What Is The Central Message Of Blackfish

Blackfish: DROWING IN BIAS!!!!

The 2013 expository documentary Blackfish, directed by 2-time award-winning Gabriela Cowperthwaite, sheds light on SeaWorld’s abusive orca captivity program and the death of SeaWorld trainers by orcas such as Tilikum. Intended to educate and bring awareness to a wider audience, the documentary sends a powerful message that SeaWorld’s abuse and negligence towards orcas, blinded by their profit-hungry mentality, jeopardizes orca wellbeing and trainer safety. The film utilizes various techniques and persuasive devices to influence audiences and portray its bias agent SeaWorld that they are a heartless, greedy, and corrupt company.

Prior to watching the film, I had only heard little about its existence, often being

Through a compelling scene depicting SeaWorld's orca capture program, Cowperthwaite effectively convinces audiences of this message. The scene begins with the ominous sound of a helicopter, which creates a sense of violence and danger similar to that of a police chase. The high shot positions the civil whales as vulnerable prey, evoking empathy from viewers. Footage of the orcas swimming away while a boat follows also reinforces this predator-prey

The filmmakers employ emotive language to evoke strong emotions from the viewers. Phrases like ‘he basically just completely mutilated that poor girl’ elicit feelings of anger and sympathy towards Dawn and contribute to the negative portrayal of SeaWorld and its treatment of its trainers. Their use of quick cuts, including an underwater point-of-view shot, creates a sense of panic and fear, simulating what Dawn might have experienced during the incident. By juxtaposing this with shots of a whale thrashing around, the filmmakers imply that the whale's actions were directly responsible for Dawn's death, appealing to viewers' emotions and attributing blame to SeaWorld for their abuse toward Tilikum prior. The graphic presentation of medical findings with zoom-ins also further emphasizes the severity of the incident and serves to strengthen the emotional impact on the audience.

The documentary also suggests that SeaWorld shifted the blame onto Dawn Brancheau by labelling her death as ‘her mistake’ through not following proper safety precautions or having her long hair not tied up. This statement presents SeaWorld as unscrupulous and unsympathetic, containing its own bias. While there might be legitimate criticisms of SeaWorld's safety protocols or genuine uncertainty surrounding the incident; this specific point seems to