THE COVE
CAROLINE: I had a chance to catch the new documentary, “The Cove,” which has been getting rave reviews left and right. It’s even been called a virtual thriller, rather than a documentary.
RYAN: Well, can you tell it’s a documentary from the way it’s shot?
CAROLINE: Oh, totally. I think they just mean it has major tension the way a thriller does and a doc usually does not. I definitely felt it. It’s a really interesting movie, though I wouldn’t say you have to run out and see it. It’s only out in limited release and it’s kind of a niche movie.
RYAN: So what’s it about?
CAROLINE: It’s a pretty cool topic, actually. The guy who trained the dolphins who played “Flipper” back in the ’60s, Ric O’Barry, is now vehemently against keeping dolphins or whales in captivity. He’s a major activist and has been arrested many times for his beliefs. And he believes the root of all the trouble is this cove in Japan where dolphin trapping and killing goes on, so he wants to shut it down. It’s pretty compelling stuff.
RYAN: Ugh, dolphin killing. Sounds awful.
CAROLINE: Yeah, there are some pretty gruesome scenes of dolphin slaughter that I’d rather not have seen. But what they’re able to accomplish with this movie is pretty amazing. Photography or videotaping is prohibited at the cove, but they assembled an amazing team of camera people and free divers and guys from Industrial Light & Magic to get secret footage. A lot of the movie is about them trying to get the cameras in place, hence the tension. The footage they want up getting is unreal, and now they’re wanted by the Japanese government.
RYAN: It sounds really intense.
CAROLINE: It is. And Hayden Panettiere is in it for about five seconds. Remember that footage of her from a couple of years ago where she’s trying to save dolphins?
RYAN: Oh yeah!
CAROLINE: Well, that was at the cove. When that footage first came out, I was like, “What the hell is she doing?” Now it all makes sense.
RYAN: So does the movie ever lag and feel too educational, or is it entertaining?
CAROLINE: Well, it’s only 90 minutes, so that’s good. There’s one part where Ric O’Barry gets into a lot of detail about which countries’ governments aren’t helping his cause that got a little tedious. He’s very political. But other than that, it was pretty fascinating and informative. It’s definitely a movie with a message though. If that bugs you, you won’t like it. And the ending is shocking and hard to watch.
RYAN: I don’t even wanna know.
CAROLINE: The overall message is about protecting marine life and that dolphins may even be smarter than us so we shouldn’t be exploiting them.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: It’s an interesting movie but it’s definitely not for everyone. If you’re squeamish about seeing animals harmed, you won’t enjoy this. But I’m glad I saw it; I learned a lot.
— RATING —
