Turtle: The Incredible Journey

     The documentary entitled “Turtle: The Incredible Journey” is an 80 minute feature about the birth, growth and exploits of a loggerhead turtle. Within the first few minutes of the film the viewer is pleased to discover that this is no dreary monologue but rather, an educational, awe inspiring experience. The director uses the camera to bring these tiny newborn creatures into focus and create the illusion that we are experiencing the world through their eyes. The battle for survival as the baby loggerheads race towards the open sea captivates the entire audience and we are able to sense the fear and anxiety they must have felt at the time.

     Honestly, had it not been for the purpose of supplying this blog with information about the film festival I would not have taken it upon myself to see a film about a turtle, but I’m glad I did. There were many aspects of the ocean and the beings that cohabitated there highlighted in the film that I did not know. It was also interesting to realize how intricately woven the existence of these sea dwellers are. The most interesting feature of the documentary for me is the fact loggerhead was born with an internal compass that enables them to find their way around the ocean unaided. The turtle was born with all the skills needed to navigate and survive the vast ocean.

     Though I was not particularly surprised that the auditorium was only 40% full for the movie presentation (because advertising for the event left a lot to be desired), the actual content of the audience surprised me. Those coming to view the movie made it a family event. The ages of those present ranged from pre teens to elderly persons.  I was taken aback because I am used to seeing mainly couples and groups of friends populating a cinema.

     Although the benefits of having such a film being included in the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival was obvious I wondered what exactly are the criteria for an application to be considered as an entrant in the Film Festival and why after considering local and regional films, there were still vacancies for foreign films? Were there not enough local and regional applications or were the quality of these applications called into question? However there is no doubt that the film was well received by the audience, as was evident at the conclusion of the film everyone gave a standing ovation.