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Film reveals the North Sea’s vibrant and surprising underwater life
North Sea, Nature Untamed challenges the idea that the North Sea is a bleak, lifeless expanse, using Dutch diver and underwater cinematographer Peter van Rodijnen’s footage to reveal its colour, variety and drama. The review praises the film’s spectacular imagery and eccentric narration, which portray the ecosystem as both beautiful and full of unexpected behaviour.
The documentary shows bioluminescent algae, coral, plankton blooms, hatching sculpin, synchronised mackerel and a basking shark filmed off Scotland. It also highlights environmental concerns, including a 30% fall in a puffin colony caused by overfishing, alongside the return of Atlantic bluefin tuna, absent from the North Sea since the 1960s. The film is less polished than some nature documentaries but compensates with enthusiasm, and opens in UK cinemas on 25 September.
In short
- The North Sea is portrayed as vibrant rather than bleak.
- Stunning footage captures rare marine behaviour and wildlife.
- Environmental decline sits alongside signs of recovery.
Explained simply
The North Sea is a shallow sea between Britain and mainland Europe, supporting fish, seabirds and other marine life. Its waters are also used for fishing, shipping and energy production, so human activity can affect the species that live there.
Peter van Rodijnen is a Dutch diver and underwater cinematographer whose work focuses on life beneath the surface. The film places North Sea wildlife in the context of a changing marine environment, where pressures such as fishing can affect animal populations while some species return.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “North Sea, Nature Untamed review – stunning footage finds the beauty and splendour under the water”.