On Tuesday night I caught the new documentary, Grizzly Man. What started as a man’s adventure with wild grizzly bears quickly turned into the tragic story of Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived in Alaska with bears for 13 summers until he and his girlfriend were attacked and eaten by a wild bear in 2003. He loved bears and felt that they needed his protection, despite facing opposition from those who considered him crazy. Director Werner Herzog’s vision is often sympathetic but does not fail to show the other side of Treadwell, confused and angry with society, only able to find solitude and peace within the realm of the bears.

Grizzly Man is good, although perhaps a little on the long side for my liking. The footage shot by Treadwell is often breathtaking, capturing some spectacular moments of the bears fighting and hunting. One thing’s for sure: I don’t think we’ll ever see anyone touch a wild bear like he did again! The end of the film leaves the viewer to make his or her own judgments about Treadwell. While many have criticised him for his outlandish behaviour, it is this reviewer’s opinion that Treadwell should be remembered as a complex person whose love of animals and nature ultimately cost him his life.

Grizzly Man on IMDb.com
Check out Grizzly Man at Luna Cinemas Perth
Metacritic.com review

3 palm strikes out of 5