The Bear (1988)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Thoughtful and realistic, The Bear is an extraordinary story about life in the wilderness. Grizzly bear cub Youk is orphaned when a giant rock crushes his mother’s skull. An older male grizzly teaches the cub to survive and helps him evade two hunters and their pack of dogs. Told with documentary-style direction by Jean-Jacques Annaud, The Bear is an honest and powerful story.
REVIEW: File this one under “not-really-true wilderness adventures.” The nature scenes make you feel as though you are really in the wilderness watching animals in their natural habitat (with a few exceptions, such as the crazy dream sequence when the baby cub accidentally eats a potent mushroom). Humans are relegated to supporting roles and dialogue is minimal, but the story comes through loud and clear anyway. This family film is appropriate for all but the most sensitive children (there is an early scene of the mother bear dying) and parents (for a brief, obscured scene of bears copulating).
4 stars
HAWK
