The Cove

Directed by: Louie Psihoyos

Featuring: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Simon Hutchins, Many-Rae Cruickshank, Kirk Krack, David Rastovich, and Scott Baker

At one point in this film, a narrator quotes one of the fishermen in the cove of Taiji, Japan as saying, "If the world knew what goes on here, we'd be shut down." One can only hope. I'm usually wary of propaganda films, even those with a message that's hard to argue, such as opposing the killings of thousands upon thousands of dolphins. Polarizing issues often leads to shutting people out and seems to preach to the audience rather than change the minds of those to whom it's directed (are you listening, Michael Moore?), but I forgive this film because the issue is so critical, and honestly, if I were making this film, I'm not sure I could do it any other way either.

Though this is undoubtably a heavy, hard-hitting documentary, The Cove is also surprisingly entertaining. The story with Richard O'Barry, who caught and trained the dolphins in the classic TV show "Flipper" is real and heart-breaking. This is a man who started out training dolphins for entertainment, and, after watching one of them literally die of depression in his arms, now devotes his life to setting free as many as he can, turning against the very people and organizations he once worked for. This is a story about a small group of people, led by O'Barry, with the courage to take direct action against the slaughter of thousands of dolphins in this one small cove in Japan. The scenes of them breaking into the cove under the cover of night, equipped with night vision goggles and walkie-talkies are exhilarating as we feel just how much is at stake and the importance of what they are fighting for. The footage they acquire is horrifying. The kind of scene you watch and wish you could retreat back into the comforts of fiction. How can this be real footage? How can so few people know about this? And how is it possible that this is still happening?

I don't just recommend this film, I beg you to see it. It hits at the heart of many dark and horrifying issues that we should all be crying out against vehemently.