East Ohio Conference

East Ohio Conference

≡
  • About Us
    • Welcome/Vision
    • Bishop's Office
    • Conference Staff
    • Districts/Churches
    • Annual Conference
    • Jurisdictional Conference
    • General Conference
    • General Agencies of The UMC
    • Christian Family Credit Union
    • Methodist Foundation of Ohio
  • Ministries
    • Connectional Ministries
    • Strategic Ministries
    • Missions & Community Engagement
    • Multicultural Ministries
    • Young People's Ministries
    • Higher Education
    • Camps & Retreat Ministries
    • Spiritual Formation
  • Disaster Response
    • Responding to Disasters
    • EOC Disaster Response Plan
    • Disaster Response Coordinators
    • Early Response Teams
  • Clergy
    • Pathways to Ministry
    • Board of Ministry
    • Order of Elders
    • Order of Deacons
    • Fellowship of Local Pastors
    • Retired Pastors
    • Clergy Directory
    • Clergy Well-Being
    • Changing Pastors?
    • Continuing Education
    • Sexual Ethics Policy
  • Laity
    • Pathways to Ministry
    • Board of Laity
    • Lay Leaders
    • Lay Servants
    • United Women in Faith
    • General Agencies of The UMC
  • Finance/Benefits
    • Financial & Administrative Services
    • Online Forms
    • Online Payments
    • Shared Ministry/Stewardship
    • Health Benefits
    • HealthFlex Wellness
    • Clergy Pensions
    • Death & Disability Benefits
  • Communications
    • About the Office
    • #BeUMC Campaign
    • Storyboard Podcast
    • Church Websites 411
    • Social Media 411
    • CCLI & CVLI Licensing
    • E-News
  • News
    • East Ohio News
    • E-News
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
  • Resources
    • Conference Journal
    • #BeUMC Campaign
    • CCLI & CVLI Licensing
    • Lighthouse Churches
    • Portico Online Learning
    • Resilient Leadership
    • Teach • Reach • Bless
    • Stand Against Racism
    • EOC Disaffiliation Pathway
    • Stand with Ukraine
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Online Worship Services
    • The Rule of Christ
    • Safe Sanctuaries
    • Message in Movies
    • Archives and History
    • General Agencies of The UMC
    • UMC Find-A-Church
  • Calendar
    • View Calendar
    • Suggest Calendar Event
  • Events Registration

Home | Message in the Movies

MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Film strip

My Octopus Teacher - On Netflix Streaming

halo halo halo halo halo pitchfork Rated TV-G

Documentary directed by Pippa Ehrlich & James Reed


If you are feeling tired of being housebound during this prolonged period of voluntary isolation, let me recommend My Octopus Teacher, a straightforward movie that tells the simple story of Craig Foster, a nature photographer, who separates himself from his family (during a rough patch in his life) to get his head together.

Foster retreats to a beloved spot in his past – the Atlantic Ocean on the southern tip of South Africa – and begins snorkeling in the icy water. One day he observes a strange occurrence: a group of shells moving together. Slowly he notices that the creature hiding behind the camouflage is a small female octopus. Intrigued, he returns the next day to the same spot and watches the creature again. Over time, the octopus becomes more comfortable with him and allows him to get closer. Eventually Foster develops a friendship with the octopus and a relationship that will last for almost a year.

My Octopus Teacher employs first person narration by Foster combined with incredibly beautiful photography that reveals the color and wonder of the underwater world. You could call it a talking head / eight arms documentary. There are some exciting scenes in which the octopus has to defend herself against predators, but most of the film is filled with new oceanic discoveries that Foster makes the longer he keeps returning to the same spot.

A number of recent books (by Peter Godfrey-Smith, Sy Montgomery, and Frans De Waal) have noted the high intelligence of the octopus and this film makes a strong case for that belief. While My Octopus Teacher is certainly sentimental at times, it avoids the wacky (and often entertaining) anthropomorphism of Disney Nature films. The octopus is never given a name.

I am curious about how younger children might react to a movie without a pumped-up narrative, but I am inclined to think that the colors, smooth movement, and understated music score might provide soothing comfort to them. It worked for me!

My Octopus Teacher is a great commentary to place alongside the psalmist’s hymn of praise: “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.” (Psalm 104: 24-25)

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Five halos: A beautiful film of the natural world that inspires awe and wonder.
One pitchfork: Mean sharks.

Comment:

Do you have comments about this movie or movie review? E-mail your comments. (Your name and UM affiliation must be supplied in order for your comments to be posted.)

 

≡
  • Current Review
  • Past Reviews

 

Bryant

Reviews by
Rev. Bruce Batchelor-Glader

COMMENTS! Do you have comments about this movie or movie review?
E-mail comments. (Comments will be posted to our web site.)

The East Ohio Conference Office:
located in North Canton, OH,
near Akron-Canton Airport.

Address:
8800 Cleveland Ave. NW
North Canton, OH 44720

Phones/Fax:
Local: (330) 499-3972
Toll Free: (800) 831-3972
Fax: (330) 499-3279

Office Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

 

  • Facebook Instagram Twitter Vimeo Flickr

  • Bishop's Office
  • Districts and Churches
  • Conference Staff
  • POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:
  • Safe Sanctuaries
  • Sexual Ethics
  • CCLI & CVLI Licensing
  • Terms of Use Policies
  • RESOURCES:
  • Conference Journal
  • E-News
  • News Archives
  • Archives and History
  • EAST OHIO CONFERENCE
  • 8800 Cleveland Ave. NW
  • North Canton, OH 44720 Map
  • (800) 831-3972
  • www.eocumc.com

East Ohio Conference Logo© EAST OHIO CONFERENCE. All Rights Reserved.