Blackfish (2013)

“Those are not your whales. Ya know, you love them, and you think, I’m the one that touches them, feeds them, keeps them alive, gives them the care that they need. They’re NOT your whales. They own them!” – John Hargrove  Former SeaWorld Trainer

Number of Times Seen – 1 (13 Sep 2013)

Brief Synopsis – Documentary on what were the probable causes of an accident in 2010 at SeaWorld that caused the death of Whale trainer Dawn Brancheau.

My Take on it –  I am not much of a fan of Documentaries, but have on occasion seen a few that have really hit me on an emotional level and made me care about what the documentarian was trying to say.

This is one of those films.

I have been to SeaWorld and have seen the Shamu show, but never did I give a thought to the possible psychological effects on the animals.  I am by all mean NOT an advocate for PETA or any of those kind of groups, but I can definitely see both sides of the story here.

What amazed me the most in this movie is the systematic pattern of attacks in SeaWorld parks and the fact that only now after a 3rd fatality by the same Killer Whale are people starting to see the danger.

I still have very fond memories of being at SeaWorld and seeing the shows, but I think that precautions do need to be taken if this really has happened so many times over the years.

It’s unfortunate that this issue only resurfaced due to Dawn’s death and not after all of the other “minor” incidents over the last 40 years.

Bottom Line – Very powerful and moving movie. Highly recommended!

Rating – Oscar Worthy