Grizzly man, directed by Werner Herzog, is one of over 2 dozen feature length documentaries in his filmography. The film focuses on wilderness fanatic and environmentalist, Timothy Treadwell. The film displays archive footage taken across the 13 summers Timothy spent in an Alaskan nature reserve amongst wild foxes, wolves and the focus of his footage, grizzly bears.
Throughout the film we see Timmy become deeply attached to the land and the animals in it as he strives to make a connection with the wild bears and bridge the gap between man and animal.
The doc explores the death of Timothy and his companion and fellow conservationist, Amie Huguenguard, at the hands of a wild bear, showcasing the effect this had on the lives of Timmy's loved ones and the events that led up to their deaths.
Herzog has done a great job of utilising and editing the hours worth of footage Timmy had shot and and combining this with interviews with Timmy's friends and family.
Interviews with those involved with the nature reserve are also shown, showcasing the various, conflicting points of view they had on Timothy's work and his eventual death, highlighting the discourse that spawned from it.
Although, at first, Timothy's continual choice to camp out in the reserve each summer seems to be rooted solely in his environmental beliefs, we eventually gain deeper insights into his life as the film explores the reasoning behind his choices.
We learn that he was a failed actor and that he struggled with substance abuse issues, it is speculated that he chose to devote his life to environmentalist causes as a means of escaping the chaos of the outside world.
Nonetheless, throughout the documentary it is made clear that Timothy is incredibly passionate when it comes to protecting the animals, spreading his message and trying to prevent poachers from disrupting the land.
The combination of the footage taken by Timothy himself and interviews conducted by Herzog paints a clear picture for viewers, allowing them to understand Timmy's love for the wilderness as well as how he might've been depending on that as a coping mechanism to deal with his declining mental health and Chaotic personal life.
Herzog's narration contextualises Timothy's footage in a way that is both thoroughly empathetic and constantly aware of the context, Timothy's life story, the risks he took and the questionable effect his mission had on the sanctuary.
As a whole, the film strives to be honest and to incorporate the viewpoints of various people involved with Timothy, his work and the local area. The doc allows viewers to make up their own mind on the message of the film and the value of Treadwell's work.
