Winter: The Dolphin That Can

In 2005, a baby dolphin became entangled in a crab line near Cape Canaveral, Florida, damaging its mouth and tail. The dolphin, later named Winter, was rushed to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on Florida's west coast, where she was nurtured by "crab walking" her around the pool, and nursing her from a bottle. Unfortunately, she eventually lost most of her tail. Filmmaker David Yates's documentary profile, produced by the aquarium and hosted by teenager Cozi Zuelsdorff (who starred in the inspirational feature A Dolphin's Tale, which was based on the true account of Winter's rescue), looks at the facts behind the story, as well as the inspiring effect she had on humans who were also suffering from disabilities. Some suggested that Winter could swim with an artificial prosthetic tail (having no tail, Winter had to swim with a side to side movement, instead of the usual up and down motion common to dolphins), which she adjusted well to, but still needed to learn socialization skills with other dolphins (returning her to the wild was not an option). Eventually, Winter's fame spread, after which people came to see and sometimes swim with her. At this point in the film, however, the focus becomes rather disjointed, shifting to humans rather than the dolphin, and unnecessarily repeating the stories of visitors, including wounded military veterans who found their lives changed by Winter. A more concise approach would have served the subject better. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (S. Rees)