THE STORY – A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape.
THE CAST – N/A
THE TEAM – Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman (Directors)
THE RUNNING TIME – 90 Minutes
As bodies of water no longer freeze the way they once did, polar bears are forced to remain on land and fend for themselves in an increasingly hostile environment filled with tourists, hunters, and other disruptors. Expanding on their short documentary of the same name, directors Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman’s poignant feature “Nuisance Bear” explores two worlds at odds with one another, neither of which can coexist in harmony. It is a fascinating and deeply depressing look at how climate change has reshaped nature, and how little regard is shown for those trying to preserve what balance remains.
You know you are in for something special when a documentary leaves you gobsmacked from the very first images. Osio Vanden and Weisman capture striking moments of a mother polar bear and her cubs, presenting one of the most innocent and natural sights on Earth. Yet this is no secluded wilderness. The film is set in Churchill, Manitoba, the so-called polar bear capital of the world, which means buses full of tourists eager to see these animals “in the wild.” Even independent visitors are hardly better, crowding around with massive telephoto lenses in search of the perfect shot.
“Nuisance Bear” is a sobering portrait of how drastically life has changed for these animals. Once able to roam freely across the ice, polar bears now find themselves pushed farther inland by rising temperatures and melting habitats. The film shows them rummaging through dumps, wandering down streets, and attempting to enter warehouses and other man-made structures. What humans label an ever-growing “nuisance” is addressed by deploying bear patrol officers, who use flares to scare the animals away, damaging their hearing and causing further harm. It is another grim reminder of humanity asserting dominance over creatures whose homes have been destroyed by human activity.
Despite these difficult sequences, the filmmakers also capture moments of extraordinary intimacy. They get so close to the bears that we can count their teeth and read their facial expressions. One extended sequence follows a bear being relocated to a northern community, showing workers sedate it, tag its ear, and transport it by helicopter. The imagery is stunning, especially when the bear is released while still groggy from sedation. Yet these scenes raise an uncomfortable question: are the filmmakers themselves any different from the tourists who come to get close to these animals? It is a line of inquiry the documentary does not pursue, though it would have made for a compelling discussion.
The film further explores this changing world through its inclusion of Inuit life. Narrated by Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons, a resident of Arviat, where many relocated polar bears are sent, the film offers insight into the relationships among Indigenous communities, polar bears, and white settlers. Unlike tourists, Inuit residents do not seek out encounters with bears, which often appear unexpectedly and pose real dangers. Parents must remain constantly vigilant to protect their children. The film also acknowledges the community’s history of forced assimilation, including efforts to suppress their language, even as meetings today are conducted in Inuktitut.
In many ways, there is a kinship between the Inuit people and the polar bears, both shaped and constrained by outside forces. At the same time, their lives are deeply affected by these animals, a reality that residents of Churchill often seem detached from. The sections set in Arviat are among the film’s most compelling, making it somewhat disappointing that Osio Vanden and Weisman did not devote more time to this community. Moments such as the annual bear hunt and Tunalaaq Gibbons’ thoughtful narration are especially powerful. An emotional revelation he shares might have landed even harder had the film spent more time immersing us in this world.
In the end, “Nuisance Bear” is a haunting portrait of the fragile and increasingly strained relationship between humans and nature. One potential frustration for viewers is that it offers few solutions to improve conditions for either polar bears or Inuit communities. But there are no easy answers to a crisis that continues to worsen. If nothing changes, the so-called nuisances will only grow more severe.
