The Cove

Review by Anthony Morris

Each year over twenty thousand dolphins are killed in a small cove near the Japanese city of Taiji. 

Not surprisingly, it is not something Taiji likes to advertise... 

In fact, the town leaders and the local fishing industry work hard to keep their city looking like nothing more sinister than a friendly tourist destination for whale watchers. 

And anyone who looks deeper is warned off through a mix of high security and intimidation. 

So in 2008 a team of scientists, activists, divers and film-makers set out to breach security around the cove and expose the slaughter to the world. 

The human face of this battle is activist Richard O'Barry, the man who trained the dolphins for the TV series Flipper. 

Devastated by what captivity did to those dolphins (safe to say, their story didn't end well), he has spent the last four decades working against the multi-billion dollar dolphin industry he helped create, trying to make people aware that pools and fun parks are no place for animals who might be as intelligent as we are. 

Directed by photographer and Oceanic Preservation Society founder Louie Psihoyos, The Cove is a riveting mix of wildlife documentary, history lesson, environmental nightmare and hi-tech thriller. 

On its own, the story of how they obtained footage of this appalling dolphin massacre is enough to make this a great documentary. 

The footage itself, coupled with O'Barry's struggle for redemption, lifts it into a class of its own.

4 out of 5

The Cove
Australian release: 20th August, 2009
Official Site: The Cove
Cast: Louie Psihoyos, Ric O'Barry
Director: Louie Psihoyos