Dolphin Boy
Dolphin Boy
Sunday, January 22, 2012 8:00 PM ET on CBC News Network
Watch the promo or the full episode.
- About This Episode
- Credits
Swimming with the dolphins takes on new meaning when “dolphin therapy” is used to treat a young man traumatized after a violent beating. After months of being detached from reality and speechless, Morad’s devoted father decides his son will try the experimental treatment. The documentary follows Morad’s progress for four years as he develops an exceptional relationship with the animals, and forms a new identity as the “dolphin boy.”
Before the beating, Morad lived a regular teenager’s life in an Arab village in the north of Israel. He was socially popular, loved by his family, an athlete, and the best student in class. Then one night in 2006, he is kidnapped and brutally beaten by friends who mistakenly think he’s involved in a relationship with their under-aged cousin and violated their family’s honor.
Morad recovers physically from his wounds within days. However, he doesn’t speak or respond to anything for weeks and is on the verge of being hospitalized in a mental institution. His father consults one of Israel's leading experts for post-traumatic stress, Psychiatrist Dr. Ilan Kutz, who suggests taking Morad 500 km away to Israel's southern city – Eilat, for an alternative treatment with dolphins.
Morad's devoted father leaves his wife and 5 other children, sells his farm and land to finance the treatment, and accompanies Morad to Eilat, not knowing if or when they will return.
The documentary follows Morad as he begins the treatment, and captures the exceptional bond he develops with the dolphins almost instantly, communicating with them without words. After 3 months of silence, Morad starts to speak again, but he’s erased his past and refuses to go home or visit with his mother. During the following months, he is finally able to remember and even speak about the incident itself. Yet, he chooses to build his new life in Eilat, living at the Dolphin Reef and even finding a girlfriend, Shani, who works there.
The documentary Dolphin Boy was filmed over the course of four years and demonstrates the devastating havoc that human violence can wreak upon the human soul, and the healing powers of both nature and of love. It was directed by Yonatan Nir and Dani Menkin, and Co- Produced with ARTE & Channel 4.
Article comments (0)
Post your comment
Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are pre-moderated/reviewed and published according to our submission guidelines.
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Log in | Sign upComment:PostSubmission policy
AIR TIMES
Network Day Times CBC News Network Sunday 8 PM ET CBC News Network Sunday 10 PM ET/PT CBC News Network Monday 10 PM ET/PT CBC News Network Wednesday 10 PM ET/PT CBC News Network Saturday 7 PM ET CBC News Network Saturday 10 PM ET/PT STAY CONNECTED
-->mobile
rss
newsletter
WATCH ONLINE
Missed an episode? You can now watch The Passionate Eye online any time you like!
See our episode list »*Please note that not all of our episodes are available online and many of our online episodes are only available for a limited period of time.
A great documentary that follows a severely traumatised 17 year old through a maverick from of therapy. In Canada, watch the adapted version on CBC's website.
