BLACKFISH at Govinda's - 24th January 2014

Ventured over to Darlinghurst last night to see 'BLACKFISH' at Govinda's. Two things here, and I'll start with the latter first. This was my first time at Govinda's for a different cinematic experience. Govinda's is located in the Sydney city suburb of Darlinghurst in a totally unassuming building. It has two screens and a vegetarian Indian restaurant where for just $19.50 you can eat to your heart's content, and then for just another $10.00 enjoy a movie of your choice - liking this already and great value! When you're done eating you make your way to your seat (but not what you'll expect here!). Your seat could be a nice comfortable easy chair, a bean bag, a futon, a sofa or a mattress and pillows on the floor - it's like seeing a movie at your own home theatre with all the comforts of home. Check it out - it's great food, fun, quirky, comfortable and relaxing!

Now to the main event - 'BLACKFISH'. 

This is the true story of a 5,000+kg orca killer whale named 'Tilikum' captured at a young age in the early 70's and carted off to 'Sealand' on Vancouver Island to be 'trained' to jump, dive, and perform various tricks and feats for paying customers to this water park. Back then this was all very rudimentary stuff and we find our orca penned up in a pool that is about 30x20x20 meters gradually going more & more stir crazy . . . surprised, not really! Needless to say Tilikum turns on one of its trainers and kills him, but this is glossed over by Sealand.

In the mid-80's Tilikum is transferred to 'Seaworld' in Orlando where the same performing requirements, the same misery and the eventual same outcome all happens again! What follows over the ensuing 20 years is a catalogue of attacks, maimings and trainer deaths - amounting to several deaths over a 30 years period and attacks that are north of 70 in number. This though is just not isolated to this one animal and this one water park. Orca's are beautiful, graceful, intelligent, emotional creatures that have never ever turned on a human in open water in its own natural environment, but, put them in a cage for 25 years make them perform tricks, give them fish when they perform well, deprive them and punish them when the don't, take their children away at a young age, harvest them for their sperm because that has value, and expect them to integrate with other orca's with whom they have no connection . . . then something's gonna give, and it did in 2010! In 2010 the lead trainer at Seaworld who had a long standing 'relationship' with Tilikum was dragged under the water and eaten!

This is a harrowing, heart wrenching, sombre and sad story that is an indictment on the human race that we can allow such barbaric treatment of these magnificent creatures (and others) to continue for the sake of our entertainment. This is a must watch, and take your children along because they need to see this, understand it, and help make a difference in years to come!

As a foot note, Tilikum still 'lives' at Seaworld but the closing shots of this movie see a sad empty shell of an animal that after approaching 40 years in captivity has nothing left to give, nor wants to. Sad, but very true! Thought provoking stuff and a must watch!


-Steve, at Odeon Online-