Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist

Disclaimer: // This movie delves into the era of the original (real) Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, led by Captain Paul Watson. Events in 2023 led to an overturn in the organization, resulting in the expulsion of Mr. Paul Watson and transformation of the organization into a miserable collaborationist entity. //

"Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist" offers a captivating portrayal of the multifaceted challenges faced by eco-warriors. It sheds light on their heroic efforts to combat the animal extraction industry, the pervasive corruption within governments, narrow-minded traditional attitudes, and other forms of cruelty associated with global animal hunting. It is a film that I have revisited multiple times and undoubtedly will watch again.

We live in the midst a planetary mass extinction event, this time driven by human activity. While happening at a mind-blowing rate, it is almost invisible to the most of us. People live in cities, animals die in the wild and sea. Excluding implicit factors, such as urbanization, pollution, and climate change, people literally KILL animals, and sometimes kill just for fun. This movie shows examples of such atrocities and brings attention to the problem.

The crew of the Sea Shepherd operates under incredibly stressful conditions, confronting aggression from those they oppose, navigating legal hurdles, grappling with resource scarcity, and enduring physically demanding labor. Law enforcement often turns a blind eye to the real culprits, instead targeting the low-hanging fruit - the environmental activists. While the crew occasionally resorts to unconventional methods, those prove highly effective, and the team's noble objective justifies their actions.

Despite its television format and modest budget, the movie stands as a testament to exceptional storytelling and directorial prowess. The engaging voiceover narration coupled with authentic footage from the ships provides viewers with an immersive experience. The gripping storyline keeps audiences on the edge of their seats throughout the film's duration. It's a hidden gem that deserves broader recognition, perhaps even finding a place in educational curricula. I highly recommend it, especially to those with a passion for the sea and sailing.

This film is about Sea Shepherd's efforts to stop whaling and other nautical animal abuse around the world, told by the ex-Sea Shepherd member Peter Brown. Unfortunately for the cause, Brown presents this film in a very egotistical way, and there's more of an emphasis on personal reputation enhancement than actually focusing on the problems at hand.

As a vegan and, more or less, a supporter of Sea Shepherd, I believe this film really wasted the opportunity to expose the animal abuse in a serious way to a wider audience. Some of the narration and music really trivialised a very serious issue. All in all, there is good information in the film, if you can break through the sugar and superficiality.

3/10

Sure, the movie is meant for those hippy folk, but whole thing is a out: our way is right, everyone else's is wrong. Example yes, hunting seals for fur is brutal, but lies such as they do this for fun instead of profit is really too much. Than, showing dead seals around is shown as shown in bad way, but they don't mention at all that same dead seals help beats to survive harsh climate on the north. So shallow way of looking at the things..., but than again I am not surprised. They are a terrorists at the end...

Peter Brown has managed to capture the essence of what drives certain people who are committed to working to save what is left of the biodiversity of our planet. The movie depicts activists in their most valiant moments and presents them, warts and all, in a humorous manner. The "eco-destroyers" are also presented in a mostly humorous manner. This documentary differs from all others made about the environmental movement in that it uses humor to inform, educate and entertain. "Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist" is an accurate portrayal of the major campaigns that Sea Shepherd has engaged in over the years and the day to day life of the crew members and activists. Of course the ultimate irony is that the Sea Shepherd activists are not really the eco-terrorists, the people terrorizing the planet are the true eco-terrorists!

Watched this film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and I was surprised in many ways, all positive.

It sheds light in the inner works of the Sea Shepherd during the last three decades in a very informative and funny way. It does this by documenting a visual journey of trips around the globe where men are slaughtering many species just because.

Peter Brown accomplishes this and much more by showing how irrational people are, in a clever and innovative way.

The first of its class in nature documentaries.

Finally, it was awesome to see and meet the filmmaker while he was answering questions from viewers. At first I thought I was the only one who liked the film but at the end everyone was raving about it.