Blackfish

I remember really wanting to see this documentary when I first heard about it. Probably just because I think they chose a great title for it. Also, I just fucking love documentaries. They're usually just under 90 minutes and pretty engaging. This one was no exception. It follows the captive life of Tilikum, a 12,000 pound Orca Whale all leading up to the day that he killed one of his trainers at Sea World. This doc certainly had an agenda, which was basically that keeping these whales in captivity is very, very wrong. And that the longer we keep whales in captivity, the more trainers will die. I think it's a pretty easy story to tell with which most will agree, and this story was told pretty well, but it was so incredibly biased that it took away from the message. The story is told through interviewing 5 trainers who used to work at Sea World. However, after doing some quick research, it looks like only 3 of the 5 had any interaction with Tilikum and only 1 actually worked with him in shows. Also, none of these trainers are apologetic in the least, but instead make excuses as to why they share no guilt in keeping these whales in captivity. It's all about the big bad Sea World. I get the sense that all these trainers have a profound sense of guilt, but they all made the decision to paint Sea World in such a negative light that they can clear their consciences for good. Anyway, none of them seem that credible. But whatever, like I said, this was a pretty easy story to tell that is very interesting. If you like documentaries, check this one out.

Two random observations:

None of the 5 trainers interviewed call these whales Orca Whales. All of them call 'em Killer Whales. Is "Killer Whale" acceptable again?

Tilikum was a male who Sea World kept despite his violent nature because his sperm was so valuable. They "milked" him every day. His name could be interpreted as "'til I cum."