My Octopus Teacher is a 2020 documentary about a South African filmmaker (Craig Foster) who forms a friendship with an octopus.
It is set in the kelp forests of South Africa and follows the life journey of the octopus, exposing some of the animal’s amazing talents and curiosity in the process.
My Octopus Teacher was broadcast as a Netflix original documentary.
It was written and directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, with Craig Foster serving as the host.
Our My Octopus Teacher Review
My Octopus Teacher is a beautifully presented tale that explores the life of a female octopus, a majestic, shy, and creative little creature that lives in kelp forests off the shores of South Africa.
Filmmaker Craig Foster tracks the octopus as she hides, hunts, and fights, including an incident in which a shark takes a chunk from one of her tentacles.
The octopus eventually comes to trust the filmmaker, and there is a very touching moment in which she reaches for his hand.
It’s a film that will change your perception of octopuses.
It will make you gawp in wonder as you see them do things you didn’t know they could do and react in shock as her life is placed in jeopardy.
My Octopus Teacher is a love story, and like all good love stories, it will make you cry.
It will also make a mark that stays with you for a very long time.
Is My Octopus Teacher a Good Movie?
My Octopus Teacher is a very good movie.
It has attracted scores of good reviews from critics and a wealth of praise from users.
It has managed to convert people who were completely disinterested in octopuses and marine animals in general, and it’s even stopped some people from eating octopuses.
Everyone has their own tastes, of course, so there is no guarantee that you will like the film.
But it’s definitely worth checking it out.
(SPOILER ALERT!) Does the Octopus Die at the End of My Octopus Teacher?
This is a very commonly asked question.
It seems that a large number of people have heard about the film and are eager to watch it, but they’re worried about a Marley and Me ending.
Unfortunately, the octopus does die at the end of the film.
She lays her eggs, tends to them, and is then killed in a shark attack.
What’s even more tragic is that these outcomes are commonplace.
Octopuses don’t live to see their little ones grow up, and they might not even see the eggs hatch.
Female octopuses starve themselves and neglect their health once they have laid their eggs.
Many of them die shortly afterward, and most are dead by the time the eggs hatch.
It’s tragic, and we don’t even know why that happens, but there are theories.
The main theory is that it’s an evolutionary trick.
Most hatched octopuses will die as they will either be eaten by predators or will struggle to find food and safety.
The parents are not only a major competitor for food, but they are also cannibalistic, and so they threaten the lives of the baby octopuses.
By removing themselves from the equation (following a series of neurological and chemical reactions, as opposed to any willful choice) they are increasing the odds of their little ones surviving.
Did My Octopus Teacher Win Any Awards?
My Octopus Teacher won “Best Documentary Feature” at the 2020 Academy Awards.
The award went to all three of the filmmakers involved with the project: Pippa Ehrlich, Craig Foster, and James Reed.
The three documentary filmmakers also won a BAFTA Film Award for “Best Documentary”, as well as awards from the American Cinema Editors, Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, House Film Critics Society Awards, and several others.
