Oscar winning film ‘My Octopus Teacher’ tells the beautiful story of a filmmaker who had lost his passion for filmmaking temporarily but is brought back into the game by the most unexpected friend, an octopus!
Director Craig Foster shows the beautiful bond developed between himself and an octopus he discovers while diving along the south African coast. The documentary exemplifies how much nature can be beneficial to humans as well as highlighting our duty to look after nature in return. The director discovers behaviours in the octopus that cannot even be explained by science, the octopus displays hunting, playing and hiding techniques that go beyond what our current knowledge on octopi explain. The film also emphasises the importance of keeping this sacred relationship between humans and animals, because at the end of the day we are all just animals floating on a big rock in space, fighting for survival. It is easy to forget all the life going on around us, the earth is a fragile ecosystem that needs to be protected. With all the chaos of the current pandemic it is easy to take for granted the beautiful nature that surrounds us every day. It is amazing to see the bond between the director and this little octopus that he happened to stumble (or swim) upon, and how this friendship changed his life so positively. A beautiful example of humankind benefiting nature instead of exploiting it.