative, intimate, character-led and meticulous.
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I reckon this could be my favourite natural history feature, as despite a slight element of sentimentality, it's really quite fascinating. It all follows the relationship between accomplished diver and photographer Craig Foster and an octopus. He is swimming when he encounters this young creature hiding in it's den. Approaching it, gingerly, he is surprised when it reaches out a tentacle (he calls them arms) and begins to stroke his hand. He can feel the pressure from it's individually controlled suckers but senses there is no danger here, as she appears to sense from him, too. What now follows sees him return, daily, to visit his new friend as she grows, hunts, gets hunted, and ultimately breeds over the better part of the next year. There is a scene where she has an altercation with a shark - from which she does not emerge unscathed, that I found contrasted emotionally quite powerfully with the scenes of her own hunting a poor crab, or lobster. Isn't it odd how we so often take sides when we watch eat or be eaten scenarios play out? We want the octopus to survive unscathed against the shark, but have no qualms about her gobbling up a lobster going about it's own business on the b
Read the whole review on TMDBa profoundly moving, visually stunning documentary that elevates a simple premise into a transformative emotional experience. It follows South African filmmaker Craig Foster as he returns daily to a cold-water kelp forest near Cape Town, slowly forming an intimate, almost meditative bond with a wild octopus he encounters there. The film’s greatest strength is how it intertwines awe-inspiring natural observation with a deeply personal story of burnout and healing. Foster’s encounters with the octopus become a quiet school of life: through watching her ingenuity, vulnerability and resilience, he rediscovers curiosity, patience and a sense of belonging in the natural world. The creature herself is filmed with astonishing sensitivity, revealing camouflage, hunting strategies and play that feel more like finely choreographed character work than conventional wildlife footage. Cinematically, the documentary is exceptional. The underwater photography turns the kelp forest into a dreamlike cathedral of light and motion, while the editing builds a gentle, narrative rhythm that makes one small cove feel as epic as any global travelogue. What lingers most, though, is the emotional clarity: by
Read the whole review on TMDBNot just a documentary (9 January 2021) Why I watched it? Because I love octopuses and the sea. Why I gave it a 10? Because it was something more than just a documentary. It was a personal experience. It got evident from the start. Great captures and the personal storytelling of Foster along with accurate and calming music did it: I immediately relaxed and put myself in his shoes. The rest was history. Amazing information conveyed along with great scenes and meanings. I liked the format. Most documentaries focusing on animals calm me, but this format was just something else. It was closer to the experience of reading a book for me, and that's something I have never felt before for a movie/series.
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Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Taste Buds. Other media included when they land close.
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