During the current COVID-19 epidemic and its resultant isolation, many have turned to animals as consolation and company. The SPCA has run out of puppies for adoption; one just hopes that when the epidemic subsides, these pets will not be abandoned as so often happens with dogs after Christmas and rabbits after Easter.
Of course, this bonding between human and animal is familiar to all, especially those who have had a pet, whether dog or cat, or even tarantula or snake. Few, however, can claim to have bonded with an octopus. But such was the case with Craig Foster, whose story is told in My Octopus Teacher, available on Netflix.
Dealing with a personal emotional crisis in his life, Foster decided to go free diving in False Bay, off the coast of South Africa. Slowly accustoming his body to the cold water and extending the time that he could remain underwater without recourse to an oxygen tank, Foster became aware of the beauty and complexity of life in the underwater forest. However, the biggest surprise occurred when he managed to make friendly contact with an octopus. Gradually gaining the trust of the octopus, Foster used the opportunity to watch the creature as it went about its life – searching for food, avoiding predators, and even on occasion enjoying a playful moment with a school of fish.
Over the course of nearly a year (the life span of an octopus), Foster not only discovered the amazing wonder of life in the ocean but gradually gained enormous respect for the intelligence, cleverness and resourcefulness of his friend – for friend the octopus became. Clearly the octopus enjoyed Foster’s company as much as Foster enjoyed that of the octopus. Indeed, both looked forward to the time they spent together. Moreover, as with any good friend, the octopus taught Foster about the value of life – his own as well as that of the entire planet. The octopus also taught him to gain respect for all creation. As he himself puts it, “She was teaching me to become sensitized to the other.”
My Octopus Teacher reveals to the viewer the glory and wonder of God’s creation in a way which is totally new. All of us have seen, especially through the films of Sir David Attenborough and National Geographic specials, the beauty and variety of life in the ocean. Perhaps as never before, this film teaches viewers to realize that that life is far more than we have suspected. It is not only beautiful but also meaningful. The octopus teaches both Foster and all those who see the film.
My Octopus Teacher blends interviews with Foster, who provides the narrative of the film, and astonishing photography. My one complaint about it is that it ignores the part that others played in making the film. While much of what Foster sees and does he himself films, there are many occasions when clearly others are filming him as he pursues his relationship with the octopus. Nowhere does it explain how the octopus was persuaded to accept this further intrusion into its habitat, nor how and why others joined him in his experiment. Though this somewhat extraneous to the intriguing main thrust of the film, it is equally intriguing just how Foster went about getting others to join him in his unusual experiment with oceanic life and what impact it had on them.
The octopus undeniably teaches all viewers to approach creation with awe and wonder, to accept the challenges that life has to offer, and even to embrace the realities of both life and death. That is no small matter in these challenging times. Wonderful viewing for the entire family, My Octopus Teacher provides a marvellous alternative to the schlock and superficiality that constitutes much of what passes for entertainment in television programming. It really is essential viewing.