It's difficult to write anything about Grizzly Man, without wanting to say "look forget it… I can't review this film and do it justice, so just go and fucking see it….trust me… it's amazing!" But we'll struggle on. The reason I think it is so hard to write a review of this film is because it's one of those rare movies (and even rarer documentaries) that's much greater than the sum of its parts.

It would be very easy to describe Grizzly Man as a 'found film', as a large portion of the footage was fimed by Timothy Treadwell himself (The Grizzly Man). That all the director, Werner Herzog, did was stick his name on the poster and insert some interviews with Timothy's slightly deranged friends and family.

This of course, is not true.

The film focuses on Timothy, a self-styled hero of the bears, and the thirteen summers he spent living in the wild; documenting, 'protecting' and cavorting with wild grizzly bears in Alaska. Herzog uses a slow and guiding hand to walk us through Treadwell's experiences. The tone of the film is handled expertly, at first giving the impression that Timothy was misunderstood and that living with the bears was not only a good idea, but of benefit to the world. By the end of the film, we've come to understand that Timothy needed the bears more than they needed him.

Treadwell would take all the footage he had shot over the summer and tour schools, give talks and presentations to school children completely free of charge. I'd love to know what he actually taught these kids, becuase the depth of his knowledge of bears and their habits in the wild appears to be minimal. He knows their migration patterns, but other than that his expertise doesn't seem to range much farther than him talking to bears like a child talks to puppies.

The film progresses guided by Herzog and his weird, slightly calming, German accent. It's really difficult to describe how Treadwell comes across on camera. A lot of the time he just seems really vulnerable. He's obviously happy in this environment, but you can't help but get the feeling it's because he was somehow damaged by his life back in civilization.

The people Herzog chose to interview as part of the documentary are absolutely amazing. We are introduced to Willy Fulton (friend, pilot and ex-rodeo rider), who reminds me a lot of the cowboy Sam Elliot plays in the Big Lebowski. The guy is just cool, the only downer being he didn't say 'dang!' once. The benchmark for all interviewees is set by the Alaskan coroner, a man so concious of being on camera I kept expecting him to break into song. I wasn't sure whether or not Herzog was responsible for these set-ups, or the coroner himself, either way they're pure genuis. Doing a realtively mundane task, such as giving Timothy's digital watch back to his ex-girlfriend, is carried out like some kind of weird morbid Oscar ceremony. Herzog also uses the trick of waiting for the people to finish what they're saying, then holding the camera on them just long enough to make his subjects uncomfortable.

Grizzly Man is one of the few films I've watched in the cinema, then got home and ordered the dvd straight away, so I could show my friends and family. The life of Timothy Treadwell, The Grizzly Man, is laid bare by Herzog. It's sad, exciting and beautiful.

There's really nothing left to say.

See this film.