R | 1h 40m | Documentary, Adventure, Crime, Romance | 2024
People find pleasure and satisfaction in many ways. Some garden, some do needlepoint, some fish, some read, some play golf, while many others cook. For Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, it is making climbs to the tops of the world’s tallest buildings then boasting about it on Twitter and Instagram. It’s like they say, different strokes.
Partners in crime in the air and tumultuous lovers when on the ground, the exploits of Mr. Beerkus and Ms. Nikolau are given the full rock star treatment in the new Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story” (“Skywalkers”).
Before the opening credits even start, this text appears: “This film contains extremely dangerous and illegal activities. Do not attempt to imitate.” There are three ways to react to this message: A) Well, duh. B) Whew, thanks for the warning; I’ll remove that from my bucket list. C) I’ll give illegal climbing a go. What’s the worst that could happen?! It’s sad to say, but there are plenty of people who would choose C.
Not This, That, or the Other
After watching the movie, my chief takeaway wasn’t: “Man, that movie looked awesome” (which it sometimes does), or “How do they escape death with such regularity” (which they have done so far), or even “Aren’t there easier ways to get an adrenaline rush” (yes, many), but rather, “Why aren’t these brazen lovebirds in jail?” The movie never offers an answer to this huge question.This is one of several issues I have with “Skywalkers.” Telling the audience that what they’re about to see is dangerous and illegal, and then romanticizing the same behavior sends a gargantuan mixed message.
During the opening credits, codirectors Jeff Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina steal their own thunder by revealing what should have been saved for the final reel. On the morning of Dec. 18, 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mr. Beerkus and Ms. Nikolau are shown eluding security guards at the “Merdeka 118,” the second-tallest building on the planet.
Flirt and Bicker
For the next 90 or so minutes the filmmakers give us a collection of video clips from past climbs. This is mixed with an almost equal number of interactions between Mr. Beerkus and Ms. Nikolau that would be right at home on any garden variety reality dating show. They flirt, exchange witty banter, bicker, break up then make up—lather, rinse, and repeat—while conversing in Russian.
On the upside, the climbing videos, with images captured mostly by Mr. Beerkus and Ms. Nikolau on smart phones, are nothing less than spectacular. For those who appreciate “Xtreme” sports productions and consume them by the truckload, “Skywalkers” is the mother lode. If you fit that description, I strongly recommend you seek out an IMAX theater near you. “Skywalkers” will play in theaters for at least one week before streaming on Netflix beginning July 19.
I did not see the movie on a big screen but rather at home via an advance press screener, and it took a toll on every fiber of my being. I’m not ashamed to admit that I, like 30 percent of all of humanity, has something called “visual height intolerance” (VHI).
While doing background research, I stumbled across this term which is much more common than acrophobia (which affects just three to five percent of the population), defined in Wikipedia as “an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up.” Standing on the roof of your home or the third-floor balcony of a hotel in fear is acrophobia.
Further Viewing Options
If you’re in the market for other similarly themed, thrill-seeking, nail-biter titles, you need to check out “Free Solo” (the Best Documentary Feature Oscar-winner from 2018), “Man on Wire” (2008), and “The Walk” (2015). “Wire” is a documentary about French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s 1974 walk between New York’s World Trade Center Twin Towers, and “Walk” is a live-action version of the same event starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Mr. Petit.Legal or not, the portions of the movie dedicated to the climbing are riveting, and will more than satisfy the 70 percent of people without VHI. Unfortunately, the non-climbing segments will only appeal to those enamored with low-rent reality TV. If you happen to favor both of these divergent, polar-opposite genres, you will thoroughly love “Skywalkers.”
