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The Body Found By Sid Bennett

Good Essays

Many kids grow up watching Disney movies, and young girls who idolize Ariel from The Little Mermaid hope that mermaids might be real. In the mockumentary Mermaids: The Body Found, directed by Sid Bennett, the idea of mermaids is explored when the actors proclaim that mermaids were found among beached whales due to Navy Sonar tests (IMDB par 2). Bennett mixes fact with fiction in an attempt to get people to relate to the beached whales. He makes a mockumentary that is believable to many due to how closely it resembles a real documentary, complete with actors posing as credible scientists. Despite having no evidence, people want to believe that myths such as mermaids do exist. Bennett’s purpose of the film is to convince people to care about how the Sonar tests affect whales by trying to make it seem as if mermaids are going through the same thing. However, he is unsuccessful because he fails to make a connection with the audience, does not have enough credible information on mermaids, and does not focus enough on the whales themselves. During the mockumentary, an anecdote is told about a mermaid who sacrifices himself to Megladon, a huge, prehistoric shark, for his family so they can get away and stay safe (Mermaids n.p.). This is an attempt to make the audience feel empathetic towards the mermaids and to relate to them. It is human nature to protect young children and in the past it was the man’s job to protect his family. However, this is ineffective due to the randomness

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