Grizzly Man documentary report

Grizzly Man, 2005, Werner Herzog

Grizzly Man is a documentary film exploring the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, an activist who lived and ultimately died beside his girlfriend Amie among the brown grizzlies in a bear refuge in Alaska. The story is tragic, but the director was able to unearth a rich, complex story behind the headlines. Treadwell documented his life in Alaska on video, and the documentary relied heavily on this footage to tell the story in Timothy’s own words. Herzog also interviewed the people who knew him best, helping to illuminate the deeper story. Treadwell’s parents, his friends and lovers in Alaska and Florida, as well as the bush pilot who discovered the remains not long after the fatal attack. 

Eerily, the coroner, had a lot to say, not merely regarding the discoveries from the victims’ remains, but also his impressions of an audio recording of the couple’s final moments. This interview, in particular, gave the film a surreal and ominous mood. The director also offered his own editorial comments at various moments. At one point he sat with the ex-girlfriend while she played for him the final audio recording, to which she herself refused to listen or share publicly. These scenes could possibly have been staged or scripted, but they seemed restrained and mostly appropriate. 

I felt the director’s angle was reasonably balanced. There were two sides portrayed, in which the viewer is asked to consider if Treadwell was a heroic animal activist who bonded with the bears and died a hero or if the he was simply mentally ill and living at odds with nature, in great danger until his luck ran out. What seems certain is that Treadwell was eccentric, but well liked and indeed bonded with his animal companions. He is portrayed as a tender, damaged soul who found a measure of solace in the wilderness. 

Aside from the found footage the cinematography was adequate and supported the storyline well. There were sweeping aerial landscapes, but most of the created reel was interview-style and their surroundings. There was no extreme emotional appeal for sympathy, only an effort to understand Treadwell and his motivations.