Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Talent: Kim Ashdown, Ken Balcomb, Samantha Berg, Dave Duffus
Release Date: July 26th 2013
The film opens with the death of a skilled trainer killed by a whale in front of a confused crowd in SeaWorld in 2010. Cut to an ex-mercenary who wrenched baby whales from their mothers to supply the growing fish-show industry in the ‘70s. Blackfish, a documentary that feels more like a thriller, is brutal and haunting, eye-opening and deeply moving. Without tugging too zealously at our heartstrings, Cowperthwaite carefully exposes not only how cruel and absurd it is to keep an animal in captivity for our entertainment, but also how unsurprising it is that the mental trauma suffered by these animals sometimes results in unpredictable, violent behaviour. Former trainers make for compelling subjects as they recall their naïve ignorance and confess their regrets, guilt, and love. Blackfish allows us to marvel at these highly intelligent and emotional beings, revel in the awe that they inspire, while also effectively condemning human exceptionalism and our assumed supremacy over other animals. -SHS
