gridoon2018 More than a simple wildlife documentary (although it does contain some stunning wildlife footage), "Grizzly Man" is the multi-layered portrait of a complicated man: gentle, persevering, dedicated, naive, delusional, crazy. It's about obsession, about hubris, and ultimately about the voyeuristic nature of filming itself; it is certainly a rare experience to witness audiovisual footage of a man a few hours before his unexpected death, filmed by himself. Werner Herzog documents a story which speaks directly to him, and it shows. If I have one problem with the film, it's the coroner - he plays it a little too theatrical in front of the camera. *** out of 4.

Jor Bornek We get to know Timothy through his own video footage, as well as interviews with people who knew him, and small accounts of his background. We get to know Timothy as a seemingly "normal" American kid, but also as a troubled youngster who struggled with alcohol. He venture into the wilderness and he find himself to fit better there, alongside bears and foxes. People that were closest to him tells the story of a very charismatic and good hearted guy. Judgement of his choice to live so close to the bears, and also to take his girlfriend with him, ultimately leading to their death, varies. His ex-girlfriend is naturally sad and horrified about the way they died, but at the same time, she says that she respects their choice to live their life like they wanted. Other people judge him more harshly, including the narrator voice. Timothy seems very aware of the dangers of living so close to the bears. He also clearly found something out there in the wilderness, that he did not find in human society. I think this part of his story is relatable. I think human beings lose something by living so secluded from the rest of nature. And Timothy clearly found something out there that was good for him. I do however question his self designated role as protector of the bears. How exactly does he protect the bears from living with them? And from what? I also question his choice of bringing his girlfriend with him. It seems like a strange choice with his awareness of the dangers of living with them. We also get very little information about his girlfriend and their relationship in the documentary. I think that the people that are interviewed, as well as Timothy's own commentaries, highlights more sides of his story, making us able to think for ourselves. What I miss is more understanding for his choice of living with the bears, especially from the narrator voice.

Red-Barracuda Grizzly Man is another film from the German director Werner Herzog which focuses on a man who hovers over the line where visionary meets madness. In this instance it is the character Timothy Treadwell who fits the role. This was a guy who between 1990 and 2003 spent each summer in Katmai National Park in Alaska in the land of the grizzly bears. He had an uncanny affinity with these creatures but had no official training on them. He is perhaps most famous for getting up and close to them in ways that no one previously had ever attempted. This extraordinary behaviour was captured on film by Treadwell; he in fact filmed over 100 hours of often fantastic footage. His videos also served as something of a confessional, as he often addressed the camera straight on and voiced his opinions on many issues which affected him, many highly personal. So this endeavour functioned partially as an attempt to define himself. But the truth is that Treadwell was a very unhinged man in many ways. At the end of the day, in spite of his achievements, his reckless actions resulted in the violent death of both himself and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard in 2003, when they were killed by a bear that clearly saw them only as meat and not as friends. Herzog reveals this fact very early on in proceedings and this allows viewers to have this in mind as we watch Treadwell in his mission.This is another of those documentaries that reveals truths so strange it is surprising that they are facts at all. Herzog is both sympathetic and critical of Treadwell, admiring his individuality and unique vision but condemning his recklessness and idealistic view of nature. While Treadwell styles himself as the protector of the bears, it's never made at all clear what he is protecting them from and what it is he is precisely doing to protect them in the first place. The actual irony is that his 'protection' led to the death of the bear which killed him, an animal which would not had died if he had never interacted with it. His concept of protection was more an idea than an action. He is certainly a very self-indulgent protagonist but ultimately he interacted with grizzlies like no one else ever has and his story is absolutely fascinating. Like many other Herzog films this one boils down to man vs. wilderness, a story about a kind of human madness suffered by someone on the outer fringe of society. On the one hand this is a film about beautiful and deadly nature; while on the other it's a very human story about a man who actively did something extraordinary, if somewhat insane. But it's also about a man who wanted to create an illusion, a man with many insecurities who found meaning in something completely unexpected. Timothy Treadwell's story is one full of contradictions – it has tragedy, stupidity and narcissism but it also has beauty, wonder and inspiring qualities. It's very much a documentary of considerable merit.

851222 Greetings from Lithuania."Grizzly Man" (2005) is such a simple documentary, yet such a warm and clearly made that you just want to give a hug to this movie. Superbly directed by Werner Herzog, it tells the story of Timothy Treadwell, legendary "grizzly man" about whom i to be honest haven't heard before. The story itself is presented very clearly, with very simple yet absolving and clear narration. Overall, shame that "Grizzly Man" wasn't at least nominated for best documentary Oscar. But don't let that stand in your way of seeing this movie, it is a superb one.