Grizzly Man (2005) User Reviews

I just can't stop shaking my head

[GavinFeek · 9/10 · 23 August 2005]

Upon coming out of Grizzly Man, with my friend, I couldn't help noticing my own face in the reflection of the lobby mirrors... my face was completely blank. I looked over at my friend, and noticed she was merely staring down at her shoes and scratching her nose. Exiting out onto the street, joining the rest of the crowd as we all search for our cars, I couldn't help but believe I was still staring into the lobby mirrors... nearly every head was shaking, and every expression blank.

I now believe I will never know how I feel about Timothy Treadwell. A boy who accidentally grew into a man.

Grizzly Man immediately opens with the facts surrounding Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard's death. These facts will stay inside you as you grow acquainted with Timothy and the animals surrounding his demise. Sadly, Amie Huguenard remains a faceless mystery.

Werner Herzog's soul remains intact, as he gently disassembles the matter of Timothy Treadwell's. Failed actor? Inveterate liar? Misguided Mercenary? Was Timothy Treadwell merely playing out the part of some great Discovery Channel episode in his head? We watch and listen as a lonely Timothy walks and talks into his only companion, a MiniDV camera, about his female problems, drug problems, memories and most importantly his love of animals.

Bears and Foxes in particular. There is one thing you could never doubt about this man, and that is of his love for Bears. "I love you, I love you..." We constantly hear him saying to the Bear's and Foxes that had become his "friends" over the years. And through Herzog's direction it is impossible to miss the beauty in this.

Timothy Treadwell's photography in this film is absolutely extraordinary. And Mr. Herzog did an extraordinary job putting it all together. In my opinion, this is his best film since Little Dieter Needs To Fly. (Un) fortunately, I cannot stop thinking about it. I cannot stop wondering who this man was... He wrapped himself in bandana's, claimed to be a "Peaceful Warrior", there to protect the Bears. But from what? The arguments were made that acquainting himself with them, he was doing much more harm then good. Why should they get to know a human? How could this help them in the future? And we know how it ended for him...

How can you just sit there and watch one mans whole life be wrapped up in a two hour film? And then declare his work meaningless? You can't. Was he just a suicidal man, playing one big act? Was he truly some feral warrior, bringing awareness and the importance of Bear protection and safety to light? Was he a directionless maniac who ultimately got an innocent girl killed?

The duality of Timothy Treadwell is merely one more example of the duality of mankind. And the mirror in which I had been looking into had, in fact, been the movie screen itself. Unfortunately, it appears as though he believed the Bears surrounding him shared this depth. And who am I to tell you they don't?

A life both tragic and silly

[Chris Knipp · 9/10 · 24 August 2005]

For thirteen years "grizzly man" Timothy Treadwell went to an Alaskan wildlife refuge on Kodiak Island and pitched his tent alone -- and the last couple of times with a girlfriend (Amy Huguenard) -- spending the summers among huge grizzly bears. The rest of the year he went to schools and "free of charge" showed his films of the bears and his exploits. When the last of his summers drew to a close he and his girlfriend died among the grizzlies as he'd always known -- and even David Letterman had pointed out -- that he might. Filmmaker Werner Herzog, longtime student of crazy eccentric loners on heroic doomed quests, has taken on Treadwell's life and personality as the subject of a rare and powerful documentary.

At the heart of "Grizzly Man" are Herzog's selective cullings from film Treadwell left behind chronicling both the bears and his own demons. Herzog has added interviews with women in Treadwell's life, with his parents, with the pilot who took him to and from his campgrounds and later found his and his girlfriend's remains, and with Franc Fallico, the unusually sympathetic and sensitive -- and perhaps a bit looney -- coroner who examined these. The director has bound it all together with his own frank and idiosyncratic narration. The result is a rare sober look at the more delusional aspects of man's relations to wild animals.

At times Herzog by implication sympathetically links Treadwell with his former principle star and sparring partner, the late mad eccentric actor Klaus Kinski. Like Kinski Treadwell had tantrums on a film set. But his set was the outdoors and there was no director to spar with; his sparring partners were nature and his own troubled psyche. Nature contained, of course, living witnesses, chief among them the grizzly bears he knows can kill him. He repeatedly tells the camera how much he loves them. He loves the gentler, smaller foxes near whose dens he pitches his tents during the second halves of his summer sojourns. He tells the camera you must be firm with the bears, and he says he knows how to handle them, even though he also repeatedly says he knows he may die there. He is a gambler. Is he a complex man, or merely a confused one? Is he brave, or just foolhardy? What is his purpose in spending all this time among the grizzlies? Is he gathering information, or taking refuge among creatures he need not please, only keep a safe distance from (though he continually comes closer to bears than the park rules and good sense require)? He has a soft sissified manner and voice and even says he wishes he were gay. But he also rants and rages embarrassingly and tiresomely against unseen enemies, poachers, sightseers, rangers, hunters, park officials, the whole urban settled world he runs from to this world he idealizes and blindly sees as perfect. As Herzog notes, Treadwell sought to disregard nature's cruelty, and any time it was in his face -- as when the bears were starving in a dry spell and began eating their own young -- he sought to manipulate nature to eliminate the ugliness. He faults not the bears but the rain gods.

Young Timothy according to his parents was an ordinary boy who loved animals from childhood and got a diving scholarship to college. But he injured his back and quit college and he drank and when he went to LA to act and didn't get a part on Cheers he "spiraled down." He never had a lasting relationship with a woman and the drinking became serious and constant. In vain he tried programs, meetings, self-discipline -- but the drinking went on and was killing him. Finally he got sober for the grizzlies and the foxes. He decided to devote his life to them and he pledged to them that he would be clean and healthy. It was a miracle. Yet he remained not only manic-depressive but passive-aggressive, as his alternations between gentle declarations of love of the animals and his spewing of vitriol against the civilized world attest.

Treadwell's soft-voiced declarations of love and sweetness among the grizzlies would be beautiful -- if such behavior, in a world of extreme physical risk, surrounded by limber lumbering beasts with great teeth and long claws, while preening for the camera with caps and bandanas and golden locks in a dozen alternate takes -- were not criminally silly and irresponsible. Herzog hides none of this in his portrait, which is both sympathetic and ruthless.

As the years passed the Grizzly Man found transitions back to civilization harder and harder to make. On the last occasion, an airport official infuriated him by questioning the validity of his ticket and he turned around with his girlfriend -- who was afraid of bears! -- and returned to the "maze," the most dangerous of his summer campgrounds because it wasn't in the open where the bears could see him and steer clear but among their burrows and the brush. It was later than he ever stayed and the bears he knew and had names for were hibernating now, replaced by new unknown and more hostile and nasty animals. He must also have been more desperate, perhaps more careless? We see the bear that probably devoured him and the woman.

Herzog has access to everything, even an audio-only tape of Timothy and Amy's truly grizzly death. He spares us, though.

As Herzog begins his film by stating, Timothy Treadwell crossed a line between wild animal and human that should never be crossed. This is a line so many other touchy-feely "nature" and "wildlife" films cross. See "The March of the Penguins" and you'll have a prime example. "Grizzly Man" isn't meant to be about grizzlies. It's about men who cross that line -- who willfully misunderstand nature for their own misguided reasons, to serve their own dysfunctional needs.

How do you feel after seeing this movie?

[joyceamooney · 9/10 · 26 August 2005]

I like it when I do know know how to feel! Herzog seems to start out by portraying a man, Timothy Treadwell, as a crazy, self-obsessed (NOT Grizzly-obsessed) individual who gets himself and his girlfriend killed for no purpose, in the Alaskan wilderness. Initially I thought that the story was a cross between 'Jackass' and the Discovery Channel - you have a dopey, though he only sounds like it, blonde surfer type who likes to approach (awfully close) and make sweet-talk with 10-foot bears. Viewers might see Timothy as a reckless, selfish misfit, but as the film continues, your appreciation for his cause deepens - but what is his cause? Is it to work out personal demons? Absolutely. Treadwell clearly has mental/emotional problems, just listen to how many times he tells the wild animals "I love you!" or when he talks about his lack of success with "human women." But his passion for the grizzlies and their wilderness is real. Herzog particularly commends him as a filmmaker, seizing unique opportunities and rendering priceless footage. Do not forget that TT lived close to the bears for 13 years (including the year he was killed) without harm; and that his success, his careful, intuitive, loving behavior was only partly self-aggrandizing.

Grizzly, but also funny

[Ricky_Roma__ · 20 August 2006]

There's no doubt that Timothy Treadwell was insane. Just look at the facts; here was a guy who lived (unarmed) with bears, who referred to himself in the third person (always a sure sign of insanity) and who had a loon for a best friend. But entirely because of that, his story is a fascinating one.

At first, what's so amazing about Treadwell is how camp he is. He has a squeaky little voice, a peculiar obsession with his wispy hair and he's always cooing, "I love you" to his animal 'friends'. It seems remarkable that such a person would survive so long in the wilderness. But fortunately for Treadwell, he's both tough and completely insane. Therefore he has the blind confidence of the deluded – he never really thinks about what he's doing.

Treadwell's lack of real insight is summed up in his life's purpose – he wants to protect the bears. But the forces that he's protecting the bears from are amorphous (poachers and the Park Service). They're never really there. And it's telling that when some strangers finally do turn up, Treadwell can only hide in the bushes and film from afar as the men throw rocks at the bears – he doesn't do much protecting.

But as Treadwell admits, it's more about the bears protecting him. Which, I guess, is ridiculous (and it is), but it's also true. As the film shows us, Treadwell was in all kinds of trouble before he went bear crazy. He lost his scholarship, became a drunk and got involved with criminal elements. Had he kept steering that course, he probably would have wound up getting killed. And although it's darkly comic that his new obsession finally did bring about his death, it did at least provide him with a momentary release.

The film that Treadwell shot is both amusing and sad. It's amusing because Treadwell is such a strange figure, declaring himself a 'kind warrior' and touching bear faeces with an almost orgasmic excitement. But it's sad because Treadwell is so out of touch with reality. For example, he gives all the bears cute little names like 'Mr Chocolate' and 'Rowdy' – he even calls a particularly nasty bear 'The Grinch'. All the time he's trying to humanise them. He desperately wants to be their friend. And although at times Treadwell seems to understand that they're killers, it never truly sinks in that they could kill him. "I will not die at their claws and paws," he says.

Another illuminating moment is when one of his fox friends steals his cap. He seems deeply upset; he seems personally affronted. He just doesn't quite grasp the fact that these are wild animals, that they aren't really his pals. But despite this, Treadwell does capture some wonderful moments on film. There's a fantastic bit where he's in his tent playing with the paws of a fox that come poking through from outside. It's here that you can understand why Treadwell has isolated himself from people. It's innocent moments like this that keep him hanging on to the few marbles he has left rattling about in his brain.

But although Treadwell doesn't really understand nature, Herzog does. In his unmistakable German accent he says he sees no kinship in the bear's eyes: "I only see the overwhelming indifference of nature". Everything between Treadwell and the bears is one sided. The love is only his. To them he's just meat. Or as a helicopter pilot says, maybe the bears just thought he was mentally retarded.

And although the film is a wonderful insight into a crazy mind, and although it's poignant and sad, it's also very funny. And it's some of the peripheral characters who provide the biggest laughs. One moment that sticks in my mind is when Herzog is talking to Treadwell's crazy ex-girlfriend. It could and should have been a moving moment, as Herzog is listening to the tape recording of Treadwell's death, but Treadwell's ex is just so bonkers that I couldn't help but guffaw when she broke into some of the weirdest tears I've ever seen – at first it seems like she's laughing. And then you have Herzog, in his gravest tones, telling her that she must never listen to the tape. And she replies, "I know, Werner." No wonder the scene has been parodied.

And then you have the coroner. He really seems to love the fact that he's in front of the camera and decides to ham it up for everyone. And this actually leads me to my one criticism of the film. There are a few sections that are just too staged – the scene with the watch and the bit in the morgue stand out the most. Herzog is obviously trying to give the film more drama, to break away from the restrictions of a documentary, but the people in the film are over the top enough as it is without them acting it up for the camera. The story really doesn't need any spicing up.

But despite that one criticism, Grizzly Man is a wonderful film. It tells the story of a ridiculous man who probably did more harm that good, but at the same time the story is strangely positive. It offers hope to damaged people. It shows that by finding a purpose in life, you can overcome your problems and find some degree of happiness. I guess the trick is to focus your energies on something less dangerous than man-eating bears.

Portrait of a Man Unable to Bear the World he Lived In

[troy-125 · 8/10 · 13 January 2006]

Herzog's "Grizzly Man" is a miraculous documentary. He started by collecting hundreds of hours of video tape shot by the movie's subject, Timothy Treadwell. The director then culls through the footage and assembles a fascinating portrait of this uniquely bold (and clearly troubled) human being: Treadwell spent 13 summers living amongst grizzly bears in the wilds of Alaska, before being killed by one in the summer of 2003.

Treadwell's footage is gorgeous, and at times heart-stopping: a grizzly battle caught on tape is the stuff Animal Planet would kill for. But the footage goes beyond simply revealing the harsh yet beautiful reality of the Alaskan wilderness. The camera soon becomes a silent confidant to Treadwell's self-obsessed confessions. For one, he sees himself as the singular savior of the wildlife preserve he camps at and the creatures that reside there. But he also sees himself becoming increasingly less connected to the real world he lives in 9 months out of the year. The footage here is most poignant, revealing Treadwell's inner struggles. It paints a picture of a lonely man searching, perhaps desperately, for purpose in a world he feels has rejected him. Most eerily prescient are Treadwell's repeated remarks about how he would die for the bears, though his eventual death does not appear to be the martyrdom he so clearly sought.

This is where the film is most riveting - in Treadwell's footage, focused on the man, the bears, and the force of nature around them. Less compelling are Herzog's talking head interviews with Treadwell's friends and family - although they do help to solve (as much as possible) the puzzle of where Timothy came from, what lead him to the bears, and why he was killed.

It would not be a Herzog film with the director's own philosophical palette framing the story. Herzog's commentary reveals his longstanding view that nature is cruel and that chaos is the constant in our life experience, not harmony. That Treadwell saw beauty and soul in the bears seems to be beside the point, since ultimately their need for sustenance made them turn on their self-appointed protector.

A Perfect Match

[jemenfoutisme · 7/10 · 15 August 2005]

Anyone who has followed the trajectory of Werner Herzog from the time of "Even Dwarfs Started Small" will understand the immediate appeal that the Treadwell story must have had for this intensely brilliant German director. Treadwell must have seemed to Herzog like a Laguna Beach version of his Fitzcarraldo and his Aguirre and even of Herzog himself in his more unhinged moments. This film appears at first to be a fair minded documentary about Tim Treadwell, the 'protector' of all things natural and wild in the remote regions of Alaska. What Herzog shows us, however, is that what Treadwell really needed protection from was reality itself and that his escape into the wilds was just a deadly game of denial.

The film is also a meditation on the brute force of nature, on art and on human hubris. My wife found the 'character' of Tim Treadwell so ludicrous and offensive that she had to leave the theater. For my part, I was in awe of both Treadwell's incredible physical courage coupled with his absolute lack of judgment and his insane narcissism. He struck me as a cross between Pee-Wee Herman and Marlon Perkins, the guy who narrated the Mutual of Omaha nature documentaries that showed up on Sunday afternoons in the 60's and 70's.

The word is that Hollywood, in the person of Leonardo DiCaprio, was a financial supporter of Treadwell's 'mission'in Alaska and that a Hollywood version of the story is due out sometime soon with Di Caprio playing the lead. I know I won't be going to see that version because it will just continue the lie and the myth that Treadwell tried so hard to create and sustain. Even at his most intense moments of profoundity Treadwell had nothing to 'say' to anyone about either bears or himself. It was all self-serving and self-congratulatory and it is only in his grotesque death at the hands of a rogue grizzly that any meaningful message finally comes across. (Herzog thankfully spares us from the actual experience which was caught on audio but not on video because the lens cap had been left on.)

Its hard not to feel sorry for Tim Treadwell and the young woman who died with him, but the 'native' scientist in the film put it quite nicely "My people have been living nicely with bears for thousands of years and we know enough to stay out of each other's way."

Tim Treadwell wanted desperately to cross the boundary into the 'way' of the bear because the 'way of the human' was too much for him. Despite his goofy, childish demeanor he revealed himself to be a man of deep anger and resentment. However, if the bears had let him live he would probably be considered something of a folk-hero in 'reality' obsessed America.

Herzog shows us that there was nothing real about Treadwell at all and that the bears knew a lot more about him than he ever would of them.

Well done, but a sad story.

[thousandisland · 7/10 · 6 February 2006]

This film proves what little we already know about wildlife: 99% of the time, it will leave you alone as long as you don't harass it, but the 1% is a differential that ends with you screaming and some guy finding your arm later.

It also proves that we know even less about human nature than we do about bears, as Tim Treadwell is a mystery even to his own species.

It's obvious that he has some kind of disorder or drug-related brain damage, what with his extreme lability of mood, delusions of identity, neurotic and repetitive speech patterns, and general paranoia about the activities of his fellow humans. He knows a lot of interesting people, from his geeky friends who state the mundane as though it is profound ("I don't think he had a death wish at all." "I don't think anyone really deserves to be eaten alive by a bear."), to the Friend/Actor who is not even believable when portraying himself, to his very ordinary parents who are just as confused by him as we are.

In this film, we learn that Treadwell switches addictions from alcohol to bears, and descends into functional madness while attempting to integrate himself into their "secret, inner world." He is paradoxical throughout, both disliking humans and yearning for a love relationship, being fully aware of the dangers that the bears pose, but doing nothing to protect himself from them. (Well, he is fatalistic in his devotion to them, but seems to think that they will not harm him as long as he behaves properly around them. That an older, aggressive bear could become hunger-crazed enough to attack him indiscriminately seems beyond his scope.) At times he shows a thorough understanding of animal behavior and the natural world, at other times a grand ignorance of the reality of life in the wilderness. He seems forever stymied trying to enforce human concepts like justice and righteousness upon the jungle. His sentimentality with the bears and perceived relationships there show in stark relief when the animals display constant indifference or even aggression, and when it is clear that some near-altercation with them has occurred off-camera.

In the end, he is really no more successful with bears than he is with people, understanding the basic rules but never seeing the whole picture in clarity enough to know how to avoid crashing and burning.

Perhaps most indicative of his dysfunction is how he responds to the fond relationship he develops with the foxes, who actively play with him and seek his company and interaction. While he loves them, they are but a footnote on his path to destruction; he prefers the ambiguous and imagined affection from the dangerous bears, to the foxes' genuine displays of it.

"Grizzly Man" is not about a man at all; it is a sad, true story about a wayward being without a species.

On this journey, the audience meets a lot of bears that look alike but who we know were distinct to Treadwell, a creepy coroner who is probably not acting, and a slew of observers who all have their own biased and often badly distorted views of "what really happened." In the creamy middle is the quirky pilot who knew Treadwell best, and the director himself, the voice of reason in this well-crafted work.

The moral: Van Halen was right. "It's business as usual in the woods." Animals make sense; it's people that don't.

Loved Herzog, but could not sympathize with Treadwell

[chosunkid · 7/10 · 25 September 2005]

***Possible Spoilers*** "Grizzly Man" is a documentary of Tim Treadwell who spends 13 summers in Alaska living amongst grizzly bears and eventually loses his life to the creatures to which he devoted all his heart.

I saw "Grizzly Man" without knowing anything about it. I first thought it would be a documentary about the beauty and behavior of grizzly bears. However, through Tim Treadwell's interaction with grizzly bears, Werner Herzog shows that this film is actually about the inadequacies and insecurities of human nature.

Tim Treadwell seems to be the culmination of many of the deficiencies that man possesses. I felt absolutely no sympathy for this individual, despite the fact that he suffered a tragic and horrible death. If it weren't bears that killed him, it probably would've been something else. He was definitely headed toward a downward spiral. I felt like he was a man who ran away from his demons because he could not face or overcome it. He developed high "ideals" and when he could not adjust his values and beliefs to that of society, he abandoned it and sought out for acceptance from creatures that are incapable of judging or criticizing Treadwell. Unfortunately, Treadwell mistakes the grizzly bears' indifference or incompetence as a sign of acceptance, and falls in love with them.

Treadwell displayed behavior suggestive of manic depressive disorder, or cyclothymic disorder, or histrionic personality disorder. His emotional reactions to incidents were over dramatic to the point that one questions whether it's genuine. I also thought that he was a closet homosexual who could not accept his sexual orientation. In the film, Treadwell talks about wishing he were gay because it would be easier, but he denies being gay. He also talks about how he has trouble with keeping relationships with girls. I know this is a big assumption, but I couldn't help but question whether he was running away from civilization hoping he didn't have to face the reality of his sexual orientation. Treadwell is a person who does not know himself, and is afraid to find out.

I also did not like the fact that Treadwell was on this unsubstantiated high horse. This self-proclaimed protector of animals and nature displays his hypocrisy in at least 2 scenes. When Treadwell stumbles upon poachers who throw rocks at a baby cub, all he does is hide behind a bush and criticizes the hunters for hurting the bear. Not quite what a "protector" would do. Also, when Treadwell discovers the dead fox, he gets angry for the destruction and death that exists in this world. However, he doesn't blink twice to try to swap a fly that is buzzing around the fox. Obviously he shows no respect for the fly, which is also a living organism.

Also, throughout the film, most of Treadwell's friends glorify all that he represented. It seems that his death has elevated him to a martyr, and I found that inappropriate. I don't believe one's achievements in life should be overblown and exaggerated because he or she suffered a tragic and violent death. Based on Treadwell's self-recordings, I find that he has done nothing to deserve any praise. The way he died is sad, but that should not have any bearing on what he did in life. If anything, Treadwell encroached upon the grizzly bears' territory, and abused their independence and way of life in order to hide behind the mask of his own demons. I find nothing altruistic about his actions because of that.

In the film, Herzog says that death and destruction is a unavoidable reality of nature, and he has done a brilliant job in portraying that. My take home message was that everything bad in this world exists because man is too weak and feeble-minded to transcend beyond our natural tendencies to destroy his surroundings and to self-destruct. And Treadwell is the perfect example. Great job Mr. Herzog.

Skip Tiger King and watch this instead

[mkquinn91 · 8/10 · 8 June 2020]

I have so far resisted peer pressure to watch more than the first episodes of Tiger King, but I can still say with confidence that Grizzly Man is vastly superior.

It's truly incredible the amount of empathy Herzog is able to generate for such a misguided, kooky person. It's all the more impressive to see the contrast between Timothy Treadwell's sentimentalized view of nature with Herzog's (and my, for that matter) view that nature is indifferent and chaotic. To mix these two contrasting philosophies with what are, in some sense, two different films--Treadwell's footage and Herzog's narration and interviews--make for something truly moving and insightful.

a kind of master's class in a schizo documentary- sometimes quite amusing and entertaining, other times very somber and depressing

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 16 August 2005]

This documentary, written, directed, and narrated by German madman maestro Werner Herzog, has very little in it that isn't worth seeing, and at its best brings some of the most captivating, candid, and entertaining documentary footage of the year. The subject matter is an environmentalist/bear nut named Timothy Treadwell, a nobody who became a kind of weird celebrity for living each summer on an Alaskan wildlife preservation with Grizzly bears. He also documented a lot of his time on the island, which Herzog chooses wisely for his film on him. Treadwell may or may not have totally believed a fate like death among his co-habitants would come (there is one scene where he says he'd die for them, another when he says he's safe). But his fate did come, along with his girlfriends, rather grisly as we hear from the details (which, wisely, we never see).

One is tempted to comment on Treadwell, as he is (much as with Herzog's protagonists in his fiction films) possessive, ambitious, naive, dazed, emotional, but somehow in tune with his own sense of nature and the ways of the world. Herzog himself comments a good deal on Treadwell, when he agrees with him, when he doesn't (Herzog, as Roger Ebert pointed out, does have a bleak world-view as opposed to Treadwell's overly optimistic one). What one can comment on is the execution of the material. We get interviews with Treadwell's close friends (one platonic, one not), the people who found his and his girlfriend's bodies in the forest, and a couple of nearby experts (one Native American comments on how Treadwell did what they had never done in 7,000 years, to cross a boundary that was respected). Herzog also gives us majestic, spacious images of Alaskan wilderness, and gives some ample time for footage of the bears and foxes.

If not for Treadwell's rather high & low nature (as a friend comments), this might be a very standard documentary on a bear expert. But because of the documentary- or near television hosting footage (I sometimes felt like I was seeing a nicer, if stranger version, of the Croc Hunter)- of Treadwell on camera by himself, the film gets another dimension. It's also a help that in combating the grim reality of what became of him (Herzog's narration is this rather sad, if praising side), it's rather funny to see Treadwell in his behavior on screen. In some subtle ways he's in a more 'normal' state of mind than the rest of us- he loves his bears (whom, by the way, he gave names to; he stands his ground against the occasional poachers); he has that mix of sentimentality and rawness that is needed to live for so long in the wilderness.

The absurdity of it usually brings the laughs, but even behind them there is always a constant curiosity about him. We learn that he wanted to be an actor, which lead to a bad, near fatal spell before his 'bear' retreat, acting as more of a spiritual catalyst more than anything else. Even if some of this footage is a little zany, over-the-top, or may go far on his name, it is honest to a kind of schizo degree. We almost wouldn't want Treadwell to be normal, and go figure- Herzog would have no interest in him. In the end, despite Herzog's comments (which aren't the best parts of the film to me), his film tries not to pass judgment on Treadwell, letting his actions and other testimonies speak for themselves. And, if nothing else, it's compulsively (for a certain movie-viewer) watchable.

Man vs Bear vs Nature vs Man

[MacAindrais · 10/10 · 31 December 2005]

Grizzly Man: ****

Werner Herzog has once again given us one more reason to claim him as a genius. 'Grizzly Man' is a fantastic documentary, one of the best I've ever seen, and it certainly stands aside from the rest. It's a film you'll see; may or may not get; may or may not like; but you will never forget what you've just seen. Timothy Treadwell, is in a way, a distant (or maybe close) extension of Herzog himself, or perhaps his long time friend/fiend- Klaus Kinski. Herzog even gives us a connection when commenting on Treadwell's rage filled rants to the heavens over rain, comparing it to his experiences on film sets with angered actors - clearly Kinski. Herzog never really takes a side with Treadwell. He sometimes agrees with him, and sometimes disagrees. We're presented mostly with Treadwell's films with voice overs, or just Timothy talking. In a way, perhaps you can say Herzog is siding with Treadwell by being the medium through which Timothy's films and thoughts are now being presented to the world. And, in a way, this documentary is about films. Herzog has spent months living in isolated jungles to make his films and claims that he would rather die than not finish filming. You can see the connection between the two here, and its no wonder Herzog was so interested in Treadwell. We all know that Treadwell is gone, and before seeing this documentary you knew this and felt little over the death. But after watching this, I felt very sad, yet was happy at the same time. Treadwell was, by his own admission, very troubled. Was he crazy? It is not mine, your's, or Herzog's place to make this assumption, and thus he doesn't. We are all in some ways eccentric, and its possible that Treadwell was simply brave enough, or desperate enough, to act on these inner thoughts. And though he comes across as a simple fellow, as the documentary goes on you see that he wasn't so. He makes strange decisions that leave you wondering 'why?'. I'm sure anyone who sees this with an open mind, not having already condemned or praised Treadwell, will come out asking yourself many questions. The score of the film, which you can watch a documentary on the making of on the DVD, is wonderful, as is every soundtrack to a Herzog film. It's never background music, it always plays a part and it works wonderfully. The final scene, lead off by Don Edwards 'Coyotes' will leaving you smiling as you watch Treadwell walk upstream with two grizzly bears by his side. No matter what you feel for Treadwell, this is a beautiful, touching, fascinating and crushing experience. Anyone and everyone should feel some connection here. This is very much a reflection on society and its pariahs, and in a way, we all have a little bit of Treadwell in us. In short, this is far and away the best documentary of the year, and thats saying something as there are quite a few good ones out there. If this does not win the Oscar, then something is clearly wrong with the Acadamy. Herzog is one of the most talented and interesting filmmakers on the planet and its about time he got his due. 10/10

A dangerous passion

[jotix100 · 10/10 · 7 September 2005]

If there was anyone at all to take this story to the screen, Werner Herzog, the distinguished German director, would have been our first choice. Mr. Herzog, a man who knew madness first hand, as his association to Klaus Kinsky proved, is a man that could make this documentary work in the way it does.

We follow an obsessed man, Tim Treadwell, whose love for the grizzly bears consumed him. Mr. Treadwell's own life, away from that setting, was nothing to speak of, but let him loose in the Alaska wilderness and he became a figure as large, as the bears he loved and cared for so much. Tim's passion for the grizzlies took him to appoint himself as the savior of the animals. This was a man that didn't pay attention to the dangers around him, because as all consumed individuals in search of greatness for achieving something, he lost track of what was real and what wasn't. Tim even gets his girlfriend Amie Huguenard involved in his quest for protecting the bears. At the same time, Mr. Treadwell is seen also with the foxes of the area, who didn't pose the same danger as the great brown bears.

What Mr. Herzog has achieved is to show us the man in the mission he set out for himself, expanding in the material Mr. Treadwell had amassed on his own. The director shows us breathtaking views of Alaska, as probably never has been shown before. The cinematography takes our breath away. The Katmai National Park has never been seen in its glorious splendor before.

"Grizzly Bear", like "The March of the Penguins", currently playing in local cinemas, is a welcome diversion from the typical summer Hollywood fare of films that are big on special effects that don't add anything to our enjoyment because the adhere to the same tired old formula.

This movie is something else...

[Potty-Man · 7/10 · 29 August 2005]

This is the first Werner Herzog movie I've seen. I don't really know how to review a movie like that, since I feel I can't judge it by the usual standards. Some parts of it were really sad and moving. Others sent chills up my spine. One scene specifically (about Timothy's watch) was really contrived. But my favorite thing about the movie I think was how Herzog usually left the camera rolling for a few seconds after the interviewees finished what they had to say, just to capture those moments of silence and (sometimes) awkwardness, which felt really authentic. I think Herzog saw a lot of himself in Timothy's tortured soul. Also, one of the most breathtaking scenes in the movie is where Timothy captures an intense fight between two bears.

Awe-inspiring

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 17 March 2015]

The last Herzog documentary I watched was LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS, a moving piece obviously shot a very long time ago. GRIZZLY MAN is something else entirely: a mainstream, English-language film that tells the unforgettable story of one isolated man and his (very) close encounters with wild grizzly bears in Alaska.

You can see why Herzog was drawn to this material, as it's perfect for him. Themes explores include man vs the wild, human loners, hints at madness, the cruelty of the animal world, and of course death and destruction. Herzog has taken some 100 hours of camcorder footage shot by Timothy Treadwell out in the wild, and made a thoroughly compelling narrative out of here.

As a film, GRIZZLY MAN has it all. There are more fascinating glimpses of the wild and its creatures than in an Attenborough documentary. There's a kooky, intriguing protagonist who seems on edge throughout. There's unexpected humour, alongside tragedy and triumph, and a great score. It's haunting and beautiful and everything in-between, and truly one of the most profound films I've ever watched. In fact, I can't wait to see it again...

Herzog's intriguing doc proves mental illness and 1000 pound killing machines just don't mix well.........

[davendes · 7/10 · 8 January 2006]

For 13 summers, animal activist Timothy Treadwell traveled to Alaska to live among and "protect" his most cherished of creatures, the Grizzly bear. During the last 5 of those seasons, he brought video equipment to capture his interactions with the native wildlife. Unfortunately for him and his girlfriend, the number 13 would prove most unlucky as both were eaten by, unsurprisingly- A Grizzly.

Enter filmmaker legend Werner Herzog. With over 100 hours of footage and an immense belief, he gives us "Grizzly Man", a superb documentary far more involved with frail human conditions than anything about nature.

With Treadwell as the main attraction, it couldn't have been any other way. It is truly mind-boggling to witness all the mental/emotional problems colliding and bubbling so, so close to the surface- Exaggerated ego, self-loathing, (possibly) repressed homosexuality, willful ignorance, dangerous hypocrisy, and some form of bi-polar disorder are just some of them.

Here are some pretty good examples:

Throughout the film, Treadwell boasts of unsurpassed expertise and intimacy when dealing with bears, but as it happens, he has NO form of training dealing with wildlife whatsoever. He went from being a wannabe actor with alcohol and drug issues to super-activist almost overnight and with too few questions.

Treadwell repeatedly speaks of his contempt for mankind, yet he somehow manages to endow the bears around him with very human characteristics. Full of delusion, he sees love in cold eyes and takes "Back off dude" gestures as welcoming advances.

20 takes and multiple diatribes, all while mugging for the camera, seriously clouds Treadwell's integrity in several instances. And finally............

If you're going to brag about being the bears "only protector", you really shouldn't do it when you and the animals always reside on a government sponsored preserve. Furthermore, when tourists throw rocks at your "friends" and you hide in the bushes and do nothing about it because you can't "blow your cover", it's time to question your protective abilities.

Believe me, there is MUCH more, but hopefully these will be just enough to grab your interest.

Now as far as Herzog's work goes, it's quite good. He intersperses footage with interviews evenly and keeps things flowing nicely. Admittedly, a large portion of the interviews feel contrived/staged and some footage seems redundant, but on the overall, this a well put together and absorbing package.

In the end, "Grizzly Man" is an excellent viewing experience about a complicated, troubled man-child and his severely misguided endeavors.

(Strangely enough, Treadwell had a far more genuine bond with the foxes of the preserve; they really seemed to care for him and enjoy his company. Maybe if he had focused on them, he'd still be with us.)

Bizarre

[bcommon · 4/10 · 3 January 2006]

The film by Herzog was certainly worthy of making but is so bizarre. Two seemingly unrelated and opposite worlds forced together (by T. Treadwell) it what the laws of the universe ultimately decided would never work, ending in destruction and chaos. The bizarre nature of T. Treadwell who was fighting his sexuality demons in the most narcissistic and self flagellating manner would have been better played out in a drag queen reality show. The fact that he chose to capture his "life DRAMA" in a natural setting so majestic and raw was such a disconnect and made the film look like a side show. Drag Queen in the Wild would have been a better title than Grizzly Man. It was nonsense and pointless. I get the human struggle, the search for himself blah blah blah. But to try to make a poetic statement about this obviously deranged individual was pointless. Maybe that was Herzog's intention. To make it appear as a side show. Certainly the parents scene, the ex-girl friend "friend", the watch scene and the morgue scene were side shows in themselves.

Don Quichotte with a false Australian accent

[Ryu_Darkwood · 9/10 · 2 July 2007]

Werner Herzog had the unique chance to use actual footage shot by Timothy Treadwell - ''the grizzly man'' - for his documentary. This aspect gives the viewer a painful insight in the person of Treadwell and his self-centered behavior. On tape he's presenting himself as the cool uncle daring to defy the ferocious carnivores grizzly bears are, wearing bandannas and Rambo styled clothing. He keeps on telling his imaginary audience that his life is in danger, but that he has the capability to control the situation by his own knowledge of the bears.

At first I sympathized with this happy loony, clearly loving his wild lifestyle and wanting to share it with a broad audience. But at a certain point, it becomes painfully clear that he's dangerously self-deceptive. He's justifying his presence amongst the bears as a way to protect them against poachers, multiple times saying that he'd be glad to be killed while protecting them. To contradict this, we see him sitting in a branch, watching how a group of poachers is actually stoning a young cub. He doesn't do anything to step up against this hideous crime; he's just ranting about it to the camera. And then it started to dawn on me that this man wasn't the nature preserving freak he claims to be, but an ex-addict using the wild nature as a way of experiencing the kicks that alcohol and/or drugs gave him in the past. His presence in the wild was a failure to cope with real life, and not the act of a strong individual really wanting to make a difference in the world. This men was mentally ill, very ill...

By selecting both the footage shot by Treadwell himself and by adding interviews and a reflecting monologue, director Werner Herzog does a good job trying to grasp the complex motives of this deranged man. He doesn't glorify this person as a hero, but he humanizes him by showing both his charming sides and dark sides. We see a Timothy Treadwell that is loving, sensitive and really empathic with animals, but we also see a narcissistic man that is fully estranged by his own self-deceptive fantasies. It's the story of a Don Quichotte; the knight is a mediocre American with a false Australian accent and the windmills are ferocious bears.

Real Life "Waiting for Guffman"

[mediya9 · 10/10 · 22 September 2005]

This is one of the most subtly done comedy/documentaries ever. I cannot begin to describe how funny it is.

Werner Herzog is a passive aggressive genius. How he kept a straight face while filming this movie is beyond me. He should be on the World Poker Tour. He systematically destroys any perceptions of Treadwell as an "bear expert" and layer by layer, reveals the true nature of Treadwell's demons.

It is horrible, beautiful, and above all ridiculously funny to watch.

It's a real life Waiting for Guffman! I have seen it 3 times and I find something new every time. It is also the most quotable movie since Napoleon Dynamite.

Review

[leah-bloom · 10/10 · 9 October 2005]

Grizzly Man, directed and narrated by Werner Herzog, is a must see. It doesn't appear to be playing widely, but wherever you have to haul arse to find it, GO! First, the footage is *amazing.* Slap your hand over your mouth, hold your breath, talk to the screen in disbelief amazing. Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers in Katmai National Park living among the grizzly bears and other critters (most notably the foxes, who are delightful - so much so that I give them human grammatical treatment here). He knows each bear individually, and he knows bears. Combined with the fact that he's totally unhinged and thinks he's one of them, this enables him to get incredible moments on film.

Second, the movie is a fascinating piece of artwork. Treadwell is very much the main character even in his own footage - he's a cross between the Crocodile Hunter and Marty Stouffer from Wild America. There's no attempt on his part to create a straight documentary, no attempt to maintain the illusion of the fourth wall or journalistic distance/invisibility. He's right there, in your face, in the bears' faces, treating the camera at times like a soapbox, a confessional, a therapist's couch, or a companion. In some rare moments, he seems to almost forget he's toting the camera, and though the footage then tends to be a bit Blair Witchy, it's also the least contrived and therefore among the most engaging.

Herzog, too, makes no effort to uphold the sanctity of the fourth wall. He is both audience and narrator, commenting on Treadwell as much as the contents of Treadwell's tapes. In a break from traditional (think March of the Penguins-style) narration, he actually appears on camera conducting interviews, firmly affixing a face to the (judgemental but, I thought, dead-on) voice. It's thrilling that in this film, we *are* supposed to pay attention to the man behind the curtain.

Finally, and this is far and away the most interesting aspect of the movie, Timothy Treadwell is clearly not a sane and healthy man. He is passionate, he has a deeply felt sense of conscience, and he is madly in love with these bears. He tells the camera over and over again that his work is dangerous, putting him constantly in harm's way, and that the bears are wild animals and can maim, kill, decapitate (he seems oddly fixated on their ability to decapitate), and otherwise hurt people. The problem is, he's like the guy at the doors to the fun house who cackles, "You may not come out alive!" just as you enter - it makes the ride scarier, but no one actually believes it for a minute, as Treadwell seems not to believe that he could meet his end at the paws of a bear.

Nonetheless, Treadwell does seem to know he's not altogether alright, acknowledging to the camera that he's unable to cope with the world of people. In moments such as the one when he bends down to touch a steaming mound of you-know-what straight from his favorite bear's behind, he notes the weirdness of his actions, but it's as if he knows no other way. He's compelled.

And he does, despite his protestations, believe he is a bear. He gives each animal a name, following their growth and maturation year after year. He swims with them, stands them off in conflicts, gives them post-fight pep-talks about girls and judging the enemy, and grieves their deaths. He re-builds a stream bed to encourage the salmon to run, and when that doesn't work, demands that God bring rain so that his bears can eat. He is stupidly fearless, expecting his bear totem to bail him out or to give him some kind of magical power of kinship with these terrifying and beautiful animals. He sees them as his protector, and he as theirs.

In the end (and I spoil nothing by telling you this - it's the whole reason the film was made), he and his girlfriend get eaten alive. Bless Herzog's soul, he suggests that the tape of their grizzly end be permanently destroyed, and refuses to air it. It's only audio, as Treadwell's video camera was apparently running, but with the lens cap on. Hard to believe, but I'll forego the proof of hearing the tape myself. Its contents are recapped graphically enough by Treadwell's friends and those involved in his case after his death.

Grizzly Man is a rare gem, a nature documentary that examines the human animal as it struggles for survival. Treadwell is nuts, but he's also strangely admirable. Sadly, as Herzog notes by the blank stares Treadwell captures brilliantly over and over, the bears don't love him back.

A study of dangerous delusion

[matthewdenby · 9/10 · 17 September 2005]

I strongly recommend this documentary, which focuses on the life and gruesome death of self-appointment grizzly bear "protector" Timothy Treadwell. It is a fascinating character study of a passionate but tragically deluded man, and the cast of oddball characters attached to his story -from the people who supported his delusions, to the bizarre coroner who talks us through the state of his remains. Treadwell clearly was a big fan of that other irresponsible and deluded individual, The Crocodile Hunter; obsessively filming himself in often contrived situations with dangerous wild animals. We see much of Treadwell's work in this film, and it reveals a lot more about him than his purported subjects, the bears. His camera was still running, recording audio, the day he and his girlfriend were horrifically eaten alive by a hungry bear. While we are thankfully spared the tape, we are given a gruesome insight into the consequences. Despite Treadwell's gross irresponsibility, we are left feeling pity and sadness for this passionate and strangely likable man and the woman who he took with him. The flick is also a fascinating nature documentary, with some great Alaskan vistas thrown in for the bargain. Go see it. 9/10

The Bear Witch Project

[blearyboy · 10/10 · 28 March 2008]

Don't bother renting this title if you're looking for a nature documentary. Although there is some stunning footage of the Alaskan wilderness, this is not a film about nature, or bears, or conservation.

This is the study of a man in crisis. Amongst humans, Timothy Treadwell is a sad case: alone, poor, a junkie, an alcoholic, with no future. So he went to find a life amongst the bears of Kodiak island, and for 13 years he thought he had found it. His videos show him not only pursuing intense (but completely one-sided) relationships with the bears, but imagining himself as a lone warrior, protecting his friends from the evil humans.

We know from the start that this is a fantasy: Treadwell does nothing to help the bears, who feel no affection for him. Worse still we know that he has been killed by one of the bears. All of this is documented in the 100 hours of footage shot superbly by Treadwell himself in the hours before his death.

As the film delves into the mind of this poor, deluded soul, we also begin to gain an insight into the mind of the director, the legendary Werner Herzog. Herzog clearly identifies deeply with Treadwell, with both men having risked their lives and sanity in their obsession with making movies in inhospitable environments. The only difference between the men, he admits, is that where Treadwell saw harmony in nature, Herzog sees only indifference and cruelty.

In the end, we're left looking at ourselves, wondering how our human ideals fit with the physical world we occupy, and if there can ever be any reconciliation between the two.

Herzog is one of the greatest living artists in cinema, and he has successfully turned this unique footage into a superb movie.

Watching the consuming madness

[Searchingforhelen · 10/10 · 22 October 2005]

I expected this much from revered filmmaker Werner (pronounced Verner?), what I did not expect was the intensity and complexity to this almost surreal documentation of a madman smitten with a deranged purpose and misguided soul.

As the observer, the audience is given the right to judge the object, but I failed to see the difference in subject and object here. Werner trying his best not to pull a Michael Moore, fearlessly inspects without interfering with Timothy Treadwell as a human that became confused and disillusioned in a fantasy that went too far.

Technically speaking there were a few problems, the dizzying hand-held shots with Timothy running through the brush, and the sound being garbled or deafened covering the Mic, but these channels of imperfection only strengthen the subject matter. Jim O'Rourke's music has always been keen on accompanying a dying soul (see Love Liza). Beautifully rendered by acoustic and electric guitar, this bluesy, folk score captures the wildness and aesthetic appeal of the whole documentary.

I remember cringing, even though we know within five minutes of the film of his ultimate fate, (30 seconds if you know anything about the doc) every time a bear would get close to the camera. This was more than just a wildlife documentary, this was a glimpse of the blisteringly un-normal last years of a distraught beings life.

The interviewees at time seem: contrived, gleaning for notoriety, or unsympathetic. But the truth is, Timothy was associated with people that were eccentric, or overtly theatrical. We're not little children and we should be aware of non-reliable narrators. We can deduce from the evidence (the actual candid footage of Treadwell) who Treadwell was and make an educated guess on what and why it happened.

Timothy finds his solace in the proximity of the wild Alaskan Grizzly bears in the same way that we find peace in television, or cigarettes, but there is an element of immediate danger with the bears, and a slow diffused and sometimes unnoticed symbolic danger in everyday life. Herzog narrates a poetic and contemplated voice-over that highlights his differences with Timothy stating the uniting bond between nature is not beauty or harmony, but violence and the need to kill. The imagery and metaphorical scenery in this film is mind-blowing at a second glance.

Timothy notices a giant African bee paralyzed on a flower. Mr. Treadwell states that the bee died performing its role in life, prematurely dying doing what it was purposed to do. Treadwell foreign to the Alaskan terrain, just like the bee, also died doing what he imagined his purpose. Deep inside Timothy's conscious knew he would meet his end, an almost pseudo-messiah, environmental martyr, vainly dying by the mouth of a friend he was trying to save.

This teaches us that the world is not going to comply to our vision, religions, tolerances, intolerances, superstitions, faiths, creeds, but something is etched inside the earth's genealogy that doesn't put humanity on a pedestal. That we are just another link inside a chained fence of survival. The story of Grizzly Man is by far touching, inspiring, and a mystery. Though you may not align your ideals with Treadwell or Herzog, you can refuse your apathy for just long enough to absorb the heart wrenching tale of a man who crossed the line.

Listen to your heart, not to the critique, go see this film if you feel something.

Not about bears, but the delusions of a self destructive man

[juubei-2 · 7/10 · 4 November 2006]

I find it interesting that so many people have criticized this movie because it doesn't focus on the grizzlies. This is a doc about Tim Treadwell, and like his own footage it has more to say about him than the bears. They seize the chance to deride what they see as an out-of-touch hippy environmentalist, when in fact many environmentalists (including this reviewer) were appalled by his behavior. The idea that he is some sort of cult hero for environmentalists, or somehow representative of them as a whole is ridiculous. The image of him walking freely through the wilderness trailed by wild foxes seems romantic until you realize he's been feeding them and therefore acclimating them to human contact.

A lot of people just write him off as a sick outcast from society who wasn't doing anything valuable and therefore not worth their time, but personally I found his story to be a fascinating look at a very sad, lonely, and mentally disturbed man. Its pretty obvious that he wasn't doing any research, that he wasn't protecting the bears from poaching, etc.. If anything he was doing the opposite of respecting the bears.

It becomes clear that he is out in the park to escape reality. I think this may have had something to do with his failed acting career and being a closeted homosexual (something he denies but admits would "make things easier"). His rant against the park rangers and tourists, contrasted with his naive idealization of the natural world and his place in it, underlines this.

At the outset of the film, one might buy into the image of Tim Treadwell that he tries to create for himself (that of the fearless "kind warrior"). But as the film progresses (and in spite of the mockumentary interviews that feel scripted and badly acted), more intimate and personal footage is revealed that was never intended for public consumption, painting Treadwell as a bi-polar manic depressive with a self destructive streak. What once seemed like bravery around the grizzlies dissolves into a game of Russian roulette, and in fact he had several uncomfortable encounters before he would finally meet his end.

Unfortunately, his suicidal tendencies not only ended his own life and that of his girl friend, but also the lives of two grizzly bears - magnificent and beautiful animals who would probably have avoided humans and their camp had they not become accustomed to Treadwell in the preceding days or weeks. If you can see past the hideous interviews and form your own conclusions about Treadwell's personal footage, I think you'll come away with a deeper appreciation for the old adage, no man is an island.

Oh, and I can't end this review without mentioning something. Werner Herzog, who directed and narrated this film, is constantly insisting we hear his opinion on things. He says at one point that he believes "the common character of the universe is not harmony, but hostility, chaos and murder". He also states he sees nothing but indifference in the eyes of the bears. Maybe Herzog should take a look at some of the wonderful BBC documentaries that show the incredible harmony that exists in nature, or the tender care that a mother grizzly gives her cubs. If anything, those statements are true only of the universe of men.

The Best film during Sundance and one of the greatest Doc's EVER!!

[willden21 · 31 January 2005]

Warner Herzog is a brilliant and masterful director. The way he put together the story of Tim Treadwell and his life with grizzly's defies the constructs of formulaic "nature" doc's. It goes deep, as we are allowed to dive into the mind and psyche's of both Treadwell and Herzog as Treadwell's fated story is revealed to us through bits of the 100 hours of footage Treadwell left behind, new interviews, insights, and a brilliant and personal narrative done by Herzog himself.

As Herzog gets to know Treadwell through his footage and loved ones left behind, he is touched, changed, and allows the audience to revel in his new found awe, frustrations, and respect for Treadwell's life.

The film documents the life of "the Girzzly Man" timothy Treadwell through his leftover footage from thirteen summers he lived with, and immersed himself into the grizzly habitat and culture. He felt he was a grizzly, and thus broke boundaries that have been respected among the Alaskan natives concerning these brown beasts. He created what he felt to be a bond, a brotherhood with these majestic animals. But was this conquest purely for scientific reasoning or was he truly terrified of the "human world." That is where Herzog directs this film.

The fascinating thing about Herzog's interviews is what he catches after his participants are done answering his questions, and we see these souls search and ponder for answers to questions they may never know the answer too.

"Grizzly Man" won the Alfred P. Sloan award at this years Sundance film festival, which goes to the film felt to tie in science and discovery into normal narrative paradigm. This film deserved it's praise and was thusly purchased for theatrical release by Lions Gate before it's release on television through Discovery films.

When you get the chance, don't just run to your local theater or television to view this masterpiece, leap and sprint. This is an important and beautiful piece, one that will touch and move all those who allow it to. This is the best of the fest in my opinion, and maybe even of the year, and it is only January.

"He's here forever"

[nickenchuggets · 9/10 · 26 January 2023]

Many people love animals, but few on Earth would dare to replicate the things Timothy Treadwell did when it came to bears. This documentary from Werner Herzog explores Treadwell's life and attempts to explain how someone with such strange views thought he was doing the right thing in defense of these large and dangerous creatures. Because there's no storyline in this, the film is mostly interviews with people who knew Treadwell, in addition to footage recorded by him while camping in remote places in the Alaskan wilderness. I was expecting the footage (and Treadwell's demeanor) to be exaggerated a little bit, but you can't deny many parts of the film are quite eerie. Herzog talks to Willy Fulton, the seaplane pilot responsible for picking up Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie after his expeditions. He says how nobody could be seen in October 2003 when he arrived at the campsite, but he did find a bear (one that Treadwell possibly recorded earlier) eating a rib cage. Upon killing the animal, park rangers discovered Treadwell's and Amie's mangled remains, including a severed arm with a watch still on it. Werner himself is allowed to listen to an audio recording of Treadwell being mauled to death by the animal, which was the last thing captured by his camera (although there's no footage of it). He tells Jewel Palovak, Treadwell's ex-girlfriend and the owner of the tape, that she should definitely never listen to it. Wildlife experts and bear enthusiasts also give perspective to Timothy's activities, with a few of them saying his actions, while intended to be benign, ultimately did more harm than good. As you watch the clips of him interacting with bears, a lot of them were probably perplexed by how unafraid he was of them, so they just didn't know what to do. In one scene, Treadwell curses the park authorities so many times that Werner has to fade his voice into the background as he talks over him. He didn't seem to grasp that humans can't be bears, because wild animals live in a different world, and thus we can never really understand them. Treadwell was a good example of a figure who had both a large following and an equally large amount of people who hated him, mainly because his acts may have taught bears that it's ok to relax around people who can be ready to kill them. On the other hand, no other person in history has gotten so close to these animals and recorded such videos of them with absolutely no safety precautions. I'm sure that he would be angry to know that the bear who killed him was shot. While Treadwell wasn't a malicious person, his extreme paranoia regarding hunters, the parks department, and everyone else he deems his enemies becomes very apparent as you're subjected to the things on his camera. He really does seem off, and even dares people to partake in camping near wild bears like he does, saying they'll die if they attempt to. Overall, Treadwell might have been a narcissist, having filmed himself numerous times in front of his beloved animals boasting about how pleased the heavens are with his actions, but I can't help but feel bad about what happened to him. As Werner puts it, the most disturbing thing about his 100 or so hours of footage is the fact that there was never a single moment when a bear actually appeared to be friendly towards Treadwell. Many people wish it were different, but wild animals really do not care about you. Just food. Treadwell's kindness towards bears was never going to change the fact that they're unpredictable, and always will be.