2013 Movie
Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite · United States of America · English, Spanish
A revelatory documentary on the treatment of Orcas that is gripping like a thriller.
Orcas killing people? Saving whales? There was indeed a time when these issues were frontpage news and that might be the reason why this sounds like a 90s cliché to you. You might agree that this issue should be staunchly dealt with once you’ve watched Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s 2013 documentary. Orcas still being held captive by marine parks like SeaWorld to perform stunts and to parade around swimming pools to entertain ticket-buying families. Blackfish is the story of one of them in particular: a bull Orca named Tilikum, who has killed several people as a result of their immoral imprisonment. Similar incidents tend to be covered up by the parks’ operators and management. They are, however, attributable to the fact that the animals are quiet simply driven mad by the unnatural conditions they are subjected to. They are not born as killers, they are turned into them. First-hand accounts by former whale trainers and experts deliver fascinating truths about Tilikum and the species as whole, elaborating on their remarkable intelligence and social behaviors. For those unaware of this, this passionate documentary makes for a chilling watch.
Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
"Important, informative, imperfect."
— Ashley Clark
"This is one of those docs during which audiences gasp and cry out - or just cry - at regular intervals."
— David Edelstein
Sundance
1 nom
Jamie Rutherford is a contributing writer at A Good Movie to Watch, with film reviews spanning a wide range of genres and eras. Their work on the site has covered titles from Behind the Candelabra to Last Days in Vietnam to Love is Strange.
Excellent. Riveting. I spent three of my teenage years on San Juan Island. After a while, you feel like you know the orca personally. My mom died in 1995. I’m glad she can’t see what’s happening to them now.
A must see documentary that tells an important story. You’ll never go to an aqua show after learning about the lives of these amazing creatures.
Great documentary but there are some flaws because SeaWorld didn’t collect an orca in the wild for 35 years, stop separating calves from their mothers, and the orca Tilikum killed three people probably because he didn’t recover from his trauma at Sealand of the Pacific when he was at SeaWorld.