Grizzly Man

Barthes idea of the punctum and the ideas of truth and reality are complicated in many ways in Grizzly Man. I agree with Ben that the version of himself that Tim Treadwell presents is not exactly truth. He does multiple takes a umber of times, comments on the different takes, and even suggests that his footage be used in a television series. He is clearly playing to the camera, as opposed to the camera being an unseen viewer to Tim's actions. He also presents himself as being alone the whole time, even though Werner Herzog reveals that for a few of his trips Amy was with him. The audience is distinctly aware of the camera because Treadwell speaks directly to it and at one point mentions that both cameras are rolling. We cannot be sure if the person we are watching on the footage is the real Tim Treadwell or the persona he has created for himself. The documentary tells us that Treadwell used to create alternate personas for himself before his trips into the wildnerness, and that his original name was not Treadwell. Besides his obvious love for bears, we can't be positive that what Treadwell tells us about himself is true.

In Camera Lucida, Barthes speaks of the punctum of being different for every person, and being unintentional on the part of the photographer. In Grizzly Man, Herzog narrates how some of Treadwell's shots show unintentional shots of extreme beauty. While these shots may not have been intended as beautiful by Treadwell, does this make them punctum only for Herzog or for the audience as well. It seems that by pointing out the punctum, Herzog destroys it for us by accepting what he sees as punctum and not being able to find it for ourselves. When Herzog tells us of the beauty in the shots, our attention is drawn to them, and we are specifically looking for a punctum. Barthes suggests that the punctum cannot be find by looking for it but that it seeks out the viewer. Is it possible for the punctum to seek out the viewer if the viewer is already looking for it?