''After the Bite'' is an 2023 American

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

directed and produced by

Ivy Meeropol Ivy Meeropol (born October 13, 1968) is a director and producer of documentaries for film and television, known for ''Indian Point'' and ''Heir to an Execution''. She is the daughter of Michael Meeropol and Ann Karus Meeropol and granddaughter of J ...

. It follows the local community of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

, as they grapple with the alarming amount of

sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

being spotted, while investigating the science behind it. It had its world premiere at the

Provincetown International Film Festival The Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual film festival founded in 1999 and held on Cape Cod in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The festival presents American and international narrative features, documentaries and short films f ...

on June 15, 2023, and was released on July 26, 2023, by

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

Plot

Following the death of young man at a local beach in

, the local community and vacationers grapple with the amount of rising

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...

spottings while local scientists and researchers investigate the reason for their appearance. Lisa Sette, Greg Skomal, Meg Winton,

Alec Wilkinson Alec Wilkinson (born 1952) is a writer who has been on the staff of ''The New Yorker'' since 1980. According to ''The Philadelphia Inquirer '' he is among the "first rank of" contemporary American (20th and early 21st century) "literary journali ...

and Crocker Snow appear in the film.

Production

Following the death of a young man at a local beach in

was aware and noticing the changes and effects with

in the community, having the idea for a film. Meeropol followed fishermen, researchers and lifeguards. Meeropol, cinematographers Stephen T. Maing and Soren Nielsen would go out shooting in the water with fishermen, with the chance they wouldn't capture anything. Maing used an underwater

GoPro GoPro, Inc. (marketed as GoPro and sometimes stylized as GoPRO) is an American technology company founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. It manufactures action cameras and develops its own mobile apps and video-editing software. Founded as Woodman La ...

on a stick to capture footage of sharks, seals, and fish. Meeropol was unable to obtain permits to film researchers at work, researcher Milton Levin contributed footage of seals. During post-production, Meeropol picked subjects who were essential to moving the story along, with some subjects being cut. In May 2021, it was announced Meeropol would direct the film, with

HBO Documentary Films Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...

producing, and

distributing.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the

on June 15, 2023. It also screened at the

Nantucket Film Festival The Nantucket Film Festival is a film festival founded in 1996 which focuses on screenwriting. Board members include Donick Cary, Nancy Dubac, Chris Matthews, Kathleen Matthews, Ben Stiller, and Tom Scott. History The Nantucket Film Festival ...

on June 22, 2023. It was released on July 26, 2023, by

Reception

Nick Allan of ''

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

'' gave the film a three and a half out of four stars, writing: "An impressive tapestry of conflicting perspectives—man and animal—that's far more entertaining and insightful than your average Shark Week fare." Chase Hutchinson of ''

Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...

'' gave the film a B+, writing: "Through the eyes of a Cape Cod community where disaster strikes, director Ivy Meeropol gently moves beyond the spectacle that defines the history of sharks to immerse us further in their world while grappling with many pressing questions on the journey."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 14746834 2023 films 2023 documentary films American documentary films Films about sharks Documentary films about environmental issues HBO documentary films