True/False Films

At the Edge of the World

In person: director Dan Stone

Their opponents call them pirates, but Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society don't mind. Using whatever nonviolent means they can dream up, these eco-pirates harass and confront those who are ravaging our seas, particularly the enormous Japanese ships that excuse their slaughter of endangered whales by calling it "scientific research." Dan Stone's compelling, provocative debut feature tracks the Sea Shepherd activists in the midst of their nail-biting 2006-2007 campaign on the Antarctic sea. With a crack team of cinematographers, Stone puts us right there, feeling the splash of the waves, the high stakes and the significant danger. We also meet the crew and learn what makes the 46 volunteer, inexperienced crusaders tick, and revel in Watson's low-tech variations on James Bond gadgets, including the "can opener" — a sharp metal protrusion designed to puncture hulls. (PS)