2020 / 85m - South Africa
Documentary
3.5*/5.0*
My Octopus Teacher poster

Watches

September 09, 2020

3.5*/5.0*

I've always had a fascination for marine life. As noted in the beginning of this documentary, the creatures that live underwater are weirder than the maddest sci-fi or horror ever made up. Safe to say this doc about the friendship between a diver and an octopus was something that immediately appealed to me.

Octopuses have been gaining broader popularity since a couple of years now. Their intelligence is often highlighted, and they're simply incredible creatures to watch. The way they move about, change their colors and (learn to) catch their prey is just amazing. It's no surprise then to see a smart and inquisitive creature like that make friends with a human.

This documentary was slightly too poetic and manipulative to be truly blown away by it. It would've been nice to have had a more scientific voice weigh in, but the shots are absolutely amazing and to see this creature bond with another person is quite powerful. I'm just not entirely sure how accurate Foster's story really was.