My Octopus Teacher: A Must-See Movie
Did you know 8 October was World Octopus Day? I would be surprised if you tell me you knew. I mean, who knew there is such a day? This week I discovered why we celebrate Octopus Day. Apparently, octopuses are among “the most distinctive creatures on the planet today [and they are] worthy of appreciation for a number of reasons. First, they are one of the earth’s great survivors. Indeed, despite their relatively short lifespan, octopus fossils date back more than 300 million years, meaning that they pre-date even dinosaurs. They are also highly intelligent, with around 500 million neurons located in their brains and arms, allowing them to bypass their instincts, learn lessons, and solve problems.” (daysoftheyear.com) If that weren’t awesome enough, how about this, octopuses are also visually stunning, come in various colours and shapes – and they are the chameleons of the sea. Not only can these clever creatures change colour in the blink of an eye, but they can also modify their skin texture to mimic rocks, sand, coral heads, or other landscape elements by altering the papillae on their skin to blend in with their environment.
You may wonder how I came to know about World Octopus Day. Last week a friend in South Africa alerted me to the new Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher which triggered fond memories I have of a fascinating visit Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto a couple of years ago. In that gigantic aquarium I was enveloped by 5.7 million litres of marine and freshwater, seemingly sharing the habitat of some of the most exotic critters from across the world. I remember gawking, in awe and wonder, as I meandered through exhibit after exhibit teeming with innumerable exquisite sea and freshwater jewels. I was particularly intrigued by the octopus, the real life relative of Hank, the octopus, in the movie Finding Dory. I learned that day that these startlingly strange boneless creatures have three hearts and a good mind, making them some of the smartest invertebrates. Though they have no spine, they are far from spineless.
If you watched the movie Finding Dory you may remember Hank, though not your typical octopus since he only has seven arms. Hank, the shapeshifting, curmudgeonly, camouflaging octopus with his strange antics. Well, let me tell you something, as much fun as Hank may have been, you haven’t seen anything yet until you see the incredible octopus in My Octopus Teacher. I know I might be biased about this documentary since it was filmed by the South African diver and filmmaker Craig Foster who lives west of Cape Town, at the most southern tip of Africa, where I lived for many years.
In a nutshell, Wikipedia has this to say about My Octopus Teacher, released last month. “… Foster began in 2010 to free-dive in a cold underwater kelp-forest at the tip of South Africa. He started to film his experiences, and, in time, a curious young octopus captured his attention. By visiting her den and tracking her movements every day for months, he won the animal’s trust. In the film, Foster describes the impact on his life of his relationship with the octopus.” This is the mere bare bone description of this incredibly moving documentary I watched earlier this week. It has been said, My Octopus Teacher is easily one of the most beautiful films on Netflix right now.” (decider.com) Be that as it may, I found it to be a most beautiful, deeply moving story about the unlikely relationship and bond between a human and a creature from the wild. One of the comments I came across online says this about Foster’s amazing relationship with the octopus , “No nature documentary you've ever seen will quite prepare you for My Octopus Teacher, a heart-gripping tale of a friendship (one might even call it a romance) between a human and a mollusk.”
““Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths...”
Psalm 148:7
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I cannot recommend this documentary highly enough. Watching it will leave a deep impression on your mind and heart, will leave you in awe about the incredible interconnectedness between humans and all creatures.
-Sister Magdalena Vogt, cps