The Cove (a Documentary)

One of the possible "Flicks for Free" options (hosted by OUAB) for this quarter was a documentary screening of a film called "The Cove." For anyone who hasn't had the chance to fully tour the new Student Union, the "Flicks for Free" was shown in the new theatre, which is amazing! At the show there was free popcorn and a raffle drawing. I was impressed!

"The Cove" reveals a dark secret about a small fishing town off of the Japanese coast. There, in a very remote and private cove, thousands of dolphins, (23,000 a season, to be exact) are slaughtered violently every year. Dolphins are highly intelligent beings who experience complex human-esque emotions like stress, fear, happiness, and so on. Dolphins can understand sign language and have vast social networks. However, dolphins fair terribly under captivity-they often experience stress and depression. Their deaths are inhumane not only because of the way in which they are killed but also because the horror of their deaths is intensified by the fact that dolphins are incredibly aware of their surroundings. The film also explains that dolphin meat is highly toxic in mercury and its presence in food markets is posing a serious health threat to the public.

"The Cove" follows the former lead actor of the television series "Flipper," on his quest to protest the killings and raise awareness (as it happens, Flipper's real name was Kathy). The Academy Award Winner of the Best Documentary Feature for 2010, this flick is both provocative and emotional. It seems sometimes that in our never ending quest to serve ourselves, we as people (and as humans) forget to watch out for our fellow inhabitants of this Earth or are even willing to wipe them out. Even if the slaughter of dolphins does not manage to reveal itself to all as an egregious crime against the virtues of humanity, the film at least manages to point out that man's incapability of sustaining nature is proving dangerous. Mercury poisoning has grave, grave health consequences.

If interested, more information on the film and news as of how one can get involved can be reached at www.takepart.com/thecove

I think this film is worth seeing-you can formulate your own opinion!!!