LIFE & CULTURE

Netflix’s ‘My Octopus Teacher’ Is The Oddly Wholesome Documentary To Soothe Your 2020 Blues

Get the tissues ready!

While 2020 has certainly brought plenty of odd moments, there has been nothing quite like Netflix’s latest documentary that’s taking the internet by storm.

Enter: My Octopus Teacher.

Who would have thought that the unlikely bond between a man and an octopus would have us both overjoyed and heartbroken at the same time? Well, with a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems like many people do.

And as we continue to look for the positives in one of the worst years on record, solace can be found—even if it’s in the love between a man and an octopus. 

Intrigued? Keep reading for everything you need to know about the film, from the plot to where you can stream it in Australia.

My Octopus Teacher
(Credit: Netflix)

What Is the Plot of My Octopus Teacher?

Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher follows the documentarian Craig Foster who felt burnt out and depressed by his work. Choosing to fix the problem, he decided to put a halt on his career and use the time to reconnect with nature.

Making a pact with himself to swim every day in the freezing waters off Cape Town, South Africa, Foster risked his life to swim in the kelp forests beneath the water. Said forests are some of the most predator dense on Earth, with the water temperature dropping to approximately eight degrees Celsius.

The documentary sees the bond form between Foster and a female octopus, as he observes its behavioural changes and her growing trust of him, with the pair forming a bond unlike anything you’ve probably seen before.

In an interview with CNN, Foster spoke of their intimacy, saying: “It’s not like you are in a Jeep and arrive upon a hunting scene on land. In the water it’s intimate.”

“When she chooses to let you into her world… it’s a very, very special moment of not just being accepted, but that your presence to her also feels natural, like you belong in that space with her.”

Fascinating, right? Check out the trailer below to see for yourself.

WATCH BELOW: My Octopus Teacher Trailer

Where To Watch My Octopus Teacher In Australia

You can watch the full documentary of My Octopus Teacher on Netflix.

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