Blackfish Film Analysis

I chose to watch the documentary Blackfish (2013) directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. I watched this documentary because I heard it was very powerful and moving, and documentaries are not something I would usually watch. This documentary met my expectations very well, giving me a powerful and strong opinion on this topic. It persuaded me into wanting to spread the word and wanting to bring about change. I was very surprised by the large amount of pathos used by Cowperthwaite in this documentary. She used the passion and emotion to encourage viewers to connect with the attack and feel sympathy for both the whales and the whale trainers. Cowperthwaite included a scene where the mother whale was crying and calling for her baby when it was being taken away from her. The amount of

ethos and logos used delighted me because it made the documentary seem even more credible and realistic. Most of the documentary consists of interviews of previous SeaWorld trainers, showing ethos, and statistics/data, showing logos. Though Blackfish is a great documentary overall, there were still some things that disappointed me. The only sources and opinions used were those who felt that whale captivity was wrong and that SeaWorld should no longer keep these whales in captivity. I did some research and found out that many of the current SeaWorld trainers claim that 70% of the information is false, and that even some of the video clips used are fake. This disappointed me because it makes the viewer feel a lack of trust for the film, and makes the viewers question the credibility a bit. The main purpose of Blackfish is to rattle and provoke in hopes of bringing about change to this situation, and to understand how captivity harms establishments like SeaWorld.
The film, which questions the ethics of keeping wild animals in captivity for the purpose of entertainment, has become the most talked-about documentary of 2013, and its influence is only growing. Blackfish is a documentary that tells about SeaWorld's biggest attraction, Tilikum, a killer whale who killed three trainers. This is an eye opening film that shows us why these animals act in such away while in captivity. SeaWorld clearly does not care about the well being of its animals, and they clearly don't care of what happens to its employees. The documentary features in depth interviews about the incident with Tilikum where he killed an experienced trainer. This film is one that shows exactly what SeaWorld is and how their animals are mistreated and how the Tilikum incident shows why whales in captivity act out in such a way.
The main target audience was SeaWorld. Cowperthwaite attacks them directly by mentioning and referring to them multiple times in the film. Others were people who visited SeaWorld and those who heard about the fatal killer whale incidents. Others who have not heard about the incidents or have not been to SeaWorld will most likely be persuaded to not go to or support it. This film may also take a toll on their opinion of captivity of animals, more specifically killer whales. They will still probably enjoy the film, but they will just not feel as passionate about the topic as others who have knowledge about the incidents.
The intended purpose was to get the audience to no longer support establishments such as SeaWorld. The documentary's purpose was achieved extremely well. The film teaches us about killer whales, how SeaWorld runs its whale performance, the length a corporation would go to generate revenue, the emotional strain and stress for trainers caring for these whales, and gives firsthand interviews/experiences on the topic. The information given is concise in its observations. The factual evidence made towards its case are rightfully in place, not taking away from its narrative. The documentary will either show a personal account on an incident, a graphic to visualize the event, or a commercial to display how the travesty is being hidden. Subtly following Tilikum's journey, as he is captured, he kills a trainer during a show, is sold to SeaWorld for some cash even though he killed a trainer, abused in captivity by other whales, used by SeaWorld to reproduce more infants, and is used by SeaWorld to preserve the good image of its star for merchandising purposes.
Although very good in its presentation, Blackfish is not a perfect documentary.

But for what it is, it is a film that helps raise awareness of what goes on behind the scenes. SeaWorld is not as fascinating as it seems. Blackfish is a film that strips away the image of fun from these parks, and shows the bitter reality of what goes on behind the fun commercials. Blackfish is a film that sheds light not only on the brutal mental and physical abuse that some of these whales go through when put into a compact area with other whales they are not familiar with, but also the horrendously deceptive, irresponsible, and dehumanizing way in which SeaWorld treats its trainers, the people who the public are supposed to trust to know exactly how to handle themselves in the event of an incident. The fact that the film conveys this to the viewer shows success. Something that led to a lack of success was only showing one side (their side) of the argument. The film's tagline is, "Never capture what you can't control." In essence, the film puts on notice a major corporation who makes its money by turning animals into performers and questions the validity of such practice with little regard to these

animals.
The growing influence of Blackfish shows that there is a growing fan base for documentaries overall. Although there is some debate over whether the Blackfish's accusations against whale captivity are fair/accurate, there is little doubt that it has had a profound effect on its audience. The greater level of availability and access to documentaries gives supporters exciting opportunities to promote awareness of the issues they care about. Documentaries are made to encourage discussion/debate, so they are the perfect place for fans to discuss the topics they love and are passionate about. The more passionate people are about their cause, the more the message will spread.