A fascinating, breathtaking documentary for the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon
The film shows how, in 2010, Foster began free-diving in a cold
underwater kelp forest at a remote location in False Bay, near Cape
Town, South Africa. The location was near Simon's Town on the Cape
Peninsula, which is exposed to the cold Benguela current of the Atlantic
Ocean. He started to document his experiences and, in time, met a
curious young octopus that captured his attention. He decided to keep
visiting her den and tracking her movements every day for a year to win
the animal’s trust. The two form a bond where she plays with Foster and
allows him into her world to see how she sleeps, lives, and eats. In the
film, Foster describes the impact on his life of his relationship with
the octopus. The film shows Foster's growing intimate relationship with
the octopus as he follows her around for nearly a year. It shows the
octopus defending herself against pyjama sharks. In one attack, the
octopus loses an arm, and retreats to her den to recover, slowly
regenerating the arm over three months. In a later attack of a shark,
she shows an incredibly improved creativity to survive, including
sticking on the shark's back. Later, after mating with a bigger octopus
and producing a large number of eggs, the octopus dies naturally while
tending for her eggs and a shark takes her body away. Foster describes
the effect of this mentorship that the octopus provided him with as
teaching him a lesson on the fragility of life and humanity's connection
with nature. This translated to Foster creating a deeper bond with his
son as his son develops as a diver and marine life student.
To me, this documentary was incredibly fascinating and inspiring.
Definitely a recommendation! 👉🏼 Watch the documentary on Netflix This page was built by Katharina Korb
