La Sagesse de la pieuvre

Such an amazing documentary, told from four hearts, about an unlikely connection between a human and an octopus. What's amazing about this movie is that was capable of making me feel good about nature as well as humans. The mere fact that we both want to connect, just shows that there is a stronger connection between us and the animal kingdom than most of us realize. Absolute must watch...

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.

As I sit here in my living room with the 'very unhealthy smoke' outside (from all the rampant PNW fires) I turned on Netflix and saw this Documentary. I thought Hmmm...that looks good. I was immersed from the get go. 23 minutes into it I paused it and had to text all my friends and tell them to watch it. I just put a post on Facebook to please watch this incredible film. It was one the THE very BEST documentaries I have ever watched. I always knew the octopus was smart but this film reminded me how smart. The bond between the octopus and filmmaker were beyond amazing. See this film now. And tell all your friends. There are important messages to take away from this documentary and we need to share those messages. We are part of this earth. Not just visitors. By the way, this is my first ever review. I felt compelled to write one after seeing this movie.

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.