Review of Grizzly Man (2005) by Luke P — 07 Feb 2009

Werner Herzog, the crazy auteur behind Aguirre: Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, brings us the story of someone even more crazy and dedicated than himself. Timothy Treadwell loves grizzly bears. He dedicated the last 13 summers of his life to living amongst them, studying and filming them.

He didn't see them as potentially wild animals that could rip a human apart, but kindred spirits, as soulmates. He felt he had an emotional connection with them. However, his 13th summer with the grizzlys proved to be his last, as he was brutally killed and eaten by one of the bears.

If your thinking this is Christopher Guest-style mockumentary then you'd be wrong, though it does feel like it at times due to the larger-than-life people that inhabit this film. Treadwell himself is a fascinating man.

Though clearly disturbed and possibly mentally ill, his enthusiam and love for the bears is infectious and lovely to watch. Is he crazy? Perhaps, but Herzog's film lets you decide for yourself. It never belittles or attempts to mock Treadwell and his pursuits, and you can sense Werner Herzog (through his narration) feels a huge sense of respect for Timothy Treadwell.

He crafts a brilliant documentary, using Treadwell's own footage of his summers spent with the bears, intercut with interviews with friends and family. You are essentially watching a mentally ill man prepare for his own death, because that's essentially what he did in spending time with grizzly bears.

He saw them as kindred spirits; they saw him as food. A brilliant, powerful, completly compelling film which, with Timothy Treadwell, has one of the most fascinating subjects in documentary history. Watch it.

And stay away from grizzly bears!