Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature's extraordinary nature, the species' cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea-park industry. The film, it should be said, does not blame Tilikum for his actions. It posits instead that, like a disenfranchised youth driven to a life of crime, Tilikum is a product of his upbringing.
This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals.
For anyone that doesn't know a lot about what goes on in animal 'paradises', this is a good documentary to learn a thing or two. We always get to see the perfect side of these parks but never the things that go on behind the scenes. This documentary shines a light on the troubling situation in Seaworld and the effects it has on its animals.
It's a good, well thought out documentary, congratulations to everyone involved in the making. They did good research and really highlighted the intention and the meaning of the film. However I do think we need to focus on keeping animals away from cages instead of just documenting them. There are a lot of animals dying and facing extinction because of humans, underwater life being one of them.
Personally, I feel that we as humans have the responsibility to be the better species. If we wouldn't be caging animals, this documentary wouldn't even have to be made. Yeah, it's fun to go look at animals while they're behind glass walls but it's not where they belong. Everyone belongs in their natural habitat, we as humans wouldn't appreciate it either if we were put in a cage. We go to an animal park with our family, we look at the animals, we enjoy ourselves but we don't think enough about how the animal must feel. So I ask you, after reading the two last sentences of this review, think about how you would feel. Being locked up in a cage for your whole life, with nowhere to go. What would you do?
To conclude, Blackfish is a good documentary, definitely worth watching but let's focus on keeping animals in their natural habitat where they belong.
This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals.
For anyone that doesn't know a lot about what goes on in animal 'paradises', this is a good documentary to learn a thing or two. We always get to see the perfect side of these parks but never the things that go on behind the scenes. This documentary shines a light on the troubling situation in Seaworld and the effects it has on its animals.
It's a good, well thought out documentary, congratulations to everyone involved in the making. They did good research and really highlighted the intention and the meaning of the film. However I do think we need to focus on keeping animals away from cages instead of just documenting them. There are a lot of animals dying and facing extinction because of humans, underwater life being one of them.
Personally, I feel that we as humans have the responsibility to be the better species. If we wouldn't be caging animals, this documentary wouldn't even have to be made. Yeah, it's fun to go look at animals while they're behind glass walls but it's not where they belong. Everyone belongs in their natural habitat, we as humans wouldn't appreciate it either if we were put in a cage. We go to an animal park with our family, we look at the animals, we enjoy ourselves but we don't think enough about how the animal must feel. So I ask you, after reading the two last sentences of this review, think about how you would feel. Being locked up in a cage for your whole life, with nowhere to go. What would you do?
To conclude, Blackfish is a good documentary, definitely worth watching but let's focus on keeping animals in their natural habitat where they belong.