Page 2 - MidWeek Kauai - June 2, 2021

2 KAUA‘I MIDWEEK JUNE 2, 2021
Rotten
Stuck On An Octopus
BY CHRIS MCKINNEY
PAPAYAS
What is a life? In human terms, specifically mod- ern American, it’s growing up, going to school, getting a job, maybe raising some kids, getting old, maybe retir- ing, and you know, the whole death and taxes thing. For us, if we’re lucky, the process takes roughly 80 years. For our closest animal companion, the dog, it’s about an 11-year go. One of our worst enemies, vi- ruses, are microscopic organ- isms that can live up to a few months in a proper host. Trees? Some are thousands of years old. Clearly, on Earth, there isn’t a uniform life experience or expectancy. Nature docu- mentaries effectively remind us of this.
al curiosity, an acceptance of another’s presence.
erlessly watch from a distance. I tend to think that often peo- ple only value life that in some way resembles us. But for things we consume on a mass scale, all bets are off. Maybe we can only love a thing if we’re able to imagine cuddling
Directors for best documentary feature My Octopus Teacher Pippa Ehrlich, left, and James Reed, right, flank actress and award presenter Marlee Matlin at the 2021 Oscars, held April 25 in Los Angeles. AP PHOTO/CHRIS PIZZELLO, POOL
and colors of her skin, are viv- id. Even more remarkable than the cinematography is the oc- topus’s behavior. First, she begins to get used to Foster’s presence. Then, she begins to trust him. Soon after, she ac- tually reaches out to him and clings to him. They develop a relationship that doesn’t resemble pet/owner, victim/ protector. It’s more of a mutu-
Teacher features a creature that’s a loner, that won’t raise its young, that we frequently dine on, and that doesn’t make a peep. Despite all this, I dare you to watch this movie and not fall in love with this oc- topus. She is an extraordinary living thing.
filmmaker (producer Craig Foster) who returns home to reconnect with the Atlan- tic Ocean that nourished his childhood.
kid. In Foster’s case, the ocean. Before long, Foster is taking his camera on free dives. Soon after, he encounters a curious female octopus. Enthralled by the creature, he will return to her aquatic forest, her lair, for over 300 consecutive days.
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There’s also a believable, action-packed story here. This particular type of octopus has a life expectancy of only one to two years. During this journey, we see this octopus hunt and be hunted. She loses a leg. She grows it back. She wields an abalone shell like a shield. She gathers other scattered shells and wears them like body ar- mor. The octopus is a clever creature. It hides. It deceives. It learns. And like everything else, it inevitably diminishes. In the case of the octopus, it’s reproduction that ends her. Ironically, she’s killed by cre- ating life. Foster can only pow-
it or inhabiting its skin. Netflix’s My Octopus
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Last week, I watched one of the best I’ve seen in a long time: Academy Award-win- ning documentary My Octopus Teacher.
When the film began, I felt like I was watching the health- iest male midlife crisis I’d ever seen. Don’t buy a Porsche, do a bunch of drugs or date people half your age. Go back to the thing that made you happy as a
Shot in False Bay, South Af- rica, My Octopus Teacher isn’t a nature doc in the traditional sense. It’s about a burnt-out
The underwater shots in this film are amazing. The close- ups of the octopus, this liquid creature, changing the textures
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The dif- ficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest). Answers are on page 11
RATING: GOLD