My Octopus Teacher - Movie Review

My Octopus Teacher - Movie Review

Critics Score - 8 of 10

General Audience Score - 7 of 10

This film is one of the most surprising movies I've watched for the 2020 awards season. For the average viewer, they'll scroll on past this title in the Netflix queue time and again and never bother to give this fantastic piece of cinema a try. Don't be one of them.

PROS - My Octopus Teacher is a documentary film about the surprising relationship of a man and creature. It follows the journey of Craig Foster, who’s inspired to get back into nature after his work producing films with African tribes. He begins swimming and snorkeling in a section of the Atlantic Ocean near his home and begins to film and document his findings. The underwater cinematography and video captured and displayed in this film are simply breathtaking. The beauty of the world he explores is a marvel, even if we eventually grow accustomed to the almost alien world he dives into each day. The real story kicks into gear when he chance encounters a female octopus on his explorations. And when I say story, I mean this movie has as much narrative and plot or more than some full length feature films, like say, Nomadland.

As Craig begins to develop an attachment with this octopus, and vice versa, it’s easy to become invested in this unusual friendship. The sound design and music of the film are also incredibly well done and add another layer of depth to this already fantastic cinema. Even if documentary films aren't your thing, there's still so much to enjoy about this movie. It will pull at your heart strings and maybe even make your eyes overflow, even it you know that’s exactly what’s it’s trying to do. It’s among some truly great documentary films out right now, but this one rises up to the top with the best of them. But will everyone’s heart melt for this octopus?

CONS - My Octopus Teacher sounds like the type of movie I didn't want to watch and I kept putting it off as long as I could before the Oscars ceremony. The title of this documentary and even poster gave me the ideas of a snooze fest of a film that I was not excited about in the slightest. The documentary genre in general is one that many audiences will shy away from and it's to their detriment they let these types of cinematic pieces of art escape them. As documentary's typically go, there's some down time where the story will lag, especially in the first half. Even with the short run time and brisk pace, after the initial beauty of the underwater forests wear off, some may tire and get bored of seeing some of the same visuals repeated.

Other than the off-putting nature of the film, it also plays like an Animal Planet or nature film special that just aren't the types of shows some people watch. Another problem for this film is that people do not typically keep octopi as pets. Some will move past viewing this film when they may have given a movie like Hachi A Dog's Tale or Disney's Earth series, African Cats, Bears or Crimson Wing style nature films a try. Unfortunately to look at a creature like an octopus is not quite as eye pleasing as a cute puppy or some of the other animals featured in other films that'll have audiences and kids giggling and smiling with amusement.

SUMMARY - Give My Octopus Teacher a chance. This movie is not for everyone, but it is a beautiful and heartwarming story of a most unusual relationship that many people, including myself, will be taken aback by. This is proof that friendship and companions in life can come from the most unexpected places. I was truly moved in a most unexpected way by this film and look forward to revisiting these two friends. If I’ve learned anything from it, it’s that you too can and should take a lesson from this Octopus Teacher.

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