Becoming Cousteau

About the movie

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus, known for her complex portraits of Bobby Fischer, Nina Simone, and Marilyn Monroe, takes a fresh look at this explorer’s evolution in Becoming Cousteau. Her profile is neither hagiography nor exposé, but rather a nuanced look at his passions, achievements, blind spots, and tragedies. She draws upon an extraordinary archive of his newly restored footage.
We gain insights into key figures around Cousteau, including his first wife, Simone, and their sons Jean-Michel and Philippe, whose family life took place mostly at sea. “An explorer has no right to be a family man,” he admitted. His restlessness would later manifest when he started a second family in secret. We hear perspectives on his career from colleagues in diving and filmmaking. His renowned early collaborator Louis Malle testifies to Cousteau’s talents as a director that earned him both the Palme d’Or and the Oscar for his breakthrough 1956 film The Silent World.

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