My Octopus Teacher

Not just a documentary (9 January 2021)

Why I watched it? Because I love octopuses and the sea. Why I gave it a 10? Because it was something more than just a documentary.

It was a personal experience. It got evident from the start. Great captures and the personal storytelling of Foster along with accurate and calming music did it: I immediately relaxed and put myself in his shoes. The rest was history. Amazing information conveyed along with great scenes and meanings.

I liked the format. Most documentaries focusing on animals calm me, but this format was just something else. It was closer to the experience of reading a book for me, and that's something I have never felt before for a movie/series.

a profoundly moving, visually stunning documentary that elevates a simple premise into a transformative emotional experience. It follows South African filmmaker Craig Foster as he returns daily to a cold-water kelp forest near Cape Town, slowly forming an intimate, almost meditative bond with a wild octopus he encounters there. The films greatest strength is how it intertwines awe-inspiring natural observation with a deeply personal story of burnout and healing. Fosters encounters with the octopus become a quiet school of life: through watching her ingenuity, vulnerability and resilience, he rediscovers curiosity, patience and a sense of belonging in the natural world. The creature herself is filmed with astonishing sensitivity, revealing ...