“My Octopus Teacher” Review
My Octopus Teacher, Netflix’s new documentary, captures an unlikely year-long interaction between man and octopus. Implored by my mom to watch it, I thought I was in for a cheesy movie with cliched lessons learned from an octopus. But My Octopus Teacher is so much more—it’s the perfect combination of scientific discovery and a love story.
Craig Foster, a renowned South-African filmmaker most known for his work in The Great Dance: A Hunter’s Story, spent his childhood in what he called “the force of [the] giant Atlantic Ocean”—the tip of South Africa known as the Cape of Storms. As an adult experiencing depression and a lost sense of purpose, Foster decides to return to his roots.
For an entire year, Foster braves the icy cold Atlantic, and without a wet suit or scuba gear. On his first day diving through the kelp forest, Foster comes across a strange object covered in shells—even the surrounding fish are perplexed. Suddenly, the shells fall and uncover the object of wonderment: an octopus.
Foster becomes fascinated and continues to visit the kelp forest every day in hopes of learning more about the creature.
Throughout the movie, you will learn about the octopus’s remarkable defense mechanisms against her predator, Pyjama Sharks. She is able to camouflage into her surroundings (match her color to surrounding rocks, cover herself with shells, mimic the movement of a leaf drifting across the ocean floor), squeeze herself into the smallest caves, climb out of the water, and even outwit a shark by finding safety on its back.
If this doesn’t highlight the octopus’s intelligence enough, the documentary also showcases her evolving predatory habits, becoming more advanced and efficient as she learns from her mistakes.
As you learn about the octopus through Foster’s curiosity, the octopus as well develops a curiosity towards the man, bonding the two together. When Foster leaves his camera outside of her den hoping for a reaction, she becomes intrigued by the new object and begins touching the lens with her tentacles. As with the camera, the octopus comes to realize that Foster is not a threat and allows him to follow her on her day-to-day outings. Foster describes this established trust as the reason he was able to see scientific discovery unfold in the way it did.
But the defining moment of the movie, the one that turns the scientific documentary into a love story, is when the octopus reaches out her tentacle to touch Foster’s finger. The relationship eventually progresses from hand-holding to hugging when the octopus suddenly swims up and grabs hold of Foster’s chest, a truly moving moment.
My Octopus Teacher is a must-watch movie. It may warm your heart watching an unlikely bond between man and mollusk form, but at the very least, you will learn more about the remarkable intelligence of octopi.
Amelia Chapman is a senior this year at Boulder High and a new member of The Owl. She loves creative writing but hasn’t had much exposure to journalism, which is why she is so excited about joining the paper. By being apart of The Owl, Amelia also hopes to further develop her own writing skills and immerse herself more into the Boulder High community. Whenever she has time, Amelia can be found trail running up steep mountains, watching Spanish telenovelas (Las Chicas del Cable is her favorite), or hiking/napping with her dogs (all of which are rescues and two of which somewhat resemble rodents). Amelia also enjoys spending time with her friends and eating good food and frequently combines the...
Ben • Dec 14, 2020 at 11:44 pm
Having watched “My Octopus Teacher” recently, I had to read this article. Funny enough, my parents nearly forced me to watch it as well. I like how you summed up most of the main events of the movie in one short, concise article. It really gives the reader a good image of all that happens during the film and the overall feel of it. I found it truly spectacular and awe-inspiring that two species so different in appearance and lives could form such a strong bond, even that an animal is capable of such complex thoughts such as love and compassion. Love the piece, keep it up!
Saul Layman • Dec 14, 2020 at 11:29 pm
This is a movie that I am very eager to watch. I’ve heard nothing but great things from basically everyone I know. The sheer ingenuity and intelligence displayed by octopuses is incredible, and the way that one would develop a relationship with one of us is something that I am very exited to see. One more week of school and focus and i’ll be able to watch this and I could not be anticipating it any more than I already am. As for your review, I think that it was very well written and describes the movie very well without any spoilers. You, and everyone at The Owl is doing amazing work. All that’s left now is to see if I agree with your perspective. I expect that I will.
Elle Deith • Dec 14, 2020 at 11:22 pm
This was so insightful! I had heard about this documentary on social media, and was curious about it. However, after reading your article I will be watching this movie! I think you did a really great job of expressing your emotions on the movie and giving a good, perfectly detailed, insight on what a viewer should expect when watching this movie. I was nervous that this movie would be just like a school documentary, long and boring, but you turned my head into seeing that this is a documentary worth watching. In all, I think your writing was easy to understand and it was a very engaging read.