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Sharkwater
is a gutsy, provocative, and at times irritating documentary which
focuses on the plight of sharks, those fascinating and wondrous
inhabitants of the deep blue sea who have withstood evolution and
managed to survive for over 400 million years (150 million years
before the dinosaurs), all the while drawing fear and awe from us
humans who have almost brought the revered species to the brink
of extinction.
The film could be seen in three parts: the first attempts to debunk
the myths surrounding sharks, namely that they are mindless killing
machines which are to be feared, an attitude brought on by Steven
Spielberg's 1975 monster classic Jaws.
Throughout the film, various statistics (such as shark attacks have
only resulted in an average of 5 deaths per year, and that vending
machines kill more people per year than sharks) are accompanied
by hilarious and often disturbing footage, such as a mind boggling
U.S. Navy military exercise from the 1960's, and an interview with
Australian shark hunter Vic Hislop, whose claims that sharks will
kill anyone who approaches them is cheekily countered by presenter
/ writer / director Rob Stewart swimming in shark infested waters
with only his trunks on. However, I could not help but think how
game would Stewart be to swim with a Tiger Shark or Great White?
I would imagine that he would pass on the opportunity, but we'll
never know since Stewart seems to prefer the company of reef sharks.
The second part of Sharkwater takes an unflinching look at
the extermination of the shark species and other marine life. Stewart
alleges that a major factor in the millions of shark deaths per
year is due to the high demand for shark fins with Asian countries,
with shark fin soup bringing a sign of wealth (at $200 U.S. a pound)
and respect to any who slurp up the tasteless froth.
Also of high demand are shark pills which are believed to cure the
sick, a stance backed by the pseudo-scientific ramblings of those
who back the shark fin industry.
Throughout his investigation Stewart finds rampant corruption brought
on by the Taiwanese mafia who bankroll the shark fin industry in
Costa Rica. Accompanying Stewart's narration is unflinching footage
of the slaughter of sharks, whales, turtles, and seals, as well
as the impact that long line fishing has in the once shark protected
waters of the Galapagos Islands.
Things start to get icky, however, when Stewart is joined by the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society led by Captain Paul Watson, who
have made a name for themselves in Australia for standing up to
the Japanese whaling fleets who has planned to slaughter thousands
of whales for "scientific research".
Watson is shown - under the orders of the Costa Rican government
- using his large vessel to put a stop to illegal long line fishing,
often with violent means as his ship rams fishing boats till they
give up, or - in some reported cases - sink.
It is an equally interesting, thrilling, and appalling thing to
watch as he slams his ship into smaller fishing vessels in an attempt
to halt their mission. Supposedly the risk of human deaths at his
hand does not register as an equally absurd offence to nature, as
is the taking of marine life at the hands of fisherman. Just as
interesting is Watson's contradictory and atheistic inspired comments
which slams the human race as madmen with self descried aspirations
of divinity, and then goes on to praise those within his organization
as eco-warriors who play the role of martyr for mother nature.
The third part of Sharkwater focuses on the life story of
Stewart, a passionate conservative, marine biologist, and deft wildlife
photographer who provides gorgeous underwater photography of the
alien world which is the ocean. Yet his presence - imagine Tom Cruise
meets Derrick
Zoolander - distracts rather than enhances the
film, and while his passion is commendable, his screen persona does
not do the film - which could have been the An Inconvenient
Truth of marine documentaries - any favours.
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