My Octopus Teacher on Netflix

[M-Cameron]

i dunno...the trailer gave me real "shape of water" vibes.....

 

[dead dog]

I was afraid it was going to lock on to his face and shove a tentacle down his throat.

I was afraid it was going to lock on to his face and shove a tentacle down his throat.

Facehugger comes to mind. lol

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I absolutely loved this. Well worth the watch.

 

[drbill]

I watched it yesterday while off-gassing from a long weekend of dives. I was impressed by some of the underwater footage (and I know why based on the credits) and enjoyed seeing the species in a part of the world's oceans that I have not dived. I thought the diver was too focused on the octos (yes, I know... the subject of his documentary). He was concerned when the sharks attacked it (them I think) but not when the octo caught and ate the crab, lobster, fish and gastropods. As I taught my students, it is The Mutual Eating Society. I think he caught on at the very end though. I wasn't impressed at the end when he kept touching marine life. Divers are trained NOT to do that.

 

[Soloist]

We started My Octopus Teacher last night, but did not finish it. As @Fibonacci stated earlier, the photography is truly stunning. Unfortunately I found the self indulgent narcissistic narrative by Foster to be pretentious, self serving and insufferable. Fifteen minutes in I’m thinking please shut the hell up. Choosing to not intervene in the shark attack because he didn’t feel comfortable interfering with nature was the height of hypocrisy. He had been stalking and handling this animal like a dishrag for weeks. The perceived mutual bonding was specious too. I positioned my hand in the frame for perspective while capturing video of an octopus one evening and it reached out and grabbed my index finger. Did the little octo and I become instant soulmates? No, but I was summarily admonished on ScubaBaord! I realize my criticism of the film is harsh, but it is directed at Craig Foster. If the documentary had simply focused on octopus behavior it would have been fantastic.

 

[Soloist]

Excellent parody!

 

[lermontov]

just take it at face value or you spoil the enjoyment with over critical analysis -dont forget this was a journey to pull himself out of depression and reconnect with his family -if it did its a success, everything else is secondary

 

[Ukmc]

just take it at face value or you spoil the enjoyment with over critical analysis -dont forget this was a journey to pull himself out of depression and reconnect with his family -if it did its a success, everything else is secondary

I agree - this is a story of his personal journey. Reconnecting with nature, his family and himself.
This is of course in a backdrop of rebirth with mother octo sacrificing herself for the offspring and the fragility of life.
Nicely done.

 

[uncfnp]

I am obviously too superficial to get the deeper meaning or perhaps more accurately, too cynical. Just a short time into the story it started to feel a bit contrived, as if he was trying too hard to project a meaningful “relationship” between himself and the octopus. I think the point where he completely lost me was when he decided not to intervene in nature and prevent the shark attack while conversely freely interacting with the octopus. I admit I even considered the possibility that he allowed the attack to add footage to his film.

It was shortly after that I stopped watching.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I am obviously too superficial to get the deeper meaning or perhaps more accurately, too cynical. Just a short time into the story it started to feel a bit contrived, as if he was trying too hard to project a meaningful “relationship” between himself and the octopus. I think the point where he completely lost me was when he decided not to intervene in nature and prevent the shark attack while conversely freely interacting with the octopus. I admit I even considered the possibility that he allowed the attack to add footage to his film.

It was shortly after that I stopped watching.