Animal cruelty and lack of care by human beings is a widespread issue across the world. Many animals are held captive in isolated regions and exploited for routine economic gains by wealth companies. When marine mammals, such as orca whales, are removed from the huge ocean and placed in metal tanks, they are likely to feel lonely and isolated from their territory. As with humans, these intelligent and gregarious animals (orca whales) are subjected to physical, mental, and emotional harm without considering their safety or survival. Some view it as entertainment, while others view it as an educational opportunity. In actuality, it is unethical to conduct motivated primarily by financial gain. The film explains why keeping animals in captivity is cruel by stating various issues such as inflicting injuries on trainers and denying animals the opportunity to stay in their natural habitat.
Capturing animals and keeping them in captivity has posed several impacts on their existence. However, the film Blackfish influenced the number of tourists in the United States, which can be attributed to the calls to stop the mistreatment of animals (BlackFish 00:58:00-00:60:00). After the documentary was released, Florida experienced one of the significant occurrences in 2014 as there was a SeaWorld record drop of tourists by one million. In addition, the film exposed the circumstances in which orcas remained in captivity, which displayed a cruel act dangerous to the animals and their trainers.
The film Blackfish explores the conditions of orcas, sometimes known as “killer whales,” in SeaWorld’s theme parks. The video focuses on the whale Tilikum, blamed for three humans’ deaths. As told by Cowperthwaite, a whale’s unpredictable and hazardous nature is exacerbated by brutal imprisonment that stunts the complex and highly intelligent social life they are expected to enjoy on the wide seas (BlackFish 00:46:00-00:48:00). This forces them to live in relatively tiny tanks with groups of other cultures, which disrupts families and destroys social order.
The document uses various ways in a successful attempt to champion the rights of animals. First, there is dramatism of the real activities as the reader is invited to connect and identify with the activities in the film as they are connected to their lives. After achieving the objective of luring viewers to identify with the experiences in the film, the persuasive nature takes its effects as events change. This decision to set Blackfish’s story in the “actual” world resonates most strongly when the film unveils its tragedy. The trainers who perish are portrayed as genuine individuals who are friends with the on-screen characters. Similarly, the seeming reality of suffering whales and a theme park that prioritizes profit over the welfare of its animals and trainers make their plights all the more relevant.
The first scene in Blackfish is shown with a strong impact to amplify and dramatize it. From the documentary’s opening scene to the use of SeaWorld show recording to the depictions of the trainers, it is clear that the documentary is made in a theme park. This is linked to the subsequent fantasies of an impressive and monumental nature that humans probably control. In contrast to the intriguing fantasy universe of a theme park, the realism of large animals that escape their trainers’ control and the realism of death are presented to appear more real (BlackFish 00:36:00-00:37:00). People visit theme parks to enjoy their lack of realism; thus, proof that captors are deceiving tourists serves to heighten the film’s tragedy. The second scene, which now rhetorically positions the film as extremely real, imbues the rest of the film with an impression of veracity and a profound connection to a world many are familiar with.
As the story shifts from scene to character, viewers are also subtly but forcibly encouraged to identify with the orcas, consider them similar to humans, and perceive their confinement to a real-world prison. So, as the film’s “neuroscientist” Lori Marino claims, the Orca brain shouts out intellect and consciousness. She goes into detail about putting orcas in MRI machines, and in turn, we see “science” as invoking pictures of computer displays displaying brain scans and schematics of brain components (Cowperthwaite). The film describes how Orca babies and their mothers experience emotional devastation after separation. The emotional appeal of motherhood as the center of attention invites the audience to imagine human maternal care and relate it to the real world in order to sympathize with the Orcas. Additionally, viewers are shown that those who lie are not strangers. In parks, like Sea world, people visit for enjoyment and relaxation, but this is where animals are being denied their right to space and existence.
In conclusion, the film successfully explains the disadvantages associated with the captivity of animals. First, animals can exhibit erratic behaviors, which can cause harm to them or the environment due to disappointment. Additionally, some animals can show aggression and psychotic responses if their movements are restricted. Humans keep these animals these animals mainly for entertainment and to earn enormous profits from tourists. They rarely consider that the animals deserve to be given space to say on their own in their natural habitats. The film Blackfish persuaded many to contemplate the need to stop keeping animals in captivity.
Work Cited
“BlackFish 2013 Full movie” YouTube, uploaded by Movie times /By Osm, Web.