Grizzly Man (2005)

Grizzly Man (2005) is Werner Herzog’s haunting documentary about Timothy Treadwell, an amateur grizzly-bear advocate who spent thirteen summers living among bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park, and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. Using more than a hundred hours of Treadwell’s own intimate, often raw video footage alongside interviews and Herzog’s probing commentary, the film traces Treadwell’s charismatic, troubled plea to protect the animals he loved and the tragic end he and Amie met in 2003. If you watch this film you’ll experience an unusually intimate portrait: shaky, close-up home-video encounters with bears that swing between tender, comic and unnerving; candid moments that reveal Treadwell’s warmth, insecurity and growing mythic self-image; and sober, reflective interviews that place his story in broader context. Herzog’s presence and voice introduce philosophical questions and a cool, skeptical perspective that contrasts with Treadwell’s emotional devotion. Visually and emotionally the film shifts from awe — luminous shots of Alaska’s wilderness and affectionate interactions — to tension and dread as the limits of human-animal intimacy become clear. Grizzly Man is at once moving and unsettling: a meditation on obsession, the human desire to belong to nature, and the indifferent power of the wild. Viewers leave with vivid footage in mind, complicated feelings for Treadwell, and lingering ethical questions about conservation, risk, and how stories of bravery and tragedy are told.

Actors: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog

Director: Werner Herzog

Runtime: 103 min

Genres: Biography, Documentary

7.2 /10 87 /100 7.8 /10 7.9 /10