North Sea, Nature Untamed
Mark Verkerk’s splendid documentary reveals the remarkable world that exists in the North Sea.
Image courtesy of Dartmouth Films.
by MANSEL STIMPSON
Nature studies are one of the most popular genres within the documentary sphere and that applies both as regards cinema films and programmes made for television. The veneration in which Sir David Attenborough is rightly held reflects the hold which such pieces have on the public and, indeed, it is the extraordinarily high-quality of his work mainly made for television which has set the standard for this kind of endeavour. Cinema does have one great advantage here due to the impact that visuals of this kind have when seen on a big screen, but, even so, it arguably faces a challenge. That's because many potential viewers may feel that they have already seen so much footage of this kind in their own homes that they feel less willing to go out and pay to view something so similar.
The latest film documentary of this kind getting a release in the UK is this work by Mark Verkerk which, shot over some seven years, has a rather odd history. Although Verkerk was born in Kenya in 1959 and has made films in Thailand and the Himalayas, he has for more than a decade now been based in the Netherlands and his work has been very much centred on the natural world (even a film which he shot in Amsterdam featured animals). The present piece was completed by 2024 and appeared under the title De Wilde Noordzee so aptly enough its first English title was Wild North Sea. But now the same film re-dated 2026 comes to us under a fresh title: North Sea, Nature Untamed. Despite this work existing in such a competitive sphere, it is a film which has two strong advantages. The first is that it was shot in the widescreen ratio which adds considerably to its visual appeal and the second is that, despite nature documentaries being so prolific, this is the first time to my knowledge that a film of this kind has studied the North Sea and revealed the stunning beauty to be found in its depths.
The character of the piece largely derives from the fact that it is built around the distinguished diver and underwater photographer Peter van Rodijnen. That means that we not only see him from time to time but that as the film’s narrator he is central to it. Furthermore, although other footage was shot for the film by Dick Harrewijn, the underwater scenes which dominate and which are of outstanding quality are all his own work.
At the outset, Peter van Rodijnen recollects his own childhood and the lasting impression made on him when he saw the oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau on television. The deep-sea explorer who died in 1997 would be a huge influence on him so it is entirely appropriate that this film should include a number of quotes from the great man. One states that “All life is part of a complex interconnected web where each is dependent on the other” and another comment is this: "We forget that the cycle of water and the cycle of life are one". It is in this spirit that North Sea, Nature Untamed seeks to reveal the underwater life in the sea built on the foundation of the plankton that blooms there. Linked together in the life cycle are a full range of flora and fauna and creatures as contrasted as flatfish and sharks. Early on we see shorthorn sculpin, lumpsuckers and moon jellyfish while late on orcas and tuna such as the North Atlantic Bluefins are featured.
This variety is a decided asset for the film since it ensures that our interest is maintained throughout even though what we see is possessed of no particular shape. Individual segments, many of them startlingly colourful, take in various locations ranging from the Zeeland Delta and other areas close to the Netherlands to such Scottish areas as the Moray Firth and the Shetland Islands. In addition to what we see beneath the sea the film also features footage directly connected to industrial fishing and to offshore wind farms and Peter van Rodijnen shares his concerns over what is acceptable and what needs to be questioned in this respect. He inevitably touches on climate change too, but the film is not without optimism as is illustrated by the example of salmon from above the Arctic Circle returning to Denmark’s Hvide Sande where they were born in numbers which suggest that aid work has saved them from the threat of extinction. There is another more general sign of hope and that comes from what happened when a cargo of gravestones was lost overboard years ago and sunk to the seabed: they have become a virtual reef with its own ecosystem thus providing clear evidence that if you leave the sea alone life comes back.
The striking material and the splendid look of the piece may well mean that North Sea, Nature Untamed will be regarded by many as an outstanding example of its genre. In my own case two elements prevented me from going quite that far. In both instances comparisons with David Attenborough’s TV programmes played a part. Even there I have sometimes found the music a shade intrusive, but far more so here were parts of Sven Figee’s score which are prominent in a self-conscious way. But even more concerning for me was the tone of the commentary. Like Attenborough, Peter van Rodjinen is an enthusiast who is able to give us useful information about the various creatures seen and he does this speaking in English. But, whereas Attenborough is naturally relatable and engaging in his unforced yet restrained way, I found that the comments here too often sought to set a tone intended to be matey but which in actuality was off-putting. When a young gull flies off the comment is "Good luck, little guy" and, when the film moves on at one point to look at another species altogether, the transition phrase is "And now more romantic drama – cuttlefish!" In both cases my responses are ones that I recognise as being a matter of personal taste and I may be thought to be overreacting, but I felt it strongly enough for it to prevent me from giving this film my highest rating. Those likely to take a different view in this respect may well see North Sea, Nature Untamed as altogether exceptional. In applauding it they will find themselves endorsing yet another quote from Jacques-Yves Cousteau: "Once the sea casts its spell, it holds you in its net of wonder forever".
Original title: De Wilde Noordzee.
Featuring: Peter van Rodijnen, Hendrik Kramer, Kees Spierenburg.
Dir Mark Verkerk, Pro Klaudie Bertelink and Ignaś van Schaick, Screenplay Geert-Jan Roebers, Ph Peter van Rodijnen, and Dick Harrewijn, Ed Helen Delachaux, Mark Verkerk and Sam Reitsma, Music Sven Figee.
Dutch Maritime Productions/Ems Films/NL Film Incentive/Dartmouth Films-Dartmouth Films.
89 mins. Netherlands. 2026. UK Rel: 25 September 2026. Cert. U.