Review: Blackfish

The long awaited documentary Blackfish, that is written and directed by Orca whales, is about their fight to put an end to the array of offensive names given to them.  Mainly the names Blackfish and Killer Whale.  For years, Orcas have asked to be called African-American fish, or literally anything other than Killer Whale.  Blackfish explores the topic thoroughly with exclusive interviews with whales about the history of these nicknames, and why they have remained offensive throughout the years.  The whale from Free Willy calls this film the only documentary produced by actual whales, and I have to say that I agree.

In All Seriousness:

Directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

This documentary is actually about the several injuries and deaths of Sea World whale trainers caused by the whales they are training, and the possible reasons for them.  There are essentially two schools of thought as to why these injuries (and deaths) keep happening.  Sea World argues that they are all due to trainer error, and the former trainers and organizations that the crew interviews say that the conditions in which the whales are living in causes them to become upset and lash out at the trainers.

With access to people who have trained whales at Sea World, eye witness accounts of the accidents, and footage of some of the whale attacks, Blackfish is able to show a great amount of detail of these accidents.  This film is one of the most important films released this year.  It sheds some light on the subject, and it allows someone who was in the dark about these events before watching this film (me), get a good idea about what is going on behind the scenes at Sea World.

The use of archival footage and skillful editing creates some great intense sequences and emotional.  It's hard not to get choked up while watching family members of the deceased trainers talk about what happened.  Additionally, you can't help but get a little nervous every time a trainer is in the water with a whale, even if you know it's not a clip of one of the accidents.

Blackfish is a gripping, crucial documentary about an important topic, and deserves to be viewed by as many people as possible.

Rating: 8/10

~Ryan Moncrief