Sharkwater (2007)

Outside of Shark Week of the Discovery Channel, nowhere else have I seen such intense interest in sharks. This 2007 documentary is directed by and stars Rob Stewart, a Canadian underwater photographer. Some have called this film the "anti-Jaws" and rightly so. Stewart treats the audience to stunning moving images while debunking common shark myths, but his story really picks up with his investigation into illegal shark finning with the crew of an oceanic watchdog group.

Nothing will stop him from exposing the reality of what is happening to the sharks - not threats, charges filled against him, getting banned from a country, or flesh-eating bacteria. Although Stewart's message is powerful - full of looming danger and the balance of life on Earth - there comes a point where the audience could easily feel sorry for him while losing some belief in his credibility. About three quarters of the way in, Stewart walks the fine line of obsession. This is demonstrated not only by his willingness to put his own life at severe risk, but also more simply in his near-constant use of the word "sharks" - at one point about seven times in two minutes.

Luckily his overarching message and imagery are stronger. The end leaves you feeling simultaneously like you need to do something to save the sharks and yet like this shark issue is so huge you can't help but feel a bit helpless. Sharkwater has won 31 international awards (mostly at film festivals) and it's easy to see why.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Everyone (unless you don't want your kids to see people cutting off fins of very much alive sharks)

Extended Review: Despite Stewart's over-self-insertion, I still have to give him props for getting the bigger picture than just the immediate danger to the shark population. He actually gets into what can happen if the food chain is disrupted by the lack of a high-level predator and how that can affect many living organisms all the way down to those that metabolize carbon dioxide into oxygen. This brings the idea of humans hurting sharks all the way back to humans hurting themselves. And isn't it always interesting to learn something about ourselves?