Black Fish (2013)

Howard Garrett: "To this day, there is no record of an orca doing any harm to a human in the wild."

By Gabriela Cowperthwaite
With Tilikum

I have always found the orcas, also known as the killer whale, to be one of the most gracious and fascinating animals but it is also one that induces the most respect by its sheer strength and size. I am intrigued by such documentaries and the cover is really beautiful.

Black Fish follows the life of killer whale Tilikum who claimed the lives of three humans so far and keeps entertaining people in an amusement park. Rather than seeking the mistakes that the trainers could have made, the documentary tries to analyze the life and conditions of captivity that were combined in order to create a whale that could kill out of frustration.

This documentary combines some rare but beautiful images of orcas in the wild with recordings at amusement parks as well as interviews with people involved in either the capture, the study or the training of orcas. The documentary is quite clear on its take on captivity and by all accounts it really seem that humans created a ticking bomb by putting a young male in a small tank along with females who would bully him constantly.

Through various techniques of deprivation of food, light and freedom we learn about the whale being attacked by its peers and then taking its frustration out on the trainer. The worst part is however to come and what I think is really seen as the worse element of all is the fact that for reasons of pure business and advertisement the whale was sold but the accidents were covered up and the new trainers would never know the full extent of the whale's past.

Scientific facts and other attacks were constantly hidden from the personal working with the whales. While the story finally ended up in front of a court of law, the publicity stunt and denial appears to continue. The story is exposed in a pretty grim way with flabbergasting facts piling up on top of each other when it really is clear that it is all a money issue.

Some parts are not quite clear and for example the relation with the park in Spain where another whale killed a trainer wasn't really clear. The fact that they imply that because Tilikum is a male breeder then they take the risk of creating killer babies whales might be far stretched as one should not necessarily blame the children for the mistakes of their parents. In the end we feel a little disgusted by human behavior in this state where entertainment and money rule over the well being of animals and the safety of their trainers.

I liked: Great topic. Pretty clear and straightforward. Exposes its ideas and follows through.

I disliked: I would have enjoyed more information on the orcas in the wild. The owners of the whales refusing to defend themselves gives us a one sided version, but this can't be blamed on the documentary makers but on the owners.

74/100
It's a great documentary for anyone interested in animals care and entertainment, although it is quite depressing to see the sheer sadness of captivity.