Sea of Shadows

The comparison to a documentary thriller is really appropriate in the case of Sea of Shadows. The documentary follows the intense struggle of activists and agents against the illegal trade in meagre air bladders that threatens the lives of other species in the Gulf of California. At times the documentary has a truly dark, almost thriller-like atmosphere, and all involved deserve high praise for the courage with which they went about filming to draw attention to an issue that is overlooked by many. Illegal fishing linked to organised crime and Asian traffickers seems to be a really complex problem and it makes you shudder to see what people are capable of for money. I was intrigued by the work to rescue the porpoises, the implementation of which ran into all sorts of obstacles. On the one hand, the film points an erect index finger at human greed, recklessness and callousness, but on the other, it highlights the efforts of a group of people to make the world a better, more considerate and safer place. (02/10/2020)