Movie review
September 4, 2020 · 85 min · G
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for My Octopus Teacher.
Woke representation / casting
This is a documentary built around real individuals in their actual environment with no casting decisions or diversity signaling present.
Woke political dialogue
The voiceover and story contain only personal reflections on nature, healing, and animal life with zero political statements or activist language.
Identity-driven story themes
The core story follows human-animal connection, personal resilience, and natural behaviors with no elements of race, gender, sexuality, or identity politics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film offers no critiques of institutions, patriarchy, capitalism, or Western norms; it presents a positive, apolitical view of individual connection to the wild.
Review
My Octopus Teacher is a 2020 Netflix documentary that follows South African filmmaker and naturalist Craig Foster as he develops a year-long bond with a wild female octopus while swimming daily in the cold kelp forests off the coast of Africa. The film uses stunning underwater footage and Foster’s personal narration to explore themes of resilience, healing from burnout, animal intelligence, and the simple wonder of the natural world. The story stays focused on interspecies connection and quiet appreciation for marine life with no visible identity politics, gender messaging, political lectures, or activist framing.
Woke character or canon changes
This is an original documentary based on real events with no established characters, source material, or historical figures being altered for ideological reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No significant public complaints accuse the film of pushing woke, DEI, or identity-driven content; existing criticism stays limited to animal ethics and narrative choices.
Creator track record context
The main creatives have long careers in nature documentaries and marine conservation work centered on ocean protection and human connection to the wild, but they show no pattern of identity politics, DEI advocacy, or social-justice activism.
Production
