"She had ignited my curiosity in a way that I had not experienced before." - Craig Foster
Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed My Octopus Teacher is a documentary that beautifully gives a peek into the life of a female octopus.
Quick Synopsis: Amidst South Africa's Kelp Forest, this documentary explores an unusual bond between filmmaker Craig Foster and his Cephalopod friend.
When I read the title of this documentary, I was quite sure in my head that this would be yet another film that'll give the audience some generic insight into the life of an octopus. But I was completely and utterly wrong. it turned out to be a visually pleasing documentary that will definitely make you fall in love with these beautiful sea creatures (if you aren't already).
It all starts with filmmaker Craig Foster, who started diving in the Great African Seaforest. He mentions whenever he was going through a rough time (at work), he would find solace in the ocean. There he begins to understand the sea forest ecosystem, and that's when he meets his teacher, a female cephalopod. This Octopus Vulgaris caught Foster's eye which lead to a whole year of observing her on daily basis. One would think Craig 'observes' her for scientific reasons but it was his pure curiosity and fascination.
Pippa and James beautifully capture the stages of an octopus. All the emotions that one could not possibly see in these creatures, they were able to get that along with Craig's tender narration of his relationship. Many critics thought that Craig has given it an angle to that of a 'love story', but to me, it was his pure admiration for his teacher, just like how we grow to love our pets, it's exactly what happened with Foster.
From having the ability to hide beneath seashells to being able to camouflage themselves, Pippa and James serve the audience with a visual feast. Craig throughout the documentary knows that his relationship with his mentor will end (as Octopus Vulgaris tend to live up to 1-2 years only), but like the 'mad lover', he can't stop thinking about her whether he is on land or in the ocean and gains all the knowledge he could about his teacher who taught him a lot of lessons and pushed him out of his grim phase of life. His story was destined for tragedy but he didn't lose hope and kept on visiting her.
The whole documentary is not your traditional nature film, but it's a beautiful relationship that also not only gives Craig a lesson but the audience as well. A particular instance can be, when the octopus sees a school of fish passing by and Craig's instinct told him that she's ready to hunt these fishes, but then he notices something different. Instead of hunting them, she began to play with them, you could see her playfully swimming around with them and trying to catch them, but then quickly getting distracted (just like all us humans do) and latching on to Foster. It appeared as if she was hugging him, the whole moment was majestic to watch (can't imagine how it would've been in real life).
At last, the whole documentary is Craig's attempt at finding his peace amidst the chaos of the world that we live in, and just like we all have that one person with whom we forget all our problems, Foster found that with nature, finding that connection in nature.
This relationship is worth the academy award that it received (2021). My Octopus teacher is bound to make you smile through your tears and appreciate nature and the creatures that live within way more than you ever did.
Let me know your thoughts! Thank you so much for sparing a few minutes into reading my reviews. I appreciate you and support you. Have a great weekend ahead, Tomodachis!
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