10 Reasons To Stay Calm And Watch 'My Octopus Teacher'

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

If the word ‘turbulent’ is remotely applicable to the way things are going in your life right now, I beseech you to find a moment to watch an 85-minute long documentary on Netflix about an octopus. I had seen the documentary pop up on my social media, recommended by friends but without much elaboration other than variations of ‘beautiful’. Curious, I gave it a go, and what an instantly profound experience it was. My Octopus Teacher is a reminder of why there are publications and platforms like National Geographic and the Discovery Channel out there. Our fascination and awe of animals are ingrained in us as humans and if we take the time in our lives to immerse ourselves fully in nature—as the subject of My Octopus Teacher endeavours—perhaps it would make us all more understanding and better creatures ourselves. 

If you need more reasons to watch My Octopus Teacher, here are 10: 

1. This underwater documentary took 10 years to make. 
2. It opens on the premise of someone who’s lost his sense of purpose and is struggling to find fulfilment in his former hobbies and existing roles and relationships.
3. The subject decides to revisit the past time of freediving in the cold-water kelp forests of South Africa. This environment is simply outerworldy with its colours and marine life. The footage will distract you from your realities for the following 80 minutes. 
4. The subject, who narrates the film, has the kind of voice you’d want to lead you in meditation. 
5. The first moment he sees “her”, she’s “invisible”.
6. The first moment of contact and trust will hit you right in the heart, and then every moment of contact thereafter also. 
7. In addition to changing colours, octopuses have the incredible ability to display horns, which I now inexplicably covet.
8. The subject visits his octopus every day for almost the entirety of her life.
9. The common octopus, or octopus vulgaris, has a lifespan of only about one to two years. 
10. Learn what a pyjama shark is and why it’s called that. 

See also: 5 Documentaries To Watch This Month If You’re Not Into Holiday Films