The Cove

Dolphins are everywhere in the Japanese coastal town of Taiji: above tunnel entrances, on paving stones, along the boulevard. You could be forgiven for thinking that the dolphin is the local mascot, yet nothing could be further from the truth. Tourists may visit Taiji for tricks and cuddly toys, but in reality this is the most important port in the world for the dolphin trade. Dolphin activists Richard O'Barry, who trained the dolphins for the 1960s TV series but is now strongly opposed to all forms of captivity, and Louie Psihoyos, an underwater photographer for who is making his documentary debut with ,suspect that the biggest catching and killing operations take place in a bay surrounded by steep rocks. The authorities do everything they can to keep people away from this "cove." Psihoyos and his film crew place cameras there, disguising them as rocks and plants, and what they film defies believability. is an inspired, smoothly edited action documentary that takes a stand for the freedom of this hyper-intelligent species. The path to the scandalous revelations is a true thriller. Between the lines, Psihoyos exposes how Japan bribes developing countries to keep its dolphin economy going, and how the massive amounts of mercury in their meat is damaging the health of millions of people.