The IFC Center: Friday, November 15 @ 11:00am"Free Willy". Shamu. SeaWorld. T-shirts. Stuffed animals. Orca whales are one of the most adored animals kept in captivity in America, with millions of visitors from around the world flocking to see the large mammals put on a splashy show. Anyone who's seen one of these shows has witnessed the relationship between whale and trainer, a seemingly joyous bond between friends that love to play together. That illusion was shattered in February of 2010 when a killer whale lived up to his name and his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, ended up dead. This was the third human death that this specific whale, Tilikum, was directly involved in, and when OSHA sued SeaWorld for knowingly putting its trainers in life-threatening situations, the ugly reality behind these animals' captivity was laid bare. "Blackfish", which examines that trial, the history of orca whale captivity, and the death of Ms. Brancheau, plays less like a documentary and more like a captivating thriller.
The lingering effects of Tilikum's horrific attack are still felt today: trainers are required to remain behind a physical barrier when interacting with orca whales, drastically decreasing the appeal of the once-spectacular shows. But for most people, that's a minor change attributable to an isolated incident. "Blackfish" exposes the truth, tracing the roots of orcas' psychological distress as far back as their original brutal captures in the 70s. The events as depicted in the film will disturb and enrage you, and probably break your heart. Over the course of its brisk running time, "Blackfish" becomes as much about the hubris of man as it is about the plight of orcas. It is our own attempts to exploit and control a creature we don't fully understand, as well as our refusal to learn from our own mistakes, that directly led to the tragically avoidable death of Dawn Brancheau.
The documentary consists almost entirely of interviews with former SeaWorld trainers, which enhances the credibility of this astounding tale. These are the people who love orcas the most, who had bonds, however tenuous, with these unpredictable animals. The sadness, regret, and outrage of these people who spent the majority of their lives interacting with Tilikum and other orcas is palpable. They systematically peel back the half-truths and disprove the lies espoused by SeaWorld (example: SeaWorld claims orcas live longer in captivity than in the wild when the exact opposite is true), and you will soon find yourself drawn into a story that could easily pass for a cynical Hollywood drama about corrupt and greedy corporations. It's hard to believe it's true, much less that it's largely gone unreported until now.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLOeH-Oq_1Y[/youtube]
