First airing in 2000, this documentary captured the daily lives, trials and tribulations of one orca family off the Crozet Islands focusing on the youngest, most wayward and accident prone youngster who has since gained an online following.
"Delphine" is that one child who would lick a frozen lamppost and need firefighters to remove her and the post so she can be treated in hospital.
Headache of the family, Delphine is seen learning how to walk, talk, crawl, stalk, ambush, hunt and hone her craft using the family's techniques to sucessfully ambush and get herself beached to catch seals, pups and penguins for the rest of her family at which point, she will finally be a killer whale.
Within the space of two weeks she gets herself stranded and needed to be rescued and helped back into the water, then ends up lost in a thick bed of kelp but finally learns to focus, listen and learn behaviours and techinques needed to help her catch and put food on the table.
It's an outstanding documentary that was a made to TV movie barely heard of and not marketed or advertised well at all but that's more the shame really. Considering the generic type, quality and content of independent documentaries particularly on killer whales in general, this one sitting in a quiet corner covered in a dust sheets and unheard of is shocking.
Good news is the film makers have announced plans to release a follow up in the next year or two and which will feature the same family group including mother of two and now huge imposing matriarch "Delphine"
This one group having been, observed and followed during the summers for over two decades makes this a gem with incredible footage seldom offered unless it's BBC Earth.
Delphine being effectively forced to get herself beached by the adults so they can teach her how to get back off again I think is one of the most amazing and unique pieces of footage I've ever seen.
There are some unintentionally hilarious moments particularly featuring the locals on land bickering, squabbling and noises those elephant seals produce. Then there's angry birds going around headbutting sleeping seals or yelling at the newborn pups for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It's all these little things they captured that just make it brilliantly.
Tthere are some gut-wrenching moments as Delphine gets lost (again) and is crying out distress calls to her family that go unanswered for over two hours whilst she is found.
The lack of music, narration, voiceover or cutting away instead sticking with this one lost orca and deafening silence gives a sense of feeling lost with her. Cameraman stays under the water but does nothing else other than be a quiet reassurance without interference.
There are of course scenes where seal pups sadly get rammed and punted but that's to be expected in any nature documentary.
Recommend to anyone especially people who have had a bellyful of watching films and documentaries about captive orca and marine parks that leaves you just "Pfffftt...."
Angry bird running about slapping its feeties on the sand and headbutting a sleeping elephant seal killed me.
