H.E.B Movie Dairy: My Octopus Teacher – Oscar-winning Documentary is an Endearing Allure

Sometimes, the talk of nature can be a tad over-egged. No that it might be untrue, but the discuss and gushing praise over enjoying the pure state of nature can be a bit much. Listening to the trees. Taking in the wind. And whatnot. But in My Octopus Teacher, it’s undeniable how much of a visually-pleasing spectacle it is to see the ocean.

Not just see the ocean, but almost experience it even via a screen. Watch the water flow and hear the sounds of it, and it’s incredibly hard to not get consumed in it. That’s the great allure of this Academy Award winner of a documentary, which recreates and showcases the great allure of the waters.

Directed by Michael Reed and Pippa Ehrlich, My Octopus Teacher sees Craig Foster narrate his tale of a relationship between him and an octopus. From the beginning, My Octopus Teacher shows it knows the rules when it comes to making a documentary: take your time. This documentary is incredibly patient; taking its time, setting the scene. It almost felt like it was starting to drag on, at some point. But it wasn’t.

However, even when My Octopus Teacher really gets into it, there’s a gentleness to this documentary. There’s a sense of calm and peace about it. Not that it diminishes its significance one bit. In fact, that makes My Octopus Teacher even more endearing. From Foster being soft-spoken, to the sometimes-slow movements of the ocean. This documentary makes itself charming, and takes you in.

My Octopus Teacher tries to depict a friendship between a man and an octopus. And in this regard, it’s a masterpiece. This documentary doesn’t tell us anything outright. It doesn’t even hint at anything from the beginning. It simply shows us, and keeps showing us, how a friendship is formed.

This isn’t a pet, one which gets a name and we see fun parts. Rather, this is very much a friendship. It takes time to build, trust needs to be won over, commitments are made. Biases are formed, attachments are developed. Listen to the way Foster keeps talking the octopus, with part admiration, part respect, and part pride. Even when there’s the inevitable end, the heartbreak of that is depicted. And all this is being subtly and gently done.

But if the relationship shown between man and octopus is the best element of this documentary, the cinematography is a close second. From the sunset to the waters, My Octopus Teacher makes great use of its cinematography. The visual allure and appeal of watching the ocean can almost make you lost in it, and lose track of the words being spoken.

The question on documentaries is whether they’re some people’s cups of tea. But with My Octopus Teacher, it’s hard not to fall for the endearing allure of this 2020 documentary. With the kind of magic that turns even non-fans of the genre into glued watchers.

Credit- Sodas and Popcorn