Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.
My Octopus Teacher is visually stunning, with breathtaking underwater cinematography that captures the kelp forest ecosystem with rare intimacy and artistry. The film's novelty lies in its deeply personal, almost spiritual framing of a human-animal relationship that feels genuinely unprecedented — the bond documented is singular and moving. The narrative arc is emotionally compelling but occasionally leans into sentimentality, and Foster's personal journey as a framing device works better in some moments than others. The ending is bittersweet and affecting, though not entirely surprising given the nature documentary format. Overall a remarkable and distinctive piece of filmmaking elevated primarily by its visuals and the extraordinary subject matter.