Causecast

by AARON HORWITZ, Contributing Writer

The Cove is a spellbinding new documentary from the Oceanic Preservation Society and Lions Gate Films that tells the story of a small fishing village in Japan with a very large secret. For decades, a small group of fishermen have descended upon a tiny cove in the town of Taiji to slaughter large groups of innocent dolphins. The “lucky ones” are captured and sold off to zoos and performance shows, but the majority are brutally butchered, their carcasses sold off for meat.

Much of this meat is pawned off in Japanese markets as the finer and more expensive whale meat, while a significant portion is given to schools to be used in cafeteria lunches. The danger in this is that dolphin meat contains far, far more mercury than is recommended for human consumption.

Since the killings began, an estimated 23,000 dolphins have been slaughtered, and not quickly or painlessly either. And yet, despite all this, it has been allowed to go on for decades, hidden in secrecy even from many of Taiji’s own residents. That will no longer stand, if dolphin activist Rick O’Barry and the people behind the making of The Cove have their way.

Rick O’Barry started out, ironically, as the very thing he has spent so long trying to stop. Not a dolphin killer, but a dolphin trainer, and not just of any dolphin. Back in the early 1960’s, O’Barry got his beginnings as the trainer of Flipper, the titular character of the famous TV show bearing the name. But, when one of his prized dolphins died in heartbreaking fashion, O’Barry had a drastic change of heart and has dedicated his life since to freeing captive dolphins. More recently, he has been raising awareness for the massacres going on in Taiji, putting himself in great personal danger.

It is here that the film begins, with cameras rolling as O’Barry attempts to evade local Japanese officials and fisherman. Director Louis Psihoyos and a hand assembled crack team of adventure junkies and activists join the fight, bringing in some of the most high-tech and covert camera gear on the planet. It is captivating to watch as Psihoyos and his (surprisingly well-funded) group defy Japanese law and all sound logic in an attempt to bring the dolphin’s story front and center.

Amazingly, The Cove doesn’t simply labor on the small isolated location of the film’s title. Rather, it finds time to bring to light issues surrounding dolphins and whales across the globe. It also provides candid interviews with some of Taiji’s government accomplices, and includes front row access to the meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), a board of international representatives founded in 1986 to combat (or in Japan’s case, allow) the process of whaling.

Needless to say, the sounds they record and the images they manage to capture are shocking enough to stay with the viewer for a long time. The final shot of the film is forever imprinted in my mind. And that’s the whole point.

Not only does the film never get boring, at times it is extremely suspenseful, and always engrossing. All in all, The Cove is an astonishingly accomplished debut for director Louis Psihoyos, one that has already achieved several breakthroughs in Japan. Nevertheless, the slaughtering at Taiji is scheduled to resume this September, and thus, there is still much work to be done.

To find out what you can do to stop the dolphin killings in Taiji, check out www.savejapandolphins.org.

The Cove comes to theaters in New York and Los Angeles July 31st and opens nationwide in August.

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions