Netflix documentary immigrants

"My Octopus Teacher" is more a reflection on human life and non-human life than a simple record of scenery and things, which can make the audience feel and think again besides understanding the mysteries of marine scenery and animal life.

Recording and observing: exploring the life of animals

In snorkeling again and again, Craig found an octopus in the ocean, which he called "her". The life cycle of octopus is about one to one and a half years, which is very short, so the ending of this documentary is doomed to be the death of "her", not to mention that in the underwater world where the law of the jungle chooses to record an octopus story, it is likely to fail due to various factors. It can be said that it is very difficult to make such a film.

Octopus's intelligence is very high among animals, comparable to dogs or cats. They can judge objects by their sense of touch and smell, and they can carry out very basic "social activities" with external creatures.

Restraint and calmness: a life that should not be disturbed.

However, in this form, it is difficult to control, since it is impossible to "observe" completely and objectively, but to participate in the interaction with creatures, how to grasp an appropriate scale to keep the documentary shooting that should not be disturbed at an acceptable level?

So Craig felt fear and blood spread all over his body, but he had to leave, hoping that "she" could survive the catastrophe. When he dived into the water again the next day, he found an octopus in a hidden place: weak, scarred, unhealthy pale, lifeless and unwilling to leave the shelter.

But at the same time, "she" is also tenacious, and the bitten tentacles begin to grow again. Until 100 days later, her wound healed completely, and there were almost no traces of hunting, and she also returned to normal life.

Of course, these three months are only a moment in Craig's years of observation, but for octopus, these three months are nearly one-third of his life. Healing from such a wound is a process close to death.

Fortunately, "she" was still so strong and alive. When the shark tried to kill her for the second time, she cleverly escaped the pursuit and survived the game of life.

Direct Narration and Suspense: More than One Shooting Method

Perhaps because most of the documentaries I contacted were popular science, my octopus teacher began to arouse people's interest in narrative structure.

In this documentary, the protagonist chooses to show his story with a octopus in the form of documentary, using the first person all the time, and from his own perspective, through interviews and narratives, shows his attitude towards this "octopus teacher" and how he got out of the trough of life and gained a new experience and understanding of life in more than a year's contact.

"Personal feelings" is a very important part of it. In interviews interspersed with movies, Craig went to see the octopus teacher many times, which made him feel that life was interesting again, and the power of nature made him feel kind.

So, in order not to be eaten by sharks so quickly, "she" sucked all the shellfish and stones around her with the suction cups on her tentacles, wrapped them in the most dangerous and fragile head, and protected her softness through the hardness of the outside world. This wonderful scene is exactly what Craig looked like on the first day he met "her". Only then did I know that the "she" who once looked beautiful and mysterious was actually in danger of life and death.