Welcome to The Last Dolphin King’s Ending Explained, the latest Netflix film on Jose Luis Barbero, the Dolphin King, and his life and legacy. Ernest Riera and Luis Ansonera Herves are the film’s directors. The story of Barbero’s life and his climb to fame as one of the top dolphin trainers in the world is the main subject of the movie. The documentary also makes a strong argument against keeping these animals in captivity for the sole purpose of providing entertainment for viewers worldwide.
The documentary is very well-directed and delivers the information on Jose Luis Barbero’s ascent and collapse in the most thorough and fascinating manner possible. Additionally, the documentary is unable to fully embrace either side of the issue it advances. Jose Luis Barbero is never portrayed as a villain, but rather as a flawed human being with flaws like everyone else. Additionally, it avoids portraying those who contributed to his demise as villains in any way. One of the most impartial documentaries in recent memory, perhaps.
The Last Dolphin King spoilers are in the following sentences. At your own risk, read.
Who Was Jose Luis Barbero And Why Were People After Him?
The documentary opens by introducing us to Jose Luis Barbero, a Spanish dolphin trainer who is the film’s major subject. Through years of dedication, Barbero rose to become the most renowned and revered dolphin trainer in the entire world. He succeeded in popularising Marineland, a water park in Mallorca. Even the Spanish royal family and Princess Diana visited the park because of how well-known it was. Jose Luis also received various accolades from all around the world and established himself as a main figure in the dolphin trade.
The majority of the documentary’s running length is devoted to showing Jose Luis Barbero as a person. someone who fought against powerful corporations who didn’t care about the animals and only wanted aquariums and water parks as a means of making money. He also succeeded in promoting dolphin treatment for children with a variety of diseases. While he was still living, Jose Luis accomplished a lot of good, and many of his friends and coworkers recall him as a cheerful man who was a true professional and someone who genuinely sought out perfection in everything he did.
Barbero was an extremely severe employer due to his level of dedication to his business, though. He had high standards for both his employees and his sons, who also tried to work in the dolphin industry. He was a harsh and occasionally even impolite supervisor. Coworkers and apprentices who felt embarrassed while working with him frequently complained about it. There were numerous indications that Barbero may not have been the most polite person while visiting Marineland and other theme parks.
One day, he gets an invitation to apply for the position of vice president at the recently founded Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the country. When Barbero agrees, he makes every other trainer in Spain proud. Nobody anticipated that this advancement in his job would have such negative effects.
What Happened With Jose Luis Barbero?
Barbero’s family, friends, and coworkers are very happy and proud of him after he is accepted for the position of vice president at the Georgia Aquarium. Barbero had succeeded in advancing in his job as a dolphin trainer as far as anyone of them had even dared to hope. However, some other individuals were unhappy that Barbero would have such a significant position in such a significant location, and as a result, they attacked Barbero in the most heinous manner imaginable.
They made public a video in which Barbera was seen abusing the animals during training. The dolphins would be kicked, hit, and screamed at until they learned what was expected of them. The Georgia Aquarium launched an inquiry to see whether the events depicted in the video were actually true. Numerous friends who were questioned as part of the investigation attempted to defend Jose Luis, but the harm had already been done. They had utterly shattered his life.
The documentary reveals that Barbero had been fired from Marineland by a new management many years before to this incident. This nearly caused him to commit suicide. His wife acknowledges that there were occasions when Barbero appeared more invested in the animals than in people. Barbero apparently thought there was no possible way to live that way because the thought of not being able to work with dolphins was so horrifying to him.
Barbero left the US for Spain and attempted to clear his name by retaining a lawyer and doing a number of other things, but it was too late. He had been selected as a target on social media, and the criticism was constant. After bidding his wife farewell one morning, Barbero vanished for several days before being discovered dead in his car. The owners of Marineland are still in business and don’t appear to be sorry for what happened; it was Barbero’s own sense of guilt and helplessness who killed him.
