Watching The Grizzly Man in class caused me to question some of the traditional ideas that I associate with documentaries. I often forget that all a documentary is, is an account of nonfictional events through film. I typically think about them as textbooks made into movies. That is, I view them as well researched compilations of knowledge by experts on a specific topic or in a specific field. The topics are usually either quite large or serve some biographical purpose. Many documentaries I’ve also aim to provide a historical account of some event. The Grizzly Man does not necessarily go against my ideas of what a documentary should but the film certainly does challenge them. The film centers on this goofy guy who spends a large portion of his life recording his experiences living amongst bears. The film seems to center on the questions of the man’s sanity and whether his work with the bears truly helped ensure their survival. The scenes, events, and organization greatly extend what I believe to be typical in documentary. This makes me excited to create these types of films and has opened my imagination to the frameworks of documentary.
