3 Amazing Films That Will Make You Fall in Love with the Oceans Even More!

Since the 1992 Rio Summit organized by the UN, June 8th has served as a day to celebrate the world’s oceans. This annual event aims to raise public awareness about the better management of the vast marine expanses and their resources, which are increasingly at risk.

For this year’s World Oceans Day, let’s explore three incredible documentaries that are as educational as they are poignant.

Chasing Coral (2017)

Coral reefs are under direct threat from global warming. Since 1860, the average surface temperature of the oceans has increased by about 0.5°C. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects an average air temperature increase of 1.5°C by 2100.

Thus, ocean surface temperatures will continue to rise. Coral reefs are particularly vulnerable due to their limited ability to adapt. Climate change also contributes to rising sea levels and an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms.

Winning numerous awards, including Best Documentary at the prestigious Sundance Festival in 2017, Jeff Orlowski’s Chasing Coral is an exemplary documentary. It educates and engages without resorting to the counterproductive blaming often found in ecological documentaries. It comes highly recommended.

Chasing Coral is available on Netflix.

A Plastic Ocean (2016)

Following a similar theme to the previous film, A Plastic Ocean sheds light on the impact of our lifestyle on the ocean floor and its inhabitants. The film’s team traveled globally to uncover what lies beneath our oceans, revealing previously unseen images of marine life and the effects of plastic pollution.

This documentary is also quite intriguing and aligns with earlier films like Plastic Planet from 2008. The sobering reality is daunting: 260 million tons of plastic are produced annually worldwide. Alongside this, 675 tons of waste are dumped into the oceans every hour, half of which is plastic. Sadly, only 1% of the 14 million tons of polystyrene materials produced yearly are recycled…

By 2030, global plastic waste production is expected to increase by 41%, potentially doubling the amount of plastic in the oceans. In 2016 alone, 310 million tons of plastic waste were generated, with a third ending up in our seas.

Plastic is ubiquitous in the oceans. It has even been found in molluscs living at depths of 11 kilometers, as well as in the fat of some whales… The fight against plastic pollution is a crucial battle for environmental NGOs.

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

In 2010, exhausted from years of overwork, documentary filmmaker Craig Foster decided to return to his roots at the tip of South Africa where he spent his childhood. There, in a unique place called the Cape of Storms, he began free-diving, exploring a kelp forest off the African coast. Little did he know this would lead to one of the most incredible encounters of his life.

During his dives, he befriended an octopus and for a whole year, shared the daily life of this extraordinary creature, slowly uncovering its intelligence, sensitivity, and complexity, along with the numerous dangers it faced.

“For many people, the octopus is an alien. But strangely, the closer you get, the more it seems to resemble us. It’s a completely different world. It’s an incredible feeling. You sense something fabulous is about to happen. But there’s a line you shouldn’t cross.”

These words set the stage for My Octopus Teacher. Narrated in the first person by Craig Foster, who spares no detail about this unique experience, the documentary is a story of reconnection, renewal, and inner restoration.

Just as an octopus can regrow a lost tentacle, Foster finds his weary soul gradually healing through his interactions with this unique friend.

Forget for an hour and 25 minutes the tentacled creature of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or the monstrous kraken from Pirates of the Caribbean. Set aside everything cinema has told you about this special animal, and let yourself be captivated by My Octopus Teacher.

This feature-length film, produced by Netflix and awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2021, offers a journey that is astonishing, tender, beautiful, yet also ruthless and, yes, sometimes absolutely heartbreaking.