If you're looking for a true story on Netflix to sink your teeth in to this week, you've got just days left to watch one film that's been described as 'the best documentary ever'.
Netflix never fails to deliver when it comes to true stories, with the streaming service most recently dropping a new documentary about the crimes of the Gilgo Beach serial killer.
But to make way for all of that new content, we have to bid goodbye to some of the platform's older titles - and that includes one particular film that was originally released in 2013.
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The movie centers around a killer whale named Tilikum which was held at SeaWorld after being separated from his mother when he was just two years old.
In 1991, Tilikum attacked a SeaWorld trainer named Dawn Brancheau, who tragically lost her life in the incident. Documentarian Gaberiela Cowperthwaite set out to make a film about what happened - but what emerged was a heartbreaking story about the whale and marine parks as a whole.
If this story is ringing a bell, it might be because the documentary, titled Blackfish, captivated viewers not only when it was first released, but also for years afterwards.
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"Blackfish is still the best documentary ever," one fan wrote on Twitter in 2020, as another added in 2022: "Blackfish documentary is [a] must watch."
With a score of 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Blackfish is still available to watch on Netflix for now, but the film is set to be removed from the streaming service on April 4 - so if you've not yet watched it, don't miss out.
The film is credited with creating widespread change in the US and across the globe, with PETA noting how SeaWorld faced more than half a dozen lawsuits from shareholders following its release.
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One of the lawsuits, which SeaWorld eventually settled for $65 million, featured allegations that the company had misled investors about the impact of Blackfish and the unethical treatment of the orcas at its parks.
Over the following years, other actions were taken to help protect orcas and marine life, including the passing of the Orca Protection Act in California in 2016. The act banned captive orca breeding and prevented any new orcas from being brought into the state.
Two years later, the world’s first beluga sanctuary opened in Iceland, and in 2019 Canada banned dolphin and whale captivity nationwide.
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News of another sanctuary came in 2020, when The Whale Sanctuary Project shared plans to build an establishment for rescued orcas and belugas off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Then, in March 2023, the Miami Seaquarium shared plans to move its lone orca, Lolita, to a seaside sanctuary.
In 2017, Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite spoke about the movie's success and how it sparked change.
She told Indie Wire: "I want the movie to activate them to do more. You can be an activist by not going to SeaWorld. You can do the right thing by not doing something."
Topics: Netflix, Film and TV, Animals
Emily Brown