This blog post examines the reality of dolphin slaughter exposed by the film The Cove and why we turn a blind eye to its cruelty despite knowing about it, focusing on human indifference and sense of responsibility.
Reason for Film Selection
Before choosing this documentary, I was deeply impressed by Luc Besson’s film The Big Blue. The scene where humans and animals communicate through swimming instead of language in the vast, blue ocean particularly stuck with me. Then, I came across an article titled ‘Selfie Drives Baby Dolphin to Death’. It was a shocking incident where tourists drove an endangered dolphin to its death just to take a single photo. For someone who believed humans and animals could coexist and connect, this article was a profound shock. It led me to take an interest in the exposé documentary The Cove, which addresses dolphin slaughter. The documentary’s closing line, “Unless we stop it,” made me realize the necessity of exposing wrongdoing and informing many people. For this reason, I decided to reanalyze this documentary.
Sequence Summary
1 – Opening Sequence
Simple signage and beach scenes convey minimal information. Some shots, filmed with infrared cameras, evoke the tension typical of military films.
2 – The Beautiful Village of Taiji
Against the backdrop of a peaceful coastal village, characters appear with masked faces, suggesting an atmosphere of conspiracy. After providing marine-related information, it reveals the village’s hidden issues by showing restricted access zones and barbed wire fences.
3 – Rick O’Barry and the Dolphins
It shows how the aquarium industry expanded since Rick O’Barry began dolphin training through the 1964 broadcast of Flipper. It raises concerns about the aquarium industry by examining dolphins’ nature, intelligence, and daily range, gradually exposing Taiji’s unethical practices.
4. The Cove ‘Oceans Eleven OPS’
It explains Japan’s stance at the IWC (International Whaling Commission) and depicts Taiji residents driving away global media attempting to cover Taiji’s issues. A team composed of military-trained technicians and divers gathers in Taiji to prepare for filming, showing surveillance by Japanese police and the hardline stance of local fishermen.
5. Concealment of Media Coverage and the Dangers of Dolphin Meat
It questions whether Japanese people are aware of the dolphin slaughter issue, mentioning the mercury content problem in dolphin meat consumed as food and linking it to the Minamata mercury poisoning incident.
6 – Full-Scale Investigation and Fabricated Media Coverage
Recalling the 1971 London scene where people chanted for a whaling ban through the cries of a minke whale during preparation for the investigation, the first infiltration operation begins. It shows attempts to conceal the reality of Taiji.
7 – The ‘Pest Control’ Logic
Taiji residents explain dolphin hunting as pest control, revealing no intention to stop. Japan shifts the blame for catch quotes onto dolphins and whales, attempting to resolve the issue by buying votes at the IWC. The sequence concludes by denouncing Japan’s wrongful actions.
8. For Whom Is the Slaughter?
Through the final undercover investigation, Rick O’Barry delivers his core message: small actions can spark massive change, and we all have the right to know the truth and the duty to expose wrongdoing.
The Cove Analysis
The Cove is an exposé documentary with a consistent narrative structure from start to finish. The film uses narration to provide minimal information, piquing the audience’s interest. It then shocks viewers by gradually exposing the realities of Taiji, awakening them to the severity of the issue. It contrasts Rick Obery’s experience as a dolphin trainer with Taiji’s brutal practices, stimulating curiosity through the responses of the Japanese government and Taiji residents. It exposes the Japanese government’s cover-up attempts through the mercury poisoning incident, emphasizing communication between dolphins and humans and the dangers of miscommunication. Concluding with an undercover investigation, the documentary delivers facts dispassionately without emotional manipulation, yet steadily builds tension. Utilizing diverse media—archival footage, interviews, black-and-white visuals depicting the Japanese government, and 3D animated maps—it provides rich information throughout its 90-minute runtime. It uses comical music during the IWC scenes and adds intense music in the final 20 minutes to leave a deep impression on the audience. The documentary concludes by pointing out the Japanese government’s cover-up and the current situation.
The Cove Review
The first time I saw The Cove and this time I saw it again, it felt completely different. The first time, following Rick O’Barry and his team’s perspective, I was enraged by humanity’s unethical actions and focused solely on the dolphin slaughter. This time, however, the final line prompted me to ask myself: “Even though I have the right to know, am I truly informed? When I learn of wrongdoing, do I speak out, or do I remain silent?” I felt ashamed that I was closer to the latter. Watching Rick O’Barry and his team strive to protect the dolphins made me reconsider whether I, too, have something I must protect.
The Cove is tightly structured around interviews and on-site footage within its short 90-minute runtime, posing profound questions that go beyond mere problem-raising. While I haven’t seen many documentaries, The Cove was a special work that posed questions to me. This analysis prompted me to look into director Louie Psihoyos’s recent film, Racing Extinction. Reading that it deals with a secret operation to protect endangered species, I became curious about what questions the director would pose this time. The Cove was the film that introduced me to the appeal of documentaries, despite my previous indifference to the genre.
