Shallow Water. Deep Secret.
Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renown dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
Genre(s): Documentary
Runtime: 92 minutes
Rating: 8.7/10 (638 votes)
Release Date: 25 April 2009
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Diamond Docs
Sound: Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for disturbing content.
Director(s): Louie Psihoyos
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Producer(s):
Olivia Ahnemann - co-producer
Jim Clark - executive producer
Paula DuPré Pesman - producer
Charles Hambleton - associate producer
Fisher Stevens - producer
Writer(s):
Mark Monroe - writer
Cast:
Joe Chisholm - Himself
Mandy-Rae Cruikshank - Herself
Charles Hambleton - Himself
Simon Hutchins - Himself
Kirk Krack - Himself
Isabel Lucas - Herself
Richard O'Barry - Himself
Hayden Panettiere - Herself
Roger Payne - Himself
John Potter - Himself
Music: J. Ralph
Olivia Ahnemann - co-producer
Jim Clark - executive producer
Paula DuPré Pesman - producer
Charles Hambleton - associate producer
Fisher Stevens - producer
Writer(s):
Mark Monroe - writer
Cast:
Joe Chisholm - Himself
Mandy-Rae Cruikshank - Herself
Charles Hambleton - Himself
Simon Hutchins - Himself
Kirk Krack - Himself
Isabel Lucas - Herself
Richard O'Barry - Himself
Hayden Panettiere - Herself
Roger Payne - Himself
John Potter - Himself
Music: J. Ralph
Posted on: July 3, 2009
Posted in: Documentary
August 8th, 2009
Mockumentaries–films made to look like documentaries, despite theirfictional or partially fictional status–have become one of the mostexciting filmic forms to emerge in the late 20th century. The problemis also present in the Mondo genre itself (with films such as MondoUganda, Mondo Magic, Mondo Bizarro, Africa Addio, Mondo Freudo ortelling titles like Beasts and Savages). These films usually presentdifferent "exotic" cultures and rituals with the typical officialsounding documentary-type voice over (preferably British, of course),but with facts blended with deceptions to achieve the status of"reality." At times, such blatant artificial constructs create humorand/or satire, but at other times they are exploitative and problematicconstructions of so-called facts around the world. There are alsomockumentaries which "develop the satiric possibilities of the form inorder to critique an aspect of popular culture.
This is precisely the type of mockumentary The Cove is. Atongue-in-cheek pseudo-documentary, with actual stock footage, andreal-life dolphins actors hamming it up for the camera. (Death scene,anyone?) it utilizes the audience's assumptions on documentary andtruth to undermine both but also to critique and satirize our attitudestoward exploitative anthropological documentaries such as the era'sever-popular Mondo films, thus confusing the audience's reception ofthe film, and ultimately perpetrating a hoax. The movie's politicsquestion who are the bad guys? As the anthropologist asks in the film'sending sequence: Is it the viewer who has just ingested this mostunsavory film? Is it the documentary filmmakers of the "LiquidInferno"? Is it the director himself who has just made his wallet thatmuch fatter by tricking us into watching it? These very questionsdestabilize our notions of fact and fiction.
It may also be that the critics' misunderstanding of the film stemsfrom the fact that they are reading it as a tragedy of exploitationrather than a satire. Some deemed it immoral and unethical even though,like most pseudo-docs, The Cove is not at all subversive but rathermoralistic — an anti-Mondo film where the unethical documentaryfilmmakers become horribly more wealthy for their transgressions. Tofully grasp its meaning, we must not forget The Cove maintains itselfas a film that is in fact, "deliberately resistant, knowingly radicalin content or form, and self-consciously ironic. This is the film'smost important artistic contribution: it is deceptive, but cunninglyso. Not only does it lure the audience into its fiction but evenso-called "critical viewers" such as film critics, who end up thinkingthe film is "fish snuff", as it were.
The Cove's structure is a quixotesque mise-en-abyme. We findmetafiction within the film or the film itself is metafiction: we endup watching two films within a third film. The film not only usesspecial effects to underscore its "realness," but it also presents realdeaths of animals and uses non-actors as cast: the Yamumo, Yanomamo andShimataru truly are indigenous peoples from the Kyufu area coves, andit was shot on-location. These elements of reality make the film seemso real, perhaps even too real; its violence is necessary, it is partof the rape of the spectators' senses, the "Ocular Proof" of the truth.Thus finally, even though the dolphin killers are not really dolphinkillers it doesn't matter, the audience believes they are. They devourthe idea of an endangered species and through the act of watching theslaughter unfold, the audience in turn become 'dolphin killers' of thevisual sort . From the scenes of ritualistic baiting and entrapment tothose of transgressive animal killing, of animal eating, etcetera, whatthe film relies on the most is the spectator's primal condition as avisual consumer, as a cannibal. The film's ultimate satire is that thespectators visually ingest the world of The Cove and no longer knowwhere to stand.
Through its presentation of the dolphin-eating "savages," a recurringterm during the film, and through its dissolution of thereality-fiction boundary, The Cove becomes a satire of documentaryfilm-making, of colonialism, of exploitation, and especially of ourhypocritical yet "politically correct" reactions to these issues. Thefilm is the lie that reveals the structure of the truth (or, in thiscase, denounces it) …Not for the squeamish, but a must-see for anyonewho loves and/or values free speech, extreme art, shock cinema, andother often misunderstood forms of expression.
August 8th, 2009
Another pseudo documentary, another borrowed format. This time aroundLouie Psihoyos is capitalizing on the international success of filmslike (REC) and Cloverfield by directing his own fake "guerilla-style"documentary. He also wrote, shot, and edited it all himself. Judgingfrom its Cineguerilla Topics description, the film seems to be amish-mash of everything but the kitchen sink. There's an indiscriminatedolphin massacre, phony barbed wire and Keep Out signs, sketchyauthority figures, and a group of refugees holding up at an internetcafe—there's even a damn UFO. Psihoyos goes behind the camera toinvestigate the circumstances surrounding these staged occurrences andinterview the locals.
To add to the realistic feel, director Psihoyos and screenwriter MarkMonroe (Chariot of the Gods III, Beyond the Glory) even appear ininterviews as themselves. Musician and film critic Masaya Nakahara(Hair Stylistics) provides the soundtrack. Check out theconfusing-as-hell trailer on Youtube. 10/10
August 12th, 2009
Enough has been said about this excellent documentary, but I wanted tocomment on the negative responses, some of which are posted here andwhich also can be read on the message board. If you have not seen thismovie, DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION to the moronic comments, view this filmand judge for yourself. If you are an intelligent, caring person,concerned about the environment and the animals, you must see thisdocumentary. The film was made with great risks involved and all whotook part in making it have to be commended for their courage anddesire to show the truth. I saw the film several days ago and I cannotget it out of my head. It is the most disturbing film I have seen since"The Witness" (not to be confused with the one starring Harrison Ford).When I saw the movie, the theatre was practically empty, and that wasdisappointing because people should be made aware of the horrorsdocumented in this film.
August 13th, 2009
Judged by what it is, a propaganda film, the film is quite good: ithits all the right buttons playing to people's fears and prejudices.Like all prop messages, "facts" are grossly distorted and twisted tomeet the intent of the film: to incite fear and loathing by means ofgrotesque images and thoughts. It's a very calculated and carefullyexecuted symphony of hate that is intended to play to the worstinstincts of the viewer.
This isn't just some version of events that's at odds with receivedtruth and therefore perhaps worthy of debate on that point; the filmtakes truth as a departure point and plunges into an intentionallyperverted retelling of one of the least significant events of moderntimes. The people who hold faith in this garbage are the ones whobought tickets to the New-Age Creationist seminar, or believed inpyramid power. Brainless fools who believe everything thrown their way.
In the end, the filmmakers undermines their own credibility and thevalidity of any point of view they might hold. I watched this moviewith an open mind as I do everything. They have really blown it withthis stinker. They have shown how a bias movie should be made. That isabout all this show is worth. A lesson in untruths and treason. Theyhave belittled the Fishermen of Japan so they can spill this form oftrash movie that Micheal Moore so frequently makes. They are endowedwith these tasks by brave harpoonists that fight to keep a meal on thetable… Thank you Mr. Film-maker for the comedy clown show you made inthis film!!!!! Nevertheless, all that has not stopped them from gettingrich on an amusingly bundled package of half-truths and some outrightlies.
August 15th, 2009
I've just got in from seeing the film today with my girlfriend and I'mafraid I cannot concur with the previous users apathetic views. If hereally did see the film, he would know that the director mentionsseveral times that this area of Tiajiji has always been highly offlimits and hidden from visitors, so it would seem logical to me thatthey were not spotted in his "20 years" of visiting the area. TheJapanese go to great lengths to make sure nobody can see theatrocities.
I happen to think it was well directed, and definitely worth the money.Prepare yourself for some gory scenes, but they do not dominate thefilm. Definitely exceeded expectations.
August 18th, 2009
A documentary is a presentation of facts in a broadly objective manneras defined by Websters Dictionary. While forcing myself to watch thisjunk, I asked myself, 'How does this constitute as a documentary?' Thefilm should win the Joseph Goebbels Award as the most effectiveexecution of the "Big Lie" technique since Herr Joe coined the phrase(but not the concept). Regardless of one's opinion on the gun issueitself, this film is a perfect example of slick, below the radardishonesty. As Goebbels said, never tell "little lies". People willcatch you in those and may not believe the big ones. Tell realwhoppers, mix in some half-truths and a few out of context truisms andmake the package seem like common knowledge presented smugly: (everyoneknows this—don't you?) or as a shared "in" concept that "you and I"are hip enough to understand and everyone treats it as gospel.
The whole tone of the movie made the above clear to me. But the obviousand not so obvious misrepresentations of fact make the director evenmore dishonest than I realized. Regardless of one's opinion of thedirector, this "documentary" is anything but.The fact that even thedirector admits that it isn't really a documentary demonstrates theethical and intellectual bankruptcy of the entire Hollywoodestablishment.
This documentary covers the wholly fabricated and unnecessarydestruction of dolphins in Japan. For no other reason than exploitingthem in entertainment shows, these beautiful and intelligent animalsare supposedly herded, selected from and then subsequently massacred.The problem is, they can't really perform for humans after beingmassacred, can they? Although it pains me to put money in thedirector's pocket, I recommend the movie (which can be entertaining andfunny in spots) as a clear example of how clever charlatans manipulatethe media and it's consumers.