From Netflix: Grizzly Man

For the first time in a while, there was no TV I wanted to watch last night. I've given up on The Black Donnellys, both because I wasn't that interested and because the ratings have been shaky at best, so even if I grew into it, I think it'll just get cancelled. And I had already seen The Riches pilot online. But that gives me a chance to catch up on some movies. Which brings us to...

Grizzly Man. A 2005 documentary from directer Warner Herzog that details the story of Timothy Treadwell, a man who abandons his life to live in the wild in Alaska among the grizzly bears to protect them from poachers.

The film is partly made of interviews of Treadwell's friends, family, and acquaintances, as well as a bear expert or two, but mostly consists of footage shot by Treadwell (or his girlfriend) of him living in the wild with all the animals he encountered.

But this is not a heartwarming story. Treadwell and his girlfriend were killed by a bear in 2003, and the film is largely an exporation of his death, the circumstances that lead to it, and the question of what drove him to this life to begin with.

The discussion of his death is obviously a little disturbing, but Treadwell the man is pretty fascinating. He's weird, feminine, not the kind of guy you'd expect to be living outdoors, but talkative, and even when he's being incredibly strange he's very interesting. Plus, he shot some pretty amazing footage of the wildlife. One of the more interesting documentaries I've seen.