QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM MALTA

he sea cucumber, the gummy squirrel, the headless chicken monster, Casper the ghost octopus are some of the splashy characters here. Their habitat (the Abyssal Zone, below 4,000 metres underwater) might be pitch black, yet these animals are as exuberant as they come. The light reveals fluorescent pinks and whites, nimble bodies. and punk outfits. They hover majestically just above the deep-sea plains.

ritish filmmaker Eleanor Mortimer crucially ascertains: “deep-sea animals and humans were not made to survive in the same environment, however they hold hold the key to human survival”. A quote attributed to Charles Darwin claims that these invertebrate creatures are our predecessors. Mortimer sets outs to investigate the strange – and unexpectedly flamboyant – life forms that populate such areas. She travels to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the downwards, toward the unknown. The descent looks like travel into the outer space, except that the stars are dancing. Fast-moving animals replace the celestial bodies that us humans are far more used to seeing, in the sky and with our naked eye.

Mortimer jumps on board a vessel of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), with friendly scientists of various nationalities (including at least a couple of British professionals). That’s the organisation in charge of administering this vast stretch of the Pacific Ocean, containing 40 member countries. The director also visits the Authority’s headquarters in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica.

“The deep sea bed is one of the last frontiers of human discovery”, she reassures us, while also questioning our obsession with life on other planets. Our very earth has so many undocumented life forms, she insists. More than 40% of underwater species of the Clarion–Clipperton zone – the environmental management area of the Pacific Ocean where most of the film takes place – have never been catalogued.

This is a vibrant and fun documentary, with sprightly music, colourful critters, insightful voiceover and a crystal-clear message about the role of deep-sea fauna in the balance of our planet. Specimens preserved in large jars offer some insight into their unique features, but it is the journey underwater that’s most beautiful, and which allows Mortimer and the biologists to witness the subjects of the research in motion, and in full splendour. Some of these creatures can live centuries, we are told.

The consequences of deep-sea mining are also a film topic. The director examines the industrial incursions that could destroy such biodiversity. She questions whether the consequences outweigh the benefits. Her delivery is calm and confident, supported by an equally serene, mostly static camera (operated by the director herself, who also signs the cinematography).

This is a warm and vaguely poetic documentary, with little snippets of scientific insight. Despite the presence of researchers and scientists, this is never a stiff and academic endeavour. Get set for an immersive deep-sea experience – both literally and metaphorically.

How Deep is your Love shows in the 3rd edition of the Mediterrane Film Festival.