Capsule Review: Blackfish

by allan tong for FILMbutton

In 2010 at the Seaworld amusement park in Orlando, Florida, trainer Dawn Brancheau was mauled and drowned by Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca whale. That horrific moment was no mere accident, claims this terrifying film. In fact, Tilikum was long suspected to be a dangerous whale and likely killed another trainer in British Columbia many years earlier. So, why was he allowed to perform all those years? That damning question is the center of this fine documentary which makes a powerful case against keeping animals in captivity to be used for human entertainment.

Allan is a Toronto filmmaker, co-directing Leone Stars, a documentary about child victims of the Sierra Leonean civil war.

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