This isn't about Finland, but it does concern my life in Finland. I went to see The Cove today at FinnKino. The Cove is nominated for an Oscar as a documentary. I highly recommend this movie. I was reluctant to see it in Concord. I was afraid it would be too depressing. I was wrong...the movie is uplifting. The documentary revolves around Ric O'Barry, the trainer for the Flipper series. His mea culpa is affecting and heartfelt. He believes that the popularity of Flipper lead to the huge proliferation of dophinariums and the captivity of animals possibly more intelligent than man.
The most disturbing part of the movie is the role of the Japanese government in supporting the slaughter of dolphins. The Japanese government goes so far as to conceal the mercury content in the dolphin meat that is being donated to primary schools.
A marine version of Food, Inc., the Cove has a cautionary lesson about the decimation of the fisheries. The movie indicates that the Japanese government has told the fisherman that the dolphins are pests consuming the ocean's fish and therefore threatening the food supply to Japan.
Don't plan to go out for sushi after you see The Cove. You might be rushing home to run the mercury calculator on the website instead.
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