Sally Aitkin Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth is worthy of a horror flick with death by Shark driving human reaction. The mauled surfer makes the first appearance, but we learn soon learn that 20,000 sharks have been hunted and killed over the years in Australia.
The transition begins in looking for new technology to co-exist with sharks. Hemsworth is the mouthpiece for Director Sally Aitkin as she weaves a "storymentory", a documentary with vignette themes to climax. It's a good yarn, but the best part was cutting the hunting lines and using 30 second wifi alerts when Sharks hit a mark.
I took the time to learn more about some award-winning projects by Ms. Aitkin. They include "A Cinematic Life," selected for the Cannes Film Festival and David Stratton's Stories of Australian Cinema. The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill, a six-episode, 60-minute epic with the actor traveling the largest ocean in the world to discover the indigenous perspective on Captain Cook's voyages.
The historian in me wondered if Captain Cook wrote about sharks in his journals. Ms. Aitkin retorted that she was not looking for that, but they did write about surfing.
Listening to pro surfer Mick Fanning talk about getting attacked by a shark while paddling out with Chris Hemsworth made this a great documentary to watch.
