Film Critique - Grizzly Man

Werner Herzog's documentary film Grizzly Man explores a fine line between society and nature through an amazing portrait of the late environmentalist, Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell dedicated his life to what he thought was the necessary protection of grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness. He spent 13 summers living with the bears, often with surprisingly close interaction, vowing to protect them from poachers. He saw himself as their friend—“the kind warrior”—who stood by their side against the dangers of an encroaching society. But in an ironic twist of fate, in October 2003 Treadwell was devoured by one of the bears that he dedicated his life to protect.

This is a beautiful film. One is surprised by its calm, especially when one preceives the violent subject matter and the tragic turn of events. But it is not entirely the film’s portrait of Timothy Treadwell that is so engaging and beautiful. What is most captivating is the amazing self-portrait as documented by Treadmill himself.

In his many hours of film, Treadwell captured himself with an honesty and transparency that is rare in even the most candid of documentary filmmaking. He becomes endearingly human. One wants to know him better as he playfully expressions humor, exposing his trouble with women and the world; he does not hide his pain and frustration with nature when a lack of rain and food forces the bears into cannibalism; and he openly shows his confusion, his increasingly bear-like behavior, and his growing hatred towards a society that he feels has rejected him entirely. Through monologues into his camera, we learn of a dark and troubled past, and as he wages an ironic war against human kind, we learn many confessions of an even darker present. Indeed, as the film replays Treadwell’s solitary life in the wild, we watch with eerie proximity the process of a man unfolding.



In my view, this is the absolute best film of the year.


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