Tanítóm, a polip

Minden tudományos dokumentum háttérbe szorult. Még ha csak egy víz alatti dokumentumfilm is lenne egy polipról és az ember barátságáról, akkor is kiemelkedne a vele átélt helyzetek sokféleségével és egyedülálló oktatási értékével. A nézőnek nem csak elmondják és megmutatják a tényeket, hanem a szerző szívének és őszinteségének köszönhetően vele együtt felfedezőjévé válik a tényeknek. A Tanítóm, a polip című film azonban érzelmi hatásában, tematikai összetettségében és a dokumentumfilmes életével való összefonódottságában ennél sokkal több. Ha legutóbb Alex Honnold vehette át a dokumentumfilmes Oscar-díjat az emberi szellem erejéért a hegymászó teljesítményében, akkor most Craig Fosternek kellene a díjat megkapnia két nagyon különböző faj törékeny találkozásának ábrázolásáért és életútjuk egyesítő párhuzamainak költői leírásáért. (2020.10.27)

Okay, I suspected I might fall into the category of individuals who could theoretically be moved to tears by the life story of an octopus, but I'm still surprised at how much I've come to relate to it. A beautifully filmed, perfectly wonderful story. The underwater world is absolutely fascinating and humanity still knows so little about it. One of the most beautiful and moving documentaries I've ever seen. (2020.11.30)

When I recently watched the series Animals, it was the Octopus that intrigued me the most, hiding many secrets under their omnivorous tentacles. My Octopus Teacher doesn't rely on its visual sophistication, as is often the case with animal documentaries, but tries to engage with content instead of form. We follow two life journeys – human and cephalopod – where the latter takes on a very fatal quality given that the lifespan of octopuses is not very long. At times, I did feel that Craig Foster was pushing his feelings too hard and projecting his disposition too "violently" onto his eight-headed "buddy", but on the other hand, you cannot deny his genuine passion for what he does. Octopuses are truly admirable creatures – be it their intelligence, their wit, their mimicry, the way they hunt, or their fatal dedication to their offspring. (2022.11.26)

I don’t care at all its shortcomings as a documentary (i.e. sweet sentimentality), the only type of person who can not like this is someone whose heart was stolen in grade school and never got it back. Unprecedented, beautifully shot and proving that the connection of ugly people with beautiful nature is possible. (2021.01.15)

This is a fragile and completely unique documentary about an unexpected friendship between a curious cephalopod and a burnt-out filmmaker who spent most of his life with him while daily diving. The film is an original, emotional and sometimes thrilling connection between the world of people and the world of animals, finding unifying parallels in the lives of both protagonists and casually encouraging understanding of nature from a completely different point of view. (2021.01.04)