Review of Grizzly Man (2005) by Fong K — 03 Nov 2012

The film â(TM)Grizzly Manâ(TM) directed by Werner Herzog centers on the activity of amateur grizzly bear expert Timothy Treadwell. He spent approximetely 13 summers in Alaska in the closeness of grizzly bears, in the last years he took a vast number of video footages on his life in the nature. He was killed, along with his girlfriend by a grizzly bear in 2003. The film explores Treadwellâ(TM)s life in the nature, using his video recordings, and the interviews made by Herzog.

My first opinion on the film: itâ(TM)s shocking. The direction and the plot is very well constructed, the whole movie is emotionally captivating, maybe itâ(TM)s a bit attitudinizing. For example I didnâ(TM)t want to know the exact details, how the bear killed Treadwell and his girlfriend. Not to mention the interview with the Pathologist.

But maybe these disguisting details were needed to truly understand the crazyness and the beauty of the world that Treadwell has created for himself. The film explores his life before he started his â(TM)hobbyâ(TM). He was borned and raised to a middle-class family in New York. He was quite good at school, â(TM)he never had troublesâ(TM) as his mother said. He was very athletic, he took part in his high school swimm team. Problems started in his early 20â(TM)s. He drank a lot of alcohol, took drugs and hanged out with the â(TM)wrong guysâ(TM). He later became an alcoholic.

I think that he definetely had some kind of mental problem combined with alcohol and drug addiction. He found a new way to alter his conscious: he established an incredible relation with nature. He didnâ(TM)t feel comfortible in human environment, so he made relationships with wild animals. I think he was really happy with them, and he also needed the excitement what the proximity of an enormous grizzly bear can provide. Maybe itâ(TM)s the strongest drug what he could find.

Weird people who have difficulties with human relations are usually driven to the outskirts. They start using drugs, and other self-destroying activities in order to ease the pain. But this man made something incredible. He showed us the real side of nature, where mankind came from. Unfortunately we make nowdays every effort to destroy our ancient home.