One of the most haunting documentaries I’ve ever seen leaves Netflix soon — stream it before it’s too late

Prior to 2013, the first movie title that would jump into my head when I'd catch sight of an orca — rarely in person, obviously, but often onscreen — was, naturally, "Free Willy."

But that all changed when I saw "Blackfish," an incredibly affecting animal documentary that horrifying and heartbreakingly shines a bright light on the inhumane treatment of performance whales at sea-life theme parks.

Directed by American documentarian Gabriela Cowperthwaite, "Blackfish" is one of the most stirring yet stomach-turning nature documentaries I've ever seen. It's a cautionary tale about what happens when you disregard nature — not only by removing the so-called killer whales from their natural environment for human entertainment but also by warping their natural behaviors through confinement to sadly fatal outcomes.

What is 'Blackfish' about?

Blackfish Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Documentary Movie HD - YouTube

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At the center of director Gabriela Cowperthwaite's engrossing investigation into the lives of captive killer whales at marine parks like SeaWorld is Tilikum, a notoriously aggressive male orca that killed three people while living in captivity.

The doc chronicles the whale's capture as an infant in 1983 from his natural habitat off the coast of Iceland, to the spine-chilling conditions the animal was forced to live in at Canada's Sealand of the Pacific, leading up to the disturbing circumstances that saw the whale drown a SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in 2010 live in front of a shocked audience.

The 90-minute nonfiction film digs into the ethical concerns behind keeping such intelligent and emotionally complex creatures as mere performance animals, the physical and psychological damage that not only the whales suffer as a result but also the human trainers themselves, who regularly put their lives at risk getting into the tank with the powerful apex predators.

Why should you watch 'Blackfish' on Netflix?

With Cowperthwaite weaving together emotional, firsthand testimonials from former SeaWorld trainers as well as court proceedings, autopsy reports and actual archival footage of Tilikum's terrifying attacks, "Blackfish" is part crime drama, part edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller and part activist rally cry.

It's an expertly paced feature that will have you rethinking whether you should ever step foot in an aquarium again. "Blackfish" is truly a real-life horror movie where the killer isn't the villain at all, and the jump scares are entirely of our own doing.

The startling 2013 film was rightfully nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary and was universally praised by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a near-perfect score of 99% based on 134 reviews.

But even more importantly, in the decade-plus since "Blackfish" first premiered, the powerfully distressing doc has sparked significant public debate and activism surrounding the welfare of captive orcas, as well as real-deal consequences for the marine parks that benefit from said captivity.

Per Bloomberg, SeaWorld announced a month after the film's release that the park had suffered a $15.9 million loss, though CEO Jim Atchison attributed that to high ticket prices and poor weather rather than animal cruelty.

It's a gut-wrenching and galvanizing whale tale that is well worth a watch, but be warned: You'll never see an orca the same way again.

Watch "Blackfish" on Netflix now

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Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, food and drink, travel and general lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York.

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