AN OCEAN LOVE AFFAIR

A Cape Town filmmaker’s close encounters with an octopus have resulted in an exquisite film that’s receiving rave reviews the world over

- JOANIE BERGH

IT STARTED off as a daily swim in the icy sea near Simon’s Town in the Western Cape – no wetsuit or scuba gear, just his swimming trunks, flippers, and a diving mask.

And what began as a way to get back from the brink of burnout turned out to be a life-changing experience that would inspire millions around the globe.

Filmmaker Craig Foster took to the sea every day, hoping the water would breathe new life into him.

“I just wanted to be close to nature again as I was when I was growing up,” Craig says. “That was all I needed.”

A few days into his sea odyssey, the change he so badly needed presented itself in the form of a spotted octopus with a head the size of brinjal. Craig couldn’t have guessed it at the time, but this encounter would be the start of a beautiful love story that would grip the hearts and minds of people the world over: the friendship between a 52-year-old man and an octopus.

Within its first week on Netflix, this uniquely South African tale, My Octopus Teacher, was among the top five most-watched shows on the streaming service.

The documentary is a hot talking point at film festivals and among countless film critics worldwide – and it’s changing the way people see the sea creature.

“It was simply stunning and heartbreaking,” says critic Wojciech Diduszko, who recently saw the film at the Millennium Docs Against Gravity film festival in Poland. “I won’t eat octopus anymore.”