The Cove

The Cove (2009) is Louie Psihoyos' documentary, available to watch online on iFILM. A crew of divers and camera operators slips into a sealed-off inlet near the Japanese town of Taiji to record what the locals work hard to keep unseen.

At the center is Ric O'Barry, the trainer who once caught and tamed the dolphins for the TV show Flipper, then flipped his whole life around after one of them died in his arms. Now he guides the team as they plant cameras hidden inside fake rocks, drop hydrophones and aim thermal lenses at the water. The footage they smuggle out explains why the fishermen want no witnesses: dolphins herded in, a few picked off for aquariums, the rest slaughtered.

It's shot like a genuine heist thriller, where arrest is a real risk and the camera operator is actually holding his breath underwater. The film took the Academy Award for best documentary feature and forced Taiji into headlines worldwide. Tough, unsettling and made to confront you. Stream The Cove (2009) online on iFILM.