Blackfish

An absolutely heartbreaking documentary, Blackfish details the mistreatment of killer whales, particularly an orca named Tilikum, at SeaWorld’s Florida location. It’s an inherently engrossing subject that’s employed to captivating (and eye-opening) effect by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, as the filmmaker offers up an unflinching behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of SeaWorld and its ilk – with the inclusion of historical context, detailing the initial capture of killer whales for entertainment purposes back in the 1970s, effectively rounding out the proceedings and confirming its place as an absolutely essential piece of work. There’s little doubt, too, that Blackfish, though often awfully difficult to sit through, is as mesmerizing a documentary as one can easily recall, as Cowperthwaite heightens the movie’s compulsively watchable atmosphere by offering up a handful of compelling and palpably heartwrenching stretches (eg an orca is forcibly removed from its mother, a trainer’s attack is captured on amateur home video, etc, etc). It is, as a result, impossible to walk out of Blackfish without feeling that something needs to change in the world of water-based amusement parks, which ultimately ensures that the movie will, in the years to come, stand as an important and pivotal example of activist filmmaking.

**** out of ****