Grizzly Man

Werner Herzog, who's always been fascinated by obsessive characters with self-destructive streaks, finds a perfect subject in this remarkable film—more interpretive essay than straightforward documentary—about Timothy Treadwell, who lived part of each year in the Alaskan wilderness, not only communing with grizzly bears, but coming to see himself as their brother and protector. It hardly spoils things, since it's revealed early on, to say that in 2003 Treadwell was mauled to death (along with his girlfriend) by one of his beloved animals—a typically Herzogian irony, though one presented here with grave poignancy rather than flippancy. Treadwell was as much a self-promoting showman as a committed activist, photographing himself delivering exuberant monologues during the dozen years he spent in the wild, and Herzog draws on this footage as well as other clips (from Treadwell's occasional TV appearances, for instance) and interviews with his friends and family (along with critics of his methods and even the pathologist who examined his remains) to express a sort of amazed admiration for Treadwell as a man who effectively turned himself into myth. What makes Grizzly Man so remarkable is that in investigating Treadwell's obsession Herzog demonstrates his own, in a film that tells us as much about the filmmaker as its subject. A work of art that is at once beautiful, horrifying, tragic, uplifting, grimly humorous, and unutterably sad, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD extras include the 54-minute documentary “In the Edges: The Grizzly Man Session” on creating the film's music, and trailers. Bottom line: a disappointingly light extras package for an outstanding documentary.] (F. Swietek)