<p>Liberia, West Africa. The vast expanse of the ocean is bathed in golden sunlight, and a lone fisherman is contemplating life on the shore. Idyllic much? If only. He looks into the camera and says, “These days, when I throw, I catch plastic.”</p>.<p>Earlier in the documentary, we see the ocean floor — dazzling colours, extraordinarily beautiful creatures, animals that look like plants and little shimmering beings, all in a symbiotic relationship. And then we see an ‘after’. A ravaged, grey ocean floor resembling a post-apocalyptic scene of devastation. This ‘after’ is because we love to eat scallops. A monstrous scallop dredger ploughs through the ocean floor, destroying everything else in its wake, over and over again. Such dredging, if you are wondering, is completely legal and in some countries, subsidised by the government.</p>.<p>This is how blunt, bleak and gorgeously shot David Attenborough’s new documentary is. Perhaps the to-be-centenarian’s swan song. And what a powerful cry it is. A celebration of everything the ocean is, the documentary is also a stark uncovering of our recklessness, greed, and sheer stupidity that is pushing all of us to the edge. Attenborough appears pensive and yet hopeful. “I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.” As we gape at never-before-seen footage of deep-sea exploitation and coral bleaching, realisation dawns that much of what is happening deep inside the ocean has been invisible to us for too long. Attenborough sternly, movingly, pleads with us to open our eyes. And save ourselves. </p>.<p>Watch with your children. We owe it to the ocean and to ourselves. </p>
<p>Liberia, West Africa. The vast expanse of the ocean is bathed in golden sunlight, and a lone fisherman is contemplating life on the shore. Idyllic much? If only. He looks into the camera and says, “These days, when I throw, I catch plastic.”</p>.<p>Earlier in the documentary, we see the ocean floor — dazzling colours, extraordinarily beautiful creatures, animals that look like plants and little shimmering beings, all in a symbiotic relationship. And then we see an ‘after’. A ravaged, grey ocean floor resembling a post-apocalyptic scene of devastation. This ‘after’ is because we love to eat scallops. A monstrous scallop dredger ploughs through the ocean floor, destroying everything else in its wake, over and over again. Such dredging, if you are wondering, is completely legal and in some countries, subsidised by the government.</p>.<p>This is how blunt, bleak and gorgeously shot David Attenborough’s new documentary is. Perhaps the to-be-centenarian’s swan song. And what a powerful cry it is. A celebration of everything the ocean is, the documentary is also a stark uncovering of our recklessness, greed, and sheer stupidity that is pushing all of us to the edge. Attenborough appears pensive and yet hopeful. “I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.” As we gape at never-before-seen footage of deep-sea exploitation and coral bleaching, realisation dawns that much of what is happening deep inside the ocean has been invisible to us for too long. Attenborough sternly, movingly, pleads with us to open our eyes. And save ourselves. </p>.<p>Watch with your children. We owe it to the ocean and to ourselves. </p>