Review of CNN Films' Blackfish

Usually this blog is reserved for straight fiction but for this particular post, I'm straying into the world of documentaries, with the recent premiere of CNN Films' Blackfish. Though non-fiction by definition, all documentaries are still prime examples of storytelling controlled by the filmmakers. The story of any documentary is shaped by the perspective of the filmmaker, the film's focus, the footage chosen to be included or omitted, the interviewees included or omitted, the amount of time given to any particular attitude about the subject, and many other factors. As I learned in school, while watching and analyzing any documentary (really media in general, but to a lesser extent), it is important to keep all these things in mind. The same can be applied to my review of Blackfish --  I can certainly comment on all the facts as they were presented, but cannot tell you what content might have been left out and what could have potentially changed the light in which Sea World is shown.

I had no idea about this documentary until my friend Katie told me about the trailer, which I immediately checked out and have included below.



This trailer really captured my interest, as it was compelling and hinted towards the major deceptions provided by Sea World in order to maintain good publicity. I therefore recorded the television premiere this past week and finished watching it just this morning.

The first half of the film focused on the background of the specific killer whale, Tilikum, and the capturing techniques practiced by sea parks to get the animals from the wild and into their new habitats. Testimony from those that participated in the capture of baby whales were filled with remorse and regret. They explained the way family groups of whales were enclosed in nets, which allowed the small ones to be picked out. This footage was particularly distressing, especially when combined with the interviews in which experts explain that killer whales in the wild live their entire lives within their families. It also shows the adult whales attempting to stay with their offspring instead of taking the freedom offered to them.

One part that really distressed me to the point of tearing up came a little later in the film, though still within the first hour. The interviewees -- mostly former Sea World trainers, discussed  an instance in which a young baby Orca was transferred to a different sea park, away from its mother. The mother, according to reports, then became far more docile, floating almost lifelessly in one place in the pool for long periods of time and emitting a keening wail. It was a very powerful emotional representation utilizing audience sympathies for a mother separated from her child.

The first part of the film also mentioned previous instances of violence and aggression shown by Tilikum at previous sea parks, including an incident that lead to the fatality of trainer Keltie Byrne. This, among other occurrences, did not receive much attention and were mainly publicized as accidents/trainer errors rather than attacks.

While much of the first half of the film showed the plight of the killer whales and allowed viewers to sympathize with Sea World's treatment of them, the second half takes a fairly dramatic turn. It highlights the attacks with actual footage of different incidents, and I personally found it terrifying. The raw power the animals have, and the way it can be used against trainers, sort of makes a person's stomach drop. One incident involved an Orca grabbing a trainer by the foot and pulling him under water and holding him there for a minute or so. After he recovers, the trainer manages to stay calm and attempts to pacify the whale with patting, only to be pulled under for a second time. Once again, he is eventually released and is able to surface. He then begins swimming quickly towards the platform area, followed by the whale and just barely getting out of the animal's reach to safety. Watching this footage, it seems clear that this incident very easily could have turned into another fatality added to the list. More footage also showed a killer whale charging and battering a trainer around and preventing them from reaching the platform. Yet another reel of footage shows an Orca falling from a leap and crushing a trainer beneath it -- though this one did appear to be more of an accident than an act of aggression, it was still very hard to watch. All of this footage is used to highlight the fact that most trainers not involved were not told or made aware of these incidents or, if they had, had been told it was trainer error.

The film greatly implies that the fatal attack of Dawn Brancheau committed by Tilikum in 2010 could have been prevented if Sea World had kept the killer whale from performing with people on the basis that he had been involved in two previous fatal attacks and shown generally aggressive behavior.

As a whole, Blackfish was a very compelling and convincing documentary. It could very easily change one's opinion about Sea World, similar water parks, and animal captivity as a whole. Even for the most skeptical, it is at least likely to give some reservations about these subjects. While I had never been particularly interested in Sea World in the first place, I now have a fairly anti-Sea World opinion and am substantially less likely to ever willingly visit. I highly recommend this film. While the perspective and subsequent conclusion is debatable, the quality of this film is not -- it is compelling, thrilling, and emotionally captivating.