Thank goodness for award hunting streaming services. Netflix has been pushing all their films to as many awards shows as possible, boosting their prestige and getting more eyeballs on their content. My Octopus Teacher would have passed by most if it were merely a perfectly solid hourlong affair on NatGeo. But in the streaming giant’s hands? It’s in a dead heat to win best documentary at the Oscars, meaning more people will be charmed and impressed at the lengths Craig Foster went to in order to become BFFs with his favorite cephalopod.
Craig Foster has been fascinated by the laws of nature for years, documentarying his way all the way through Africa. Finding himself in an emotional tailspin trying to raise his son, Foster starts diving off the coast of South Africa. He discovers a kelp forest, and a treasure trove of life hiding underneath it. One such creature is an octopus, who Foster strikes up a strange near impossible relationship with.
Yes Foster deserves a large amount of credit for My Octopus Teacher’s success, as well as his 8 legged gal pal. However, there are two other reasons My Octopus Teacher is getting its well deserved notoriety. The first is Roger Horrocks. Horrocks is the underwater cameraman, who captures just an amazing amount of footage in the year long life of this octopus, an amazing feat as large amounts of time must have been waiting for it to come out of its deep dark tiny hiding spots. While waiting, Horrocks flexes those nature camera lenses as he photographs the underwater ecosystem in all its vivid, strange grandeur. But anyone with unlimited time on their hands can do that. Where Horrocks excels is when the octopus comes out of her den. He captures all the amazing feats and interactions it has, especially its ability to problem solve and show curiosity while on the move as predator or prey. This level of empathy devoted to one creature turns something alien into just a strange pet. That transformation allows everyone to start investing emotionally into Foster’s lovely octopus, a feat only possible when Disney makes them talk in animated films.
The other winners are Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, the directors. They take Foster’s amazing footage and form a totally engaging story around the life of this strange friend of his, showing how both enriched the other’s life. If Foster’s octopus were a woman, his behavior would look like the life cycle of a relationship. There’s that rush of the instant “attraction” the pair have for one another as they inquisitively observe what the other is doing. Then there’s the testing of the relationship waters, with the Octopus seeing of Foster has truly connected with this new figure in his life. Then there’s the marriage, with both living in harmony, growing as a result of each other’s company, eventually leading to death do us part for our poor octopus friend. Ehrlich and Reed divide My Octopus Teacher into little 10-15 minute vignettes of specific days in the water, broken up by Foster voicing how this new relationship has been changing him, for the better. All of this work makes us buy into what is going to happen to our octopus, especially as it’s life is threatened constantly, and continue to be awed by how it evades capture and seemingly certain death.
Hayao Miyazaki, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, repeatedly shows themes in his movies about how nature and man should learn to coexist with one another, and we can both benefit from learning about each other. My Octopus Teacher shows what can happen when you take that message seriously. Something truly amazing can happen, and you can start connecting and observing in ways you couldn’t see before, transforming you into something else entirely, something better, and more beautiful. Damn, where’s my octopus?