Imagine a guy living all alone in the wilderness of Alaska.

Now, imagine that this guy spends most of his time hanging out with wild grizzly bears.

Now, add to that fantasy that he has a camera, which he talks to, poses for and films his interactions with the bears with.

If I told you this guy really existed, you might conclude that he is one of two things:

1) Crazy

2) Enlightened

Timothy Treadwell was a nice mixture of both.

The documentary Grizzly Man is made from the footage of Timothy’s own camera, together with interviews with the people that knew him. It explores the Alaskan nature and the lives of the enormous grizzly bears, but even more it explores the nature and life of a very peculiar man. Timothy had trouble with alcohol, trouble with his career and trouble with humanity in general. What saved him was the immense love he had for animals, and this was what drove him to sober up and move out into the wild.

When we see him interacting with the animals, whether it’s a fox or a grizzly bear, we can’t help but be touched by the love, acceptance and sheer wonder this man radiates. It’s his very openness to life that inspires, his excitement of being.

The documentary is done in a very personal way, and is a very honest portrait of a man who was far from perfect, yet able to live with a love that most can only envy him.

You can find it here

Timothy Treadwell died in 2003, aged 46. Eaten by a bear, of course.

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