Tag: Biographical
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The Elephant Whisperers. Dir. Kartiki Gonsalves. Sikhya Entertainment. 2022
“Everything about him is human, except that he cannot talk” The Oscar winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers depicts the unique relationship between a Kattunayakan couple and an orphaned elephant in the Thepakadu Elephant Camp. After the mother of the young elephant is killed by an electric fence, Raghu is assigned to the care of Bellie…
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My Octopus Teacher. Dir. Pippa Ehrlich & James Reed. Netflix. 2020
‘A lot of people say an octopus is like an alien. But the strange thing is, as you get closer to them, you realize that we’re very similar in a lot of ways.’ There is a popular saying among marine biologists that ‘we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about…
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My Octopus Teacher. Dir. Pippa Ehrlich & James Reed. Netflix. 2020
“She was teaching me to become sensitized to the other.” The biographical documentary ‘My Octopus Teacher’ follows the unique relationship between wildlife filmmaker Craig Foster and an octopus living on the Western Cape of South Africa. As the film unfolds, the octopus becomes accustomed to Foster’s presence and what starts as curiosity blossoms into an…
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Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. Dir. Tom Ellery and Bradley Raymond. Walt Disney Home Video. 1998.
In Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, Pocahontas voyages to England with John Rolfe, an English diplomat. She must stop the villainous Governor Ratcliffe’s manipulation of King James and prevent the King from declaring war on the Native Americans. As expected in a Disney film, she just happens to fall in love with Rolfe…
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Penguin Bloom. Dir. Glendyn Ivin. Netflix, Inc. 2021.
Inspired by true events, Penguin Bloom tells the story of Sam Bloom, a mother and wife who became paralysed after a serious accident. As she struggles through a difficult recovery, a small miracle occurs, a magpie called Penguin enters the Bloom family, changing the course of their lives forever. This scruffy looking creature builds an…
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The One and Only Ivan. Dir. Thea Sharrock. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. 2020.
As the name of the film suggests, The One and Only Ivan showcases the individuality of animals and their much-like human personas, highlighting the injustice of their captivity. Standing out from Disney’s animated catalogue, the use of CGI (computer-generated) animals encourages the audience to interpret the unexaggerated personality of the animal protagonist by presenting them…
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Pocahontas. Dir. Eric Goldberg and Mike Gabriel. The Walt Disney Company. 1995.
In Pocahontas, the animosity between Meeko, the Native American raccoon and Percy, the English pug is a microcosm of the conflict between the Native and English humans. The animals are comic foils, providing family-friendly slapstick relief from human violence. However, the inclusion of animals adds meaning beyond just comedic value. The animals and humans both…
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Can You Ever Forgive Me? Dir. Marielle Heller. Fox Searchlight Pictures. 2018.
Hellers’ biopic Can You Ever Forgive Me (1) is about struggling writer Lee Israel who, to finance her cat’s vet bills, becomes a master forger of literary letters. Impersonating figures such as Noël Coward and Dorothy Parker, Lee earns herself a pretty penny and, eventually, a criminal record. Protagonist Lee, played by Melissa McCarthy, is…
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Grizzly Man. Dir. Werner Herzog. Lions Gate Films. 2005.
A fascinating aspect about Werner Herzog’s exploration of the life of Timothy Treadwell and his relationships with the wild grizzly bears of Alaska is his investigation of the way Treadwell interpreted the animal world, and the extent to which this reveals aspects to his character. A scene which exemplifies this interpretation is when we’re shown…