Grizzly Man Movie Review (2005)

An intriguing documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived and died with bears in the wild, Grizzly Man tracks the life he left on film and the quirky human that he was.

There are animal lovers in this world and there are animal lovers. I would argue that most of us who have a soft spot for animals want to cuddle them or play with them, spend time with them and treat them as a member of the family. But there are others who invest themselves so wholly that they would prefer to be with them in their own wild state as often as possible.

Grizzly Man is a documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived among wild bears in Alaska for 13 summers. While living there, he shot over 100 hours of footage, thinking that it could be used for a tv show or some other promotion. His purpose was to take care of the bears and educate the public, but in 2003, he died by bear attack and his footage sat unused.

Written, directed, and narrated by actor Werner Herzog, this documentary asks questions that both he and the audience have. What was the real purpose of what Timothy Treadwell was doing? He said that he was protecting the bears, but how? And what kind of human would do what he did? Timothy had no money, he was never paid for this, and he lived in a tent with very little human interaction while in Alaska. Who was this guy?

There is a ton of original footage included in this doc, which is the best part. You see hilarious footage of Timothy trying to get his hat back from a fox, going from soft animal lover to frustrated swearing guy as he runs. You see his love for the bears, along with their given names and some history, as he sees them as his friends.

But Herzog also delves into the darker parts of Timothy, a man who struggled with identity and substance abuse before he decided that bears would be his life. There are a number of interviews with his friends, parents, and local staff who all weigh in on who Timothy was and how what he did impacted the bears.

One local worker says, “When you habituate bears to humans, they think all humans are safe.” That stuck with me because Timothy saw himself as something else. He wanted to be a bear and live in their habitat. Despite what everyone else saw, he thought that he was protecting them. How and if that’s true is negotiable, but these were his beliefs even if it wasn’t the reality.

I really enjoyed that Werner Herzog’s goal was to understand him and to carry on the legacy of who he was and what he did. Herzog strove to help everyone process his choices, not carry them on himself, and in this way, Timothy and his love of bears and nature get to live on. It’s a very interesting watch.

Runtime: 104 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: R

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Available: Free on Prime Video and Tubi or may be available for free on other streaming platforms