The Cove (2009, USA)

In the various traditions of documentary filmmaking, the last category that The Cove would fit into is the "objective". (Not that you'd really expect it be, seeing that it was co-financed by the Oceanic Preservation Society.) The Cove is a documentary about dolphin capture and slaughter in the small town of Taiji, Japan. The main players here are crusader Ric O'Barry, former dolphin trainer turned dolphin rescuer, and a convert to the cause, director Louie Psihoyos. Together they execute a plot to expose what happens to the Taiji dolphins that are not taken by aquariums and places like SeaWorld. It's rare that a film this strident is still this affecting - a tribute to how disturbing the footage they bring back from the cove really is.