Grizzly Man is a documentary about Timothy Treadwell, the self-proclaimed savior of the Ursus arctos horribilis-the grizzly bear. Renowned writer/director/producer Werner Herzog undoubtedly intended for this film to be a look into the mind of Treadwell and those affected by his life (and death). Despite this, I think Herzog's and Treadwell's work, when united, at times composes great unintentional comedy.
Don't get me wrong-there are scenes in Grizzly Man that almost wrought tears from my cynical eyes. But in moments like Treadwell's spiel on wishing he were gay (“Gay guys? No problem! They go to restrooms and truckstops and perform sex; it's like so easy for them and stuff.”), the audience begins to question his state of mind. Along this same thought, the viewer has to wonder where the line between “dedication” and “mental stability” lies upon witnessing the enthusiasm Treadwell exhibits over discovering a pile of a bear's excrement. “Oh my gosh! The bear, Miss Chocolate, has left me her poop! It's her crap! It was just inside of her and it's still warm! This is a gift!”
There were times at which I was certain I was just being an opinionated jerk-laughing rather than allowing myself to identify with the man on the screen before me. I found myself touched, at times, by Treadwell's dedication, and considered some of the interviewees through the film who spoke ill of his efforts to be idiots. But I never could say that I fully supported Treadwell's cause; at least, not the way he went about pursuing it. It was made clear from the beginning, and especially in the scene where his parents were interviewed, that Treadwell thought his home to be among the bears. His sense of place told him that he belonged with them, not in the human world. Despite this, the end results of Treadwell's efforts to be a bear were more than predictable.
Ultimately, while Grizzly Man was obviously a film made with the intention of spurring thought, I found that the comedic moments heavily outweighed the sincerity of the film. To note this, I will end by describing my favorite scene from the movie: Werner Herzog visits Treadwell's ex-girlfriend and listens to the audio tape that was taken at the scene of Treadwell's death. After telling the woman to stop the tape, Herzog leans forward and melodramatically murmurs a caution: “You must never ever listen to this. You must destroy this.” Not to say that this sentiment should be applied to the film itself, only that a person should be careful in choosing their company while watching this film if she does not want her friends to think her insensitive.
