In a video uploaded to Vanity Fair’s YouTube channel, Boyle spends a solid 20 minutes picking apart scenes from different movies featuring shark encounters. Jumping between her perspective as a scientist and that of a fan of the films, she quickly moves from “I love this scene,” to listing off every inaccuracy the film displays. Discussing moments from films like Jaws, The Meg, Open Water, and even more light-hearted ones like Finding Nemo and Couples Retreat, her love of both her work and the movies themselves is evident throughout.
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Currently, the East Coast of the United States has been seeing a slight uptick in shark sightings, so perhaps the timing of this video wasn’t entirely coincidental. However it may not be for the reason one might think. While Boyle does give some cautionary advice for swimmers, the overall feel of her critiques is less about safety and more about how sharks aren’t the ruthless apex predators society seems to think they are. A passive-aggressive mini-rant during her discussion of the film Jaws mentions how the number of great white sharks dropped dramatically since then due to “fear, misinformation, and movies like this.” She also makes it a point to mention how simple, uneventful encounters with sharks are still referred to officially as “shark attacks” and that creating a distinction between the two could go a long way in preventing such negative views of the creatures.
That’s not to say the entire video is just one big PSA about shark conservation (though it does seem to be one of Boyle’s biggest reasons for making it). She happily praises films for their accuracies and intentional inaccuracies alike, as seen with her excited mention of Baywatch which features an homage to Jaws that prioritizes callbacks over scientifically accurate portrayals of sharks. Meanwhile, Open Water earns her respect for its presumably well-researched portrayal of sharks as well as its terrifying premise being based on one of her own legitimate fears (being left behind on a dive).
Boyle’s main focus is reiterated at the end of the video, where she expresses how sharks are important to the ecosystem and need to be protected. She also implores viewers to cut down on the use of “single-use plastics” like straws when possible, since they can be harmful to sea creatures (like sharks) when discarded. It’s important to be mindful of the environment, but as demonstrated in Boyle’s video, there’s nothing wrong with still enjoying some fun, surfer-munching shark flicks from time to time.
If you’d like to learn more about Apryl Boyle’s work, check out her nonprofit El Porto Shark.
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Source: Vanity Fair/YouTube
