Rescue at Sea

And, crucially, it delivers. This is like seeing baby seals clubbed to death, except that as adorable as baby seals are, no one has yet made a case for their being potentially smarter than humans, which is exactly what The Cove does for dolphins. To watch bleeding dolphins struggle for their last breath, to actually hear their agony, is devastating. Even if you would never eat dolphin meat, you feel culpable just for being part of the species that can teach another mammal tricks, reward it with snacks and pats and at the same time be capable of getting up at dawn to poke it to death with spears.

So what does this mean for the Japanese? There's something about the way the fishermen look, pulling hard on their cigarettes as they stare down at the reddened waters of the cove, that suggests the task isn't exactly easy for them. Some would argue that dolphin-fishing is their cultural right and that foreigners should stay out of their business (i.e., the sale of dolphins for meat, at about $600 a head). The film counters with a fleet of scientists flown in (more money!) to unearth evidence that no one should be eating dolphin meat; samples were toxic with mercury. The filmmakers hope The Cove will spark a change in Japanese policy, but they'll need help from audiences willing to do more than applaud. (At Sundance, the film won the Audience Award for documentary.)

David Bowie's "Heroes" plays over the closing credits, and with its lyrics about swimming like dolphins and the line "We can be heroes just for one day," it is an apt choice. There's an element of self-aggrandizement--we sense the filmmakers consider themselves heroes already. I wouldn't argue against that. This is a philanthropic mission, and Psihoyos and his team get their heartbreaking work done. You just hope the hint of boastfulness doesn't dilute the message, because when you're mopping up your tears after The Cove, you want this film to make a difference.