Grizzly Man

The leastworthy point to make about Timothy Treadwell is that he is fascinating. Anyone who spends his summers with grizzlies in the Alaska wildlife is interesting. The question of true interest is what the film offers besides the sideshow. Werner Herzog says his general ideas and the camera crew gets the opinions of others who knew Treadwell. They recount memorable moments about him and give ideas to why he did what he did. This is of general interest because what they say is no more insightful than any television documentary about an interesting tale. But Grizzly Man is also different. It doesn't try to lift the tale of Treadwell by just pointing the camera at others. The majority of the film is home videos of Treadwell "live in person" with the grizzlies. It becomes obvious Treadwell is an obsessive character. He lives off breezy, self involved ideas why the grizzlies don't kill him. Nothing he says feels geniune because nothing he says seems to have any clarity to it. It's just the statements of a desperate man who is clinging to a futile existence. The documentation has an odd thrill and then quickly gets old. It all becomes redudant. Werner Herzog, our chief patron in film for documenting and fictionalizing obsessive characters, clings to Treadwell on the thin thread they are both obsessive. He's even admitted to it. I'd like more purpose in his subject of choice next time.