La Sagesse de la pieuvre

"A lot of people say an octopus is like an alien. But the strange thing is, as you get closer to them, you realize that we're very similar in a lot of ways." Craig Foster, Founder of Sea Change Project

A lot of people come to an undersea doc caring mainly for the spectacular cinemaphotography. Not so much here because the Netflix original, My Octopus Teacher, is all about the relationship between an invertebrate and a man--the photography helps rather than dominates.

Herman Melville could have learned a thing or two from narrator and diver Craig Foster, whose gentle delivery draws you in the way his octopus love does. Melville could have minimized most of his delivery, whereas Foster and co-writer James Reed gently tell us about this lovely miniature wonder and her world in the simplest, most lyrical way.

She soothes us with her daily routine (Foster spends almost a year observing her without scuba tank (a year is the lifespan of the Octopus). She coyly draws him in like a lover. If you have your Octopus knowledge only from Jules Verne, you be astonished how small she is and loving-at one point, Foster caresses her, revealing how small she is, and vulnerable. Yet, she trusts him as well she should. See this masterpiece just to witness him lovingly holding her.

Foster adheres to the Star-Trek non-intervention mandate and watches how his beloved aqua woman is pursued by a hungry shark. Drama ensues with a slow-burning suspense most horror films would love to have.

You are likely to experience the mental cleansing the narrator did as he lost his depression, connected with his son, and found his place in the natural world, and thus the human world, while he became more intimate with her and her small world:

"What she taught me was to feel... that you're part of this place, not a visitor. That's a huge difference." Foster

This is the second documentary I have watched on the Octopus, but this one is more personal. We don't get to know the context except that human protagonist has gone through a period of crisis and goes back to one of his childhood occupations--underwater exploration. He doesn't set out to study the octopus, but is surprised by one in particular and in over a period of several days earns its trust. He learns something everyday right up to the end (and beyond). My title comes from the protagonist, Craig Foster who originally saw himself as visitor, but came to realize we all are part of nature. Beautiful and I mean beautiful cinematography and moodily appropriate music.

A truly touching story of two species connecting on a level that is unknown to most. Animals are the greatest teachers out there, and what a blessing it is to connect with such an extraordinary creature. This just goes to show no matter how unlikely the connection, love can exist in any form.

There's not much to say about this documentary type movie. It show cases an animal that's one of the most intelligent creatures we know and interacting with it, in its own environment. I was pretty shocked by how much personality the octopus showed, and intelligence. It gives you such a large level of empathy and love for a creature that's so alien looking compared to a regular pet (a dog or a cat).

Definitely needed this in 2020. Would recommend this for anyone that enjoys the sea, or really, anyone.

Decades ago, as a child, I read a book about a guy who befriends an octopus, becoming aware of its intelligence and curiosity and then having to live through the drama of his friend dying. My Octopus Teacher is basically the same thing, only it's a documentary. Octopi are marvelous creatures, both in their weird biology and their incredible intelligence. Numerous anecdotes have them use tools, enjoy beauty and create artistic work, be able to personally connect to the people they encounter. That is amazing from a completely non social creature that can rarely live more than a year. In terms of intelligence, no animal or man comes close in that small time span.

But these are just facts. The documentary is a personal account from a guy who by chance became fascinated with such a creature and spent a year diving underwater without a wetsuit or an oxygen tank and studying it, earning its trust and caring about it. You can see, in his narration, how difficult it was to just keep the distance necessary to observe the life of the octopus and not become part of it. There are scenes when the creature jumps on his hand and then explores his chest, cradling to it and accepting warmth and petting. It is that personal approach to the documentary which makes is so powerful.

Bottom line: this is the story of the life of one specimen of Octopus Vulgaris, as narrated and video documented by the film maker. The images are very beautiful and the account personal and lacking the fillers or pointless flourishings of common documentaries. The viewer is drawn into the life of this amazing creature. It's a good film.