True Films: The Cove

The Cove

This is far more entertaining than your usual “cause” film. It’s sort of a real-world Mission Impossible with lots of high tech gear and a team of dedicated enthusiasts. The thrill of this documentary, filmed in Japan, is to watch a desperate anti-dolphin-killing activist assemble an undercover spy team to plant hidden hi-def and infrared cameras in the tightly guarded cove where the annual dolphin mass killings take place. Because of international media attention and the secluded nature of the tiny Japanese fishing village where everyone is protecting their livelihood, documenting the dolphin killing became a cat-and-mouse game. There’s plenty of suspense. Additionally, there is righteous pleasure at the climax in the clever PR stunts the activists engage in to spotlight the killings and cover-ups. Oh, and I bet the film will probably be a pretty effective in stopping this secret slaughter.

— KK