Grizzly Man

Courtesy of Lions Gate Films, Discovery Docs, and Discovery Channel

This has to be one of the most mesmerizing documentaries to come out, possibly ever. Between the hypnotic monotone of narrator and director Werner Herzog, and the out of this world footage from bear aficionado Tim Treadwell, this is a merging that will never be replicated again. The film lets you decide for yourself what the legacy of Tim Treadwell really is, but you cannot deny his energy, focus, and pure love for these creatures.

 The footage I am referring to comes from Treadwell's yearly summer adventures into the Alaskan wild. Equipped with very little, he camps in the brush, and makes friends with grizzly bears and foxes alike. Evidence of his almost humane connection to the bears comes from his naming of them, following them year after year, and remembering each of their unique personalities and traits. He even acts like a wild bear himself, disconnecting from a society that he both does not understand, nor wants to be a part of. His footage is astounding: him standing next to bears, befriending them, watching their fights, documenting their struggles against both man and nature. In many videos he is in front of the camera, documenting his times in the forest.

Herzog inclines us to look at the events and footage with a clear perception, without blurring the line between sense and objectivity. He puts into question Treadwell's motives, the truth of the bear's survival against humans, and yet shows the purity of Treadwell's intentions. Herzog's assemblage of footage and narration is a perfect pairing that creates a complex portrait of a man who may have been simply written off for his otherworldly pursuits otherwise. While this film doesn't answer questions, it poses an important one: Is man allowed in the wild anymore?