Grade: A-
In 1845, Thoreau sought to reclaim his spiritual life by living simply and quietly at Walden Pond.
In 2010, Craig Foster sought natureâs friendship to revitalize his spirit, this time by diving beneath the water, rather than by sitting on its shore.
âWaldenâsâ words seem the poetic way to frame Fosterâs story, even though he himself never mentions the New England transcendentalist.
Foster, a 40-year-old South African filmmaker, was living a life of quiet desperation. He felt he was ploughing his soul into the soil. He realized that by killing time he was killing eternity.
âI went through two years of absolute hell,â narrates Foster in the Oscar-winning documentary, âMy Octopus Teacher.â âIâd been working so hard for so long that I just wore myself out. I was getting sick from all the pressure. I couldnât be a good father to my son. I had to have a radical change.â