I'm a bit late to the party on this one because this one is several years old and I recall when it first dropped on streaming. I think I started to watch it, got bored, then walked away because I wasn't in the right environment to watch a documentary. This time, I was in my bedroom with tons of pillows and a phone in the other room so that I wouldn't be disturbed. This was the perfect environment for me to engage in a documentary that is at first, slow to get going, but then totally ropes you in.
This is a story about a long-term film maker, director and editor, who after getting burned out on the stresses of the industry returns to a childhood area on the coast of South Africa and decides to step away from having anything to do with the film industry and just live life for a while.
During that time he finds solace in cold water free-diving in the kelp forest off the coast and starts to fall in love with the peace that it brings him. It is during that time that he starts to engage with a female octopus and follows her every move for a while, eventually getting his underwater cameras involved.
He starts the journey out knowing about as much about octopuses as you or I do, but by the time it is all finished he has discovered things about the species that no one else in the world has ever witnessed before. It is truly remarkable footage that is also just beautiful to look at, even if you aren't interested in the scientific aspects of it.
During his time with his octopus teacher, he sees how challenging the nocturnal and isolated life of an octopus actually is, and also how dangerous it can be for an animal with little in the way of defenses, to survive in the wild.
The best part of it all is when after a certain amount of time the octopus has grown accustomed to the human's presence and stops seeing him as a threat and then the octopuses curiosity sets in and starts to accept him as a friend. The touching music in the documentary certainly helps add to the emotion that you feel during this production, but there is no denying the amount of time that was put into this especially when you consider that the entire project could have been ended any day if the octopus were to lose in one of the games of cat and mouse with the many shark encounters that happen throughout.
This is probably the closest that anyone has ever come to having an octopus as a friend or pet and the reason why the creator calls it his "teacher" is because the creature cured his disdain for film-making and inspired him to do great things again. Considering the amount of awards and accolades this thing has received, I would say that the octopus was a magnificent teacher indeed.
Should I watch it?
I think for people that enjoy nature documentaries, and especially something that isn't just done by everyone, that this is going to be a winner. Not only does it reveal stunning underwater environments and information about this creature that no one actually knew before but it also reveals something about humanity that you may not have really thought about. It's difficult to imagine a documentary making you feel sad, but that is precisely what happens here. This is a very well-done, powerful, and emotional ride, and I consider it to be one of the best nature documentaries ever made.
