With more landmass than 40 countries, Katmai National Park in Alaska is America's 4th largest national park. Its borders contain many stories, particularly ones about bears. Despite being best known for their annual Fat Bear Week, Katmai is infamous for another drama: Werner Herzog's critically acclaimed 2005 documentary "Grizzly Man."
The 2005 documentary studies the unique video captured by Timothy Treadwell during his summers in Katmai. Treadwell lived in the park among its bear population, resulting in some of the most fantastic shots in cinematic history. It also led to his untimely death. The tragic deaths of Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard remain the only reported deaths by bear in the park's history.
The film walks a tightrope between romanticized nature videography and an intricate retelling of Treadwell's death. Treadwell's videos capture up-close and rich moments of wildlife that tug at the heartstrings. But his videos also operate as a diary, and reveal him at both his best and his worst. These feelings are responsible for the exquisite video he was able to capture, but also the recklessness that led to his demise.
It is a luxury to be shocked by nature's violence, and Herzog's interviews capture this. The coroner stands out, as perhaps the most theatrical of these interviews in his retelling of dissecting Treadwell's remains. His almost comical performance helps ease the horrifying detail he provides.
Most of all, Grizzly Man is a lesson in empathy. To empathize is not to agree nor condone, but to understand. Treadwell was trying to help the bears, but his methods were dangerous and delusional. The film makes it clear Treadwell made a horrible mistake.
However, it's hard to say it isn't a celebration of Treadwell. Herzog is clearly in love with the footage he captured. There are long stretches that give into Treadwell's romantic purview including the interviews with his ex-girlfriend and parents and the shots of him playing with the foxes. It's easy to see why Treadwell fell into this fantasy.
Herzog is an interesting narrator, because despite respecting Treadwell, he doesn't have even a shred of love for the bears. Herzog's famous line in the documentary is, "I discover no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature. To me, there is no such thing as a secret world of the bears." This is in juxtaposition to Treadwell’s mindset that the bears are creatures to be understood.
There's plenty of similarity between Herzog and Treadwell. They are empathetic people, but to different levels. Treadwell is a sensitive spirit; he was clearly a man driven by the heart. While Herzog is invested in understanding Treadwell. He is strategic with his empathy. He doesn't try to understand bears, because he knows he won't.
"Grizzly Man" is a painting of a man on the edge. Had Treadwell lived in the age of the internet, he might have been a memeified target of mass cyberbullying. Instead, Treadwell enjoyed 13 summers in Katmai among the creatures he cared for most.
