From the Wild Sea

As a Geology student and environmentalist, I was immediately drawn to the film after reading the synopsis above. From the Wild Sea by Robin Petré is a film about the efforts of rescue volunteers across the coastline of Europe in helping marine animals and birds heal from their injuries. The film captures the relationship between humans and nature with static frames and weaves into it the sounds of the wild sea, the wind, birds and animals. The stillness of the camera and the absence of the background score add to the eerie feeling of the story that is being presented. 

The film shows a close account of some animals and birds that have been brought in with injuries and how they are being looked after. The volunteers and doctors examine them, give them medication, food and care to heal. They are also cleaned, washed and dried before being sent back to the sea. Unfortunately, sometimes some animals don’t make it and the stuff that kills them is mostly human litter like a piece of plastic and wires. The film brings forth some urgent issues that are plaguing sea life like human littering, contamination, fuel and oil spills and pollution. A shot of swans swimming in the foreground and a huge ship moving in the same direction in the background is truly impactful in this sense. 

Similarly, the climate crisis is increasingly causing storms that end up harming thousands of animals. Perhaps the most terrifying shot of the film is the one with the eye of a whale. A 19-metre mammal washes up to the coast and as you watch the magnificent animal breathe its last, its blood mixing with the seawater, you are left with a sad, hopeless feeling. This film shows a mirror to the human race and how our actions are affecting so many lives on the planet. A film that everyone needs to watch. 

Reviewed by Nikita Zankar