April 24 to May 4, 2025
FILM FESTIVAL
Hot Docs
Hot Docs 2025
PROGRAMME
World Showcase
Filmmaker Eleanor Mortimer joins a team of taxonomists from the Natural History Museum in London on a research mission studying deep-sea creatures and the effect that proposed mining operations may have on them in How Deep is Your Love?. The deepest depths of the oceans are one of the last frontiers of human discovery, with 90% of the lifeforms not having any names. However, proposals are underway to mine the depths for the precious metals inside nodules on the seabed. As a condition, research expeditions have to be funded to examine the possible environmental effects of mining. This includes a team of young taxonomists from the Natural History Museum in London, who spend months at sea examining the lifeforms in the Clarison-Clipperton Zone of the Central Pacific.
How Deep Is Your Love? Synopsis
How Deep Is Your Love? is the feature documentary debut from British filmmaker Eleanor Mortimer, who was invited to join a research expedition to the Central Pacific, examining the lifeforms 5km below the surface. Using their robot Isis, the team films and collects specimens from the deep, with names such as Headless Chicken Monster (a pink sea cucumber) and The King (a very purple and bulbous creature). The purpose of research expeditions like this is to examine the possible environmental impact of proposed deep-sea mining expeditions, which have become an increased threat to this undiscovered alien world.
My Thoughts on How Deep Is Your Love?
It has been two decades since James Cameron directed his IMAX documentary, Aliens of the Deep, which explored the very unique creatures at the bottom of the ocean. How Deep Is Your Love? is a documentary at a much smaller scale, but it is worth watching for its very awe-inspiring deep-sea photography, often set to the melancholy sounds of Portishead. However, a criticism I have is that director Eleanor Mortimer’s narration isn’t always the most engaging and she seems to have difficulty trying to decide whether How Deep Is Your Love? is a nature documentary about deep sea life or whether it should be more about the controversy surrounding deep sea mining proposals, including the sudden arrival of some possibly misguided Green Peace protesters. Despite the issues, How Deep Is Your Love? is still worth checking out.
