Blackfish (2013) opens with symphonic instrumental music, nostalgic videos of SeaWorld performances, and interview clips of retired SeaWorld trainers narrating about the excitement they felt when they first started working at SeaWorld. In combination with each other, these elements all create a sense of awe and inspiration, successfully conveying the majesty of the killer whale, and its grand presence. However, the documentary quickly takes a turn as it begins to focus on the death of revered trainer Dawn Brancheau by a whale named Tillicum, who at six tons and twenty-two and a half feet long is the largest orca held in captivity. The instrumental shifts to a morbid, depressing tone, and audio clips of incident reports are incorporated. Panic and despair are evident in the voices of the bystanders who are unable to do anything but watch as SeaWorld orcas attack the trainers. It is here that the documentary transforms into a chill inducing, thought-provoking revolutionary film. This is not a documentary that relentlessly advocates for the release of all orca whales in captivity. Rather, this is a documentary that questions the morality of man.
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite astoundingly creates this argument of the immorality of man in respect to the captivity of orcas by enlisting former SeaWorld trainers, employees of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, neuroscientists, and marine researchers. What gives Blackfish its credibility is their reflections on their time working with orcas and their knowledge of the killer whales. It is evident how important Dawn Branchueau, late SeaWorld trainer and proclaimed orca guru, and Tillicum, are to these people, and how deeply concerned they are about the future of SeaWorld’s whales and trainers. In accordance, one critic writes that these trainers “became disenchanted with SeaWorld and the treatment of the animals… The documentary’s case is more convincing because the interview subjects didn’t go in as activists. They came around to their positions through first-hand experience with the animals” (Mathews). It is through their first hand experience that the message of the film is successfully conveyed: We as humans need to reevaluate how we treat these sophisticated animals in captivity, and how we ensure the safety of both the trainers and whales. Cowperthwaite’s ability to intricately weave these interviews artfully and insightfully educates the public on the captivity of the orcas and its injustice.
Further raising awareness of this, Cowperthwaite is astoundingly capable on focusing on SeaWorld’s deceit without bashing the international corporation. You see, these sophisticated creatures, with their highly developed understanding of their surroundings and environment have mechanisms that enable them to protect the weakest members of the pod, and navigate for survival. The combination of aerial and marine teams allowed for the capture of young calves such as Tillicum. What ensues is an interview of two women who visited Sealand, Tillicum’s first place of captivity. They discuss the disparity between the attack itself and what was reported in the news. It is at the end of this video that Blackfish becomes an exposé of the deceit of the industry.
Tillicum is the largest orca whale in captivity. He was purchased by SeaWorld for insemination of the female orcas. 54% of the SeaWorld whales have his genes. He is known to have aggressive tendencies. Currently, he spends most of his days in isolation, but does participate in the performances minimally.
Blackfish makes the industry seem to be a bunch of lies. Whales are one of the only animals that survive longer in the wild as opposed to captivity, but do you want to know what the footage of a SeaWorld tour suggests? That whales can last up to twice as long in captivity. In reality, the orcas have about the same life span as a human! The lies continue. Footage shows a guide telling her group that the flopped dorsal fin is found in one fourth of wild orcas; meanwhile less than ten percent of wild orcas have a collapsed dorsal fin, which is prominent in captive orcas. This is only a mere taste of the deception. Perhaps the most gruesome of these lies regard the orca attacks.
There have been over seventy whale-trainer incidents, and only few of these have been reported to the public, but also the SeaWorld community. What makes this argument resonate is the films use of news coverage of these tragedies. The accidents were always due to trainer error. Dawn’s death was allegedly due to her hairstyle… That’s right; SeaWorld officials asserted that Dawn should not have had her hair in a ponytail, because it was an incentive to Tillicum. However, autopsy results reason that he grabbed her arm, drowned her, scalped her, broke her bones, and desecrated her body. And this is the tragedy of perhaps one of the most respected people in her profession. Blackfish effectively conveys SeaWorld’s lie was an insult both to her, and her profession.
Dawn Brancheau, late acclaimed SeaWorld trainer. She was tragically killed in an incident involving Tillicum.
The documentary highlights Dawn as one of the most respected orca trainers because she loved the whales and her connection with them. In the film researcher Howard Garrett says, “These animals are amazingly friendly and understanding, and intuitively want to be your companion” (Blackfish). It seems that as humans we are far from understanding the scope of orcas, but I find it important to note just how complex they are, as a the film highlights so effectively. It accomplishes this through the use of researchers introducing the dynamic culture, language, and structure of orca pods in the wild.
Orcas have exceptionally intricate emotional lives. In captivity artificial pods are induced upon them, fueling agression and depression. The forced living arrangement leads to great mental distress within the animals, physical abuse like rakes and lesions, and even lethal injuries. Cowperwaite effectively incorporates SeaWorld footage of injured whales performing, and mothers who shake and tremble in the corner of the small pool when their calves have been taken from them.
Obviously, these animals are not supposed to be confined to minimal areas or be distressed, in a state of psychosis, aggressively attacking people. In fact in the wild of the great ocean, there is no known case of a killer whale actually killing a human being. Reviewer Jeff Meyers notes, “The most shocking footage — the attacks on the trainers — comes late in the film, long after Cowperthwaite has made clear that when it comes to corporate profits there is no morality, only self-serving rationalizations and public relations.” Cowperthwaite flows from accentuation of deceit, to subtle incorporation of the attacks without making Blackfish to be a gruesome documentary focused solely on tragedy. The melancholic audio in addition to sound bites of an ambulance lurking augments the sorrow one naturally feels for the victims. It creates a sense of anticipation, compelling the viewer’s attention never to stray from the screen.
However, some may find this footage to be wearisome. Critic Ben Sachs writes, “Much of the footage, in fact, is simply recycled… director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s sole stylistic idea—heightening the distorting effects of aged analog video… —has no meaningful connection to the content.” I beg to disagree. The old video footage provides the authenticity Blackfish needs to assert the injustice in the captivity of the orcas. When one visualizes the chronological progression of the attacks, and both the harm done to orcas and trainer alike, one cannot help but feel sorry for both parties. It is accentuated that is not just a concern of the present, but should have been one decades ago. Some may also argue that the film lacks scope and is bias against SeaWorld, but this is purely because SeaWorld decline to be in cooperation with this production. If SeaWorld were to comment and be interviewed for this film, both sides of the dilemma would be introduced and understood.
If it is true that these creatures are more socially and emotionally complex than humans, and that they truly do engage in relationships with people and animals alike, the treatment of these animals in captivity can be held in disgust and contempt. Inhumane would be an understatement. Imagine how it would feel to spend the rest of your life in a chamber unable to move, only being allowed the opportunity to do so when you were placed in pen and coerced by food and discipline to preform in front of an audience. Some may find this prompt to be uncalled for, or even unjustified, especially in the context of the film. However, Blackfish truly does prove to be a thought-provoking film that makes the viewer rethink what he or she thinks about orcas in captivity, but more importantly mans moral judgment. If you are looking for a film that compels you to reconsider your childhood memories of the grand SeaWorld or your values, or you just want to watch a riveting, chill inducing documentary, Blackfish is the one to watch. It’s one you can’t afford to miss.
Blackfish Movie Review 