Part nature doc, part espionage thriller, part horror story, The Cove contrasts its dolphin character study (they’re self-aware, intelligent and highly communicative, according to the film) with shocking footage of the capture and slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Director Louie Psihoyos, at the urging of former Flipper trainer turned activist Rick O’Berry, assembles a crack team of filmmakers and divers in order to clandestinely gather footage of the killings in an isolated yet heavily guarded cove. It’s thrilling without trivializing the senselessness of it all; dolphin meat is toxic with mercury anyways, but the demands of Japan’s fish markets overwhelm health concerns. The Cove is gripping, serious and urgent.
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2009.
