What I Am Watching

I recently watched Grizzly Man, likely the third time I have seen it from beginning to end. Even though I knew the story, the details and the outcome, it still remains powerful and maybe one of the most honest documentaries I have seen. It tells the story of Timothy Treadwell, and his time living among the grizzly bears of Alaska, and the complicated events that led him there. A significant portion of the footage was shot by Treadwell, as he spent months at a time among the bears and was able to capture unique and amazing footage of the grizzlies and other wildlife of the Alaskan wilderness. But the footage also reveals Treadwell’s frustration with society, and the contemporary stress we all choose to live with every day. He knew he was not meant to be a part of this modern society, and convinced himself that the social network of the grizzlies was more simple and forgiving than that of the human race. It is difficult not to be inspired by his independence , as he is brave enough to set out on his own and leave the chains of the modern world. But this was what led to his death, giving up the knowledge of boundaries and rationality that the modern world forces us to accept. The way Werner Herzog puts this on the screen, raw and for the viewer to judge, makes us need to decide where we fit in our world, and judge the decisions we make. While it is clear Treadwell’s decisions were not all well thought out, there are moments of beauty and inspiration in his footage that demonstrate that he was at least on to some of the value of living as one chooses, which in the society of the 21st century becomes harder every year.