“A Whale of a Tale” (2018) is a documentary about the controversy surrounding the Taiji dolphin hunt and it is meant as a response to the 2009 Oscar-winning anti-whale hunting documentary, “The Cove.” The film director, Megumi Sasaki, was disgusted by the communication breakdown that occurred between the people of Taiji and the activists/ film makers and she wanted to present a more balanced view of the issue, listening deeply to both sides (or at least the humans’ perspectives as the whales/dolphins suffer silently).
I respect Megumi Sasaki as a filmmaker as I watched her wonderful documentary about amateur art collectors called “Herb & Dorothy,” which was well made, entertaining, and deeply moving. I just purchased “A Whale of a Tale” on Amazon and plan to watch it this weekend. After that, I’ll report my reactions to it in this blog.
A student in a seminar I’m teaching (at a private university in Tokyo) on research and critical thinking recommended a Taiji-related documentary, directed by another female Japanese filmmaker, Keiko Yagi.
Although “The Cove” may have presented a rather one-sided view of the issue form the activists’ and dolphins’/ whales’ perspectives, Keiko Yagi’s documentary, “Behind the Cove” seems to parrot the talking points of Japan Fisheries Agency and vilifies activists, portraying anyone who opposes the annual slaughter of dolphins/whales in Taiji as a Japan basher and someone who couldn’t possibly respect Japanese culture and traditions, neglecting the fact that many Japanese also oppose the slaughter. I plan to watch this documentary as well and report on it in this blog too. Stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment