My Octopus Teacher

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source: My Octopus Teacher

It was beautifully filmed but angering. You altered her world by being there. The way she hunted, showed herself, made her more vulnerable. Yet you sat by when she was hurt because of you, not helping. How can you say you were touched by a relationship of trust when you failed her everytime she needed you. You took advantage of her trust and didn't return it. You failed her.

Star Treks prime directive comes to mind 'Dont interfere with anything... unless it makes for a good story'. Cry me a crocodile tear river! My Octopus Teacher really bugged me. I thought the filmmakers motivations were totally insincere and selfish. He goes into the octos territory, constantly. Stalks it after he forces it to move habitat, then plays with it, completely interfering with it and the organisms around it that it relies on to survive... but then says 'I can't interfere' when a shark attacks it or whatever. Seems like he was just doing whatever possible make a dramatic story at any cost. Not only that but he projects all of of his own issues on the octo, spend all his time anthropomorphizing it when he know little about them, and begins the film by talking about how his son needs his father then escapes into the ocean everyday! Netflix seems to be changing the definition of what a 'documentary' is and a lot of what they produce is exploitative, tabloidesque and (in the case of rubbish like Gwyneth Paltrows awful Goop series) dangerous. It looked nice tho, 3 stars for that. I would have been satisfied just watching the kelp forest washing about. Thankfully there are still filmmakers like David Attenborough out there.

So the diver/story teller builds this wonderful and deep relationship with an octopus, only to watch her being dismembered by a shark (not the variety you are imagining) that he could have easily fend off. Tragic and disturbing. To the filmmaker (WARNING! Harsh words) You are not a journalist covering a war conflict and reporting from the sidelines, you are a human being who built this wonderful relationship with a beautiful creature that followed you around, relaxed herself on your torso (and your heart if you noticed) and clamped on to your arm all the way to the surface, who stared at you with love and trust, who shared her beautiful home with you, and you watched her lose her arm to a shark, and being chewed. How is that possible? And how could you overlay this footage with emotional music when you just stood there motionless and emotionless filming her being dismembered? The fact that her arm fully regrew is a testament to HER resilience, despite YOUR ignorance and indifference to that tragic event. If it takes a tragic event for you to learn compassion (I'm assuming this is how you came up with the title "My Octopus Teacher"), then please stick to your family and leave the compassionate world be, until you learn compassion, and you can learn compassion by watching films about people care for animals. I have never had an animal or pet in my home, but I know to be compassionate towards them. Please stay out of the water, you don't belong in the ocean covering these wonderful animals. Just let them be. The world doesn't need to teach compassion by sacrificing. FYI octupuses/octopi are highly intelligent and smarter than dogs.

This documentary literally saved me from the depths of depression and despair living under one of the most draconian lockdowns in the world in Victoria, Australia. It demonstrates how precious life is, in every shape and form. I dare anyone to indulge in calamari after viewing this heart wrenching relationship between this beautiful female octopus and this equally beautiful and compassionate, south African man. The cinematography is visually stunning, and his remarkable ability to capture the soul of this mesmerising octopus is truly amazing. If eyes are the window to the soul, then this octopus with her huge, expressive eyes will convince you. Her fight for survival, every single day of her short life, will give you strength, her relationship with the man will renew your faith in humanity, especially in this dark time. He entered her world, with such love and respect, unlike most humans who go to steal from, and destroy the oceans. The kelp forests took me away to a world l wanted to retreat to, a mystical world so different to the life we live on dry land. When she gives her life to reproduce, l challenge you not to shed a tear. Life changing for me, thankyou, beautiful south African man, l really needed this documentary right now

Wow. More than I was expecting. Had a tear in my eye by the end. Wow.

Beautiful visuals make this worth watching, but the creepy guy's narration and back story are just painful. 85 minutes of self-indulgent rambling and nonsense made me want to hang myself! I could have learned as much by watching on silent and playing the radio in the background.

This is the second documentary I have watched on the Octopus, but this one is more personal. We don't get to know the context except that human protagonist has gone through a period of crisis and goes back to one of his childhood occupations--underwater exploration. He doesn't set out to study the octopus, but is surprised by one in particular and in over a period of several days earns its trust. He learns something everyday right up to the end (and beyond). My title comes from the protagonist, Craig Foster who originally saw himself as visitor, but came to realize we all are part of nature. Beautiful and I mean beautiful cinematography and moodily appropriate music.