The Cove is an interesting examination on the culture and killing of small cetaceans (dolphins in particular) in Taiji, Japan.
What makes this harder to accept than most ocean farming is that dolphins are incredibly intelligent aquatic life. In fact the U.S. military is reported to have been using dolphins in sonar experiments for years. Along with Sea World and other "captive" examples of dolphins for human entertainment it's considered a cruel act that actually fuels the economy of Taiji, Japan.
The film builds up the grisly mystery of this remote fishing village and the people behind the farming of dolphins. It does a good job laying out the mission of the film crew and all the players involved on both sides of the issue. It does lean quite heavily on the last 1/3 of the movie which didn't have as much impact to me as I thought the "thermal imaging" of the opening sequence had--which was creepy as hell.
What can't be denied here is the powerful messages.
Killing dolphins doesn't do anyone any good even culturally speaking. The levels of mercury in dolphins are astronomically high and dangerous for human consumption. Yet it's slipped into the food system in Japan without regulation or even correct labeling. At its very basic it's a public health issue that is not being addressed and may have larger consequences on a culture than not farming dolphin.
Even if you can't get behind the cruelty of dolphin farming, you'd certainly be able to understand the larger consequences at hand. The film does a great job of laying it all out. It's beautifully shot and edited. The extras are great, especially the short doc on mercury in fish and in vaccines...do not miss this any part of this doc.
What makes this harder to accept than most ocean farming is that dolphins are incredibly intelligent aquatic life. In fact the U.S. military is reported to have been using dolphins in sonar experiments for years. Along with Sea World and other "captive" examples of dolphins for human entertainment it's considered a cruel act that actually fuels the economy of Taiji, Japan.
The film builds up the grisly mystery of this remote fishing village and the people behind the farming of dolphins. It does a good job laying out the mission of the film crew and all the players involved on both sides of the issue. It does lean quite heavily on the last 1/3 of the movie which didn't have as much impact to me as I thought the "thermal imaging" of the opening sequence had--which was creepy as hell.
What can't be denied here is the powerful messages.
Killing dolphins doesn't do anyone any good even culturally speaking. The levels of mercury in dolphins are astronomically high and dangerous for human consumption. Yet it's slipped into the food system in Japan without regulation or even correct labeling. At its very basic it's a public health issue that is not being addressed and may have larger consequences on a culture than not farming dolphin.
Even if you can't get behind the cruelty of dolphin farming, you'd certainly be able to understand the larger consequences at hand. The film does a great job of laying it all out. It's beautifully shot and edited. The extras are great, especially the short doc on mercury in fish and in vaccines...do not miss this any part of this doc.