Documentaries are a tough landscape. Usually these movies are lost in the storm of the industry. If they do get picked up for distribution (which isn’t that big of a long shot), they usually never receive much attention. Every now and then, you get a documentary like “Fahrenheit 9/11” or “Super Size Me” that grabs a national audience.

However, normally, documentaries – even successful ones – are rarely seen. Trust me, even an avid fan of independent film has only seen a small sliver of the total percentage of documentaries out there.

Personally, my favorite documentary I’ve ever seen is “American Movie.” And the film “Project Grizzly,” while dealing with completely different subject matter, is very similar to that film in that it follows a compelling and unique man with a vision as he fights against the odds.

“Project Grizzly” follows self-proclaimed grizzly bear expert Troy Hurtubise in his quest to build the ultimate bear suit. He’s spent years making this suit and gone through many different versions. The goal is to end up with a suit that will withstand a grizzly bear attack. Dubbed the Ursa Mark VI, his latest prototype looks more like a spacesuit than something you’d use in a nature walk.

Shot in Canada and presented by the National Film Board of Canada, “Project Grizzly” is quintessentially Canadian. From the accent to the food and drink, this movie captures the essence of Canada as “American Movie” captured the essence of Wisconsin.

This film jumps right in with Troy telling a pretty animated story of how he was once attacked by a grizzly bear. Then we move right along into the testing phase of the Ursa Mark VI, which basically involves slamming a massive tree trunk into his chest to show it can take the impact. This is when the film really starts to show its charm.

The testing of the suit is serious slapstick. It’s not slapstick to Troy, but instead a scientific procedure. However, to the viewing audience, it’s like a Looney Toons cartoon. And when he feels that’s not effective enough, he finds three massive, strapping Canadian men to beat him in a parking lot with baseball bats. Troy takes it completely seriously, but it’s hilarious to watch.

But what also gives “Project Grizzly” its charm is that Troy is a very compelling character, and that’s what makes a documentary work. He is so into this mission, you just want him to succeed.

The climax involves Troy inviting a grizzly bear attack in the suit. Forget the fact that he’s practically immobile in this titanium-reinforced suit, or that any animal is going to flee long before he gets close to it, or that grizzlies aren’t always easy to find. You want to see Troy get attacked while in the suit.

Unfortunately, the film is a bit anticlimactic, but that’s the nature of a documentary. You just don’t have the control over the events of the world. But that’s also the beauty of them as well. Before all documentaries were put through a filter for Michael Moore’s egocentric style, gems like “Project Grizzly” were allowed to develop.

The new DVD release of this film includes two commentary tracks. The first is with director Peter Lynch, and the other is a critical appreciation track featuring Richard Crouse and Geoff Pevere from “Reel to Reel.” Additionally, there’s some deleted scenes with director commentary.



Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1).