My Octopus Teacher

2020 PG-13 1h 25m

7.9 / 10 1K

RATING

7.9/10

1.0K

YOUR RATING

After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.

Director Pippa Ehrlich

Writers

Pippa Ehrlich James Reed

Stars

Craig Foster Tom Foster

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User Reviews 2

candicetop 4 Jan 2026

9/10

a profoundly moving, visually stunning documentary that elevates a simple premise into a transformative emotional experience. It follows South African filmmaker Craig Foster as he returns daily to a cold-water kelp forest near Cape Town, slowly forming an intimate, almost meditative bond with a wild octopus he encounters there. The film’s greatest strength is how it intertwines awe-inspiring natur...

Skarfrael 29 Dec 2021

10/10

Not just a documentary (9 January 2021) Why I watched it? Because I love octopuses and the sea. Why I gave it a 10? Because it was something more than just a documentary. It was a personal experience. It got evident from the start. Great captures and the personal storytelling of Foster along with accurate and calming music did it: I immediately relaxed and put myself in his shoes. The rest w...