The Cove (DVD)

The impact of deep-sea fishing on marine life has been a subject of intense controversy and countless debates over the last few years. Environmental activists argue that deep-sea fishing not only endangers various species, but it also renders certain species to a point of extinction. This fact is supported by the evidence that as a result of commercial fishing, certain species of fish like orange roughy, hake, eel, and skate, and mammals such as whales and dolphins are at a brink of extinction. On the contrary, lobbyists of the fishing industry claim that this evidence is skewed and that nature is taking its normal course. As a result, they continue to fish and explore in deep oceanic waters with questionable practices.


The director of 2009’s “The Cove,” Louie Psihoyos, along with his friend, Jim Clark, formed the Ocean Preservation Society (OPS) in 2005. Both of them have been professional deep-sea divers for almost thirty years now. According to Psihoyos, the degradation of oceans can be seen on a year-by-year basis. The sole purpose of the OPS is to document and study the harmful effects of commercial fishing on reefs and various sea organisms around the world. A documented study reveals that about 23,000 dolphins are killed in Japan alone.


“The Cove” is a documentary structured in three parts in which the first two acts adhere to a true documentary format, whereas the last act works like a spy thriller. The first segment deals with identifying the main fishing area in Taiji, where dolphins are captured and held captive in a small section of water very close to the mainland. The middle act is the setup and planning stage, where the director assembles a team comprised of deep-sea divers, Ric O’Barry as the dolphin trainer, and technical experts responsible for setting up cameras in this remote island. The final sequence of the film is a spy piece, where the team plants hidden cameras around the cove.


“The Cove” takes us right where the action is happening in Taiji, Japan. The Town of Taiji is the largest supplier of dolphins to marine parks and “swim with dolphins” programs around the world. It is hard not to see the business value offered by the dolphin trade to the fishing industry. A live dolphin fetches around $150,000, whereas a dead dolphin only fetches $600. Further, the dolphin and whale meat is supplied to various dolphinariums in Japan and around the world from Taiji.


In the opening scene, we see director Psihoyos and his crew on a tour of Taijim, with a famous dolphin trainer, Ric O’Barry. O’Barry was the lead dolphin trainer in the TV series “Flipper” that aired on NBC in 1964 for three years. Including his involvement with the “Flipper” TV series, O’Barry was a dolphin trainer for about ten years before he had enough with the entertainment industry. At this point, he switched from being an entertainer to an activist for almost thirty years, advocating protection of dolphins around the world. His involvement in “The Cove” project is essential to the final message conveyed by the film.


It appears that Ric O’Barry has been in the Taiji region for a long time and that his presence is no longer welcomed by local fishermen. In fact, his life is always under a constant threat, presumably by a local Yakuza group. After circumventing the town of Taiji, you get a feeling that dolphins are loved in this serene part of the world. However, things are not as they appear. And this where Psihoyos’s “The Cove” takes us on a journey around Taiji and its locals to unravel the hidden secret this town possesses concerning the dolphins.


Along the way, the filmmakers cannot make any progress in obtaining information or evidence on what goes in Taiji as locals believe that dolphins are not killed around this town. This is where things get a bit tricky. Alternatively, if the filmmakers try to seek out local fishermen, then they are threatened by representatives of local fishing companies. The filmmakers were not allowed to photograph or interview anyone near the region (also known as “The Cove”) where dolphins are slaughtered. This limitation prompted the filmmakers to come up with an idea of positioning live, hidden cameras during the night around “The Cove.” Of course, the main intent is to capture the action as it happens on how dolphins are captured and then killed.


The dolphins navigate in deep-sea waters using acoustics as their primary sense, which, however, is also their weak point. Taiji fishermen expose this weakness by creating a sound barrier to push dolphins from deep-sea waters to shallow waters where they can be tamed easily. The action begins in the wee hours of the morning when fishermen armed with spears would gather around the cove in small boats. They then circle around dolphins so they can repeatedly hit dolphins with spears until they are all dead. The killing process is inhumane, and it raises a lot of questions about how this killing method is approved in the first place. The entire sequence is an eye-opener, as well as very depressing. Indeed, you really feel sorry for these harmless creatures.


Apart from this, we also get an insight on how the dolphin meat is supplied to local schools in Taiji. It appears that the school officials are unaware that the dolphin meat contains a very high amount of mercury. The locals concur that they have seen reported cases of disorders and deformities in children as a result of dolphin meat consumption. However, these cases are seldom reported to higher authorities. Even if these cases are reported, they are normally dealt with behind close doors.


Nonetheless, there are a couple of issues with the documentary that I felt could have been avoided had the filmmakers provided more demographic details on the dolphin trade around the world and not just in Japan. First, as it turns out, the movie ends up demonizing Japan for its involvement in the dolphin trade. I realize that Japan contributes to more than 90% of the dolphin trade in the world; however, that is not a complete story. Additionally, we are told that Japan has routinely exercised its economic power on lower economies in regards to bilateral trade agreements that exist as a result of deep-sea fishing. More so, we are not given an actual percentage of the dolphin trade accounted for by the lower economies. Lastly, we don’t know the rate of extinction of the dolphin population if the practice of slaughtering 23,000 dolphins each year is carried out without its being regulated by an international governing body. Consequently, the documentary at times tends to be a bit of a one-sided affair.


Having said this, not only have the filmmakers risked their lives, but they have in the process created a documentary that is daring and genuine, a true piece of investigative journalism. In the final segment of the film, we see Ric O’Barry carrying around a TV at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) conference, with footage of dolphins being killed in Taiji. That very well sums up the intent of the filmmakers in getting their message across, all in a good and passionate way.


Video: Lionsgate has presented the movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The colors are bright and vibrant. The night shots are grainy but clear. The deep-sea shots are taken with high-end camera equipment. As a result, the blues are much deeper and consistent throughout. Overall, the video quality complements the documentary quite well.


Audio: Lionsgate has included a soundtrack in 5.1 Dolby Digital. The documentary for most part is front-channel driven. However, during the deep-sea sequences, we get a full workout from all the channels. Overall, the soundtrack is pretty dynamic, with little to complain about. Also, included is the option to view the movie with English and Spanish subtitles.


Extras:
First, we have an audio commentary with director Louie Psihoyos and producer Fisher Stevens. It’s a commentary full of details about Taiji, dolphins, and how this project started.


Up next we have a featurette, Mercury Documentary: “The Cove: Mercury Rising.” Here we have various advocates who talk about the harmful affects of consuming sea food with high mercury content.


Also included is a set of three deleted scenes. The first deleted scene is an interview with Dave Rastovich, founder of Surfers for Cetaceans. In this interview he talks about the relationship between a surfer and dolphin. In the second deleted scene, Ric O’Barry goes out to a mall looking a new wig followed by a scene showing the Whale Festival in Taiji.


Finally, we also get the original theatrical trailer.


Parting Thoughts:
“The Cove” is an activist documentary that provides a shocking inside view on dolphin fishing in Japan. In fact, it is a daring piece of journalism. While documentaries like “Planet Earth” have glorified the Earth for its beauty, “The Cove” presents us with a scenario of possible extinction of one of the world’s most-loved sea creatures, the dolphin, if nothing is done to save them. The filmmakers have worked hard, with full passion, on this project to create a movie that is provocative and insightful at the same time. In addition, the filmmakers were respectful to the locals throughout the filming process. I wish members of the IWC were more proactive in stopping the inhumane treatment of dolphins around the world. For fans of nature documentaries, “The Cove” is worth checking out. This DVD can also be purchased at the OPS site for a tax credit.


Ratings


Video  = 7/10
Audio  = 7/10
Extras  = 6/10
Film  = 8/10