My Octopus Teacher

The most surprising documentary in my life. It's been a few days since I saw the film and I still have that warm feeling it evoked in me. I’m recommending it to everyone. An incredible caress to the soul. The last time I was this moved was maybe in 2011 with Intouchables. I’ve always loved octopi... on a plate, but now I can’t imagine myself eating one ever again! For the first time in my life I'm thinking about vegetarianism, and so far no film has managed to do that – even videos from slaughterhouses or factory farms have failed to have any effect on me, and yet this film doesn't even push the idea that eating animals is wrong. How is it possible? Because this documentary has a heart, it doesn't offer much in terms of science, just heart, love and respect for animals and nature. For me, just wow! (21/04/2021)

When I recently watched the series Animals, it was the Octopus that intrigued me the most, hiding many secrets under their omnivorous tentacles. My Octopus Teacher doesn't rely on its visual sophistication, as is often the case with animal documentaries, but tries to engage with content instead of form. We follow two life journeys – human and cephalopod – where the latter takes on a very fatal quality given that the lifespan of octopuses is not very long. At times, I did feel that Craig Foster was pushing his feelings too hard and projecting his disposition too "violently" onto his eight-headed "buddy", but on the other hand, you cannot deny his genuine passion for what he does. Octopuses are truly admirable creatures – be it their intelligence, their wit, their mimicry, the way they hunt, or their fatal dedication to their offspring. (26/11/2022)

I don’t care at all its shortcomings as a documentary (i.e. sweet sentimentality), the only type of person who can not like this is someone whose heart was stolen in grade school and never got it back. Unprecedented, beautifully shot and proving that the connection of ugly people with beautiful nature is possible. (15/01/2021)

This is a fragile and completely unique documentary about an unexpected friendship between a curious cephalopod and a burnt-out filmmaker who spent most of his life with him while daily diving. The film is an original, emotional and sometimes thrilling connection between the world of people and the world of animals, finding unifying parallels in the lives of both protagonists and casually encouraging understanding of nature from a completely different point of view. (04/01/2021)

An immensely sensitively filmed documentary that, against the backdrop of an almost intimate relationship between a person with their heart in the right place and an incredibly intelligent octopus, brings to the lay public the secrets and beauties of the kelp forest world off the shores of South Africa. I fell in love with the octopus in the opening minutes and, accompanied by a commentary led by Craig Foster's voice and pleasant music, I couldn't get enough of the images from her harrowing life journey until the very moving end. I think Craig Foster deserves respect and reverence for his boundless love of nature, which he leads his son to share. (100%) (02/04/2021)