A documentary that explores the new normal of great white sharks patrolling Cape Cod’s shallow waters as they hunt for seals, and the fallout from a young man being killed by an apex predator at a popular local beach, is coming to HBO Max this summer.
Award-winning filmmaker Ivy Meeropol recently spoke to the Herald about her documentary, “After The Bite,” which dives into how the Cape’s coastal community is confronting dramatic changes to the marine environment and way of life.
The explosion of the seal population along the Cape due to federal protections has sparked the phenomenon of great white sharks feasting on seals every summer and fall. As a result, there have been some shark and human encounters, including in 2018 when Arthur Medici was killed by a shark.
During the years before that fatal shark bite, Meeropol like others had started to notice more seals in the area, and everyone was frequently talking about seals and sharks.
“Then when Arthur Medici died, you felt a shift in how some people were viewing the situation,” she said. “It wasn’t interesting or exciting for people. It was now terrifying.”
Meeropol at her family’s house in Truro used to swim way out in the bay, and she never thought of any threat lurking in the waters.
“Then I heard sharks were being spotted in the bay, and that was really chilling,” she said. “Now I get really nervous if I see anyone swimming out there. It has changed so much.”
Meeropol is not a nature documentarian per se, but she was fascinated with the alarming new reality of sharks along the Cape and wanted to explore the story.
“It’s about the community and the people living there who are reacting to the massive changes in the environment,” she said.
Through her documentary, Meeropol wants to encourage people to find the beauty in the ocean.
“I want to protect the wildlife, but also in making this film, I gained a lot of empathy for people who have been living at the Cape for generations and who are really concerned about what this means for them and their families,” she said.
“If we all could just look at the bigger picture of things and get out of our own way, we can find ways to coexist with the wildlife,” she added.
Meeropol in the film follows researchers who have been tagging sharks, and also lifeguards who have new safety protocols.
“I do feel that all of these things are working,” she said, noting that there hasn’t been a shark/human encounter since Medici’s death almost five years ago.
“The safety precautions allow the creatures of the ocean to live their lives, and also allows us to continue to enjoy the local beaches,” she added.
“After The Bite” will premiere at the Provincetown Film Festival at Town Hall on June 15.
“The whole town seems to be buzzing about it,” Meeropol said.
Then on June 23, the 88-minute documentary will be shown at the Nantucket Film Festival, along with a panel titled, “Learning to live with sharks.”
“After The Bite” will start streaming on HBO Max on July 26.
