Critics reviews

There's a touch of Spielbergian human-alien connection in the story it tells, a sense of wonder and mystery enhanced by Kevin Smuts' score. It's never saccharine or simplistic, though, and it is endlessly surprising.

The film has been very well edited to construct a coherent narrative which mixes wonder, drama and action.

Cynics might balk at the film’s aggressive manipulation of the heartstrings, but there’s little denying the combined effectiveness of its ravishingly filmed underwater observation and its unabashed but earnest psychological projection.

A year-long diary about one man and one octopus, it’s full of genuine wonder about the natural world, and frames the central relationship in terms that go beyond the mere “Aww, that’s cute!” response.