TV Review: Secrets of The Whales Is In Human Feelings
I always get extremely emotional watching nature documentaries because, frankly, we mistreat nature. Look at how humanity treats itself, and just imagine what we do to animals or the environment. They are all sentient but yet, because they don’t “feel” like us, we seemingly approve or ignore our destruction of them. Yes, I know this is an incredibly dark introduction to my review of the four-part, National Geogrpahic documentary, Secrets of The Whales, on Disney Plus, but this stunning piece on aquamarine life will make you rethink your apathy.
Humanity is narcissistic. Even religions, meant to promote love and humility, still put us at the center of life and thus power. Yet, it takes the director of Avatar, James Cameron, to remind viewers that this world is filled with worlds, and in those other worlds, like the ocean, humanity means nothing beyond how it invades such spaces. Hence, Cameron dives into the daily lives, routines, and endangerments of sea creatures such as, whales, belugas, and orcas to assure that, underwater, these animals are what “human beings” are to earth.
The whale is a dominant, almost mythic specimen. It is huge and ranges from extremely sweet to killer. It’s divisiveness in being dazzling and dangerous, in some ways, reminded me of humanity. As I watched stunning shots of them swimming and exploring their world in the same way I explore my city, I felt connected and saddened. Maybe, I’m going all Aquaman, but the fragility and serenity of their existences makes you feel protective of them. They have families, wants, needs, and wonder. They are, as I said, sentient in a way that makes you ponder how human beings are, literally, animals, and what makes us special is exactly what makes them so: feelings.
Often, humans tote “logic” as what makes us special and deserving of our authority over the earth. Yet, as Sigourney Weaver beautifully and tragically narrates the life of an endangered species in a dying ecosystem, killed by human choice, you have wonder to how “logical” can we claim to be while being so destructive. The Secrets of Whales builds these mammals as layered and magical, while also pushing viewers to be conscious of humanity’s impact upon them and their need for our advocacy. It is a marvelous, dire message that I hope many receive as they watch National Geographic’s Secrets of The Whales on Disney Plus This Earth Day. Subscribe to Disney Plus Here.
