Forty years ago, Ric O'Barry captured and trained the five dolphins used to portray the title character of the popular television show, Flipper. At the time, he was trying to make a career for himself as a dolphin trainer in show business. But as he came to understand these creatures and the destructive nature of their lives in captivity, O'Barry took it upon himself to free every dolphin he could. The Cove is one such effort to expose the abuse against dolphins taking place in an infamous lagoon in Taiji, Japan.
With each episode of Flipper, the public became more enamored with dolphins. These days, you can see dolphins performing in just about every aquarium, even swim with them (as I've done myself—Cancun, 2004). Our infatuation with them has led to their commodification, which is exactly what you'll see in The Cove. Over 20,000 dolphins captured every year—3% are sent into captivity for our entertainment, and the others are slaughtered and packaged as "whale meat."
I didn't start writing this with the intention of getting into the larger issues that are brought to the foreground in this documentary (is this not that far removed from what we do to cows, chickens, etc on a regular basis here in America?), but the very fact that a film can raise so many ethical questions is a testament to its high quality of storytelling.
The filmmakers and subjects of the film took some substantial risks for the project, considering that several fisherman have threatened to kill O'Barry and his crew if they saw him in the cove again. As a result, it's really more of a thriller than a "save the whales" wildlife conservation doc.
The Cove is as moving as any drama I've seen this year.
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