Review of Skywalkers: A Love Story rating *****
Before streaming became a thing, a film like Skywalkers would have been seen by only a few documentary film diehards willing to seek out the one or two theatres that would have carried it. It would also likely not have stayed in theaters for more than a week or two. Thanks to Netflix and other streaming services, documentary films now make up a good portion of the offerings. I had not heard anything about this film. I decided to give it a try based solely on the short description. I’m glad that I did.
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Skywalkers tells the story of two people, Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, who share a passion for the arcane hobby known as rooftopping, which involves climbing tall buildings and structures and then taking images and videos of themselves, which they then post on social media. If it sounds crazy, it’s because it is. Angela’s images are artistic, with her in various poses made against dizzying heights. Ivan’s images and videos are far more daring. It’s when Ivan invites Angela to join him on a climb that the two meld the daring and the artistic. The resulting images and videos are mesmerizing.
It’s not exactly clear how these two make a living from their work. They have millions of followers on social media and occasionally have sponsors. Additionally, the filmmakers make many references to the fact that it is not a hobby without its pitfalls, such as jail time, lengthy prison sentences, injury, and death.
As I watched these two defy gravity time and time again, I was reminded of several similar documentaries. First, there is the great documentary Expedition Happiness, about two adventurous travelers and their dog. Then there are two Best Documentary Oscar winners, Free Solo and Man on a Wire.
In all of the documentaries mentioned, there was a conscious decision to videotape everything. In the case of Skywalkers, we relive their various escapades, including their very first meeting. Yet this documentary has a very defined goal: to scale one of the tallest buildings in the world, the Merdeka 118 tower in Malaysia, and then make an iconic video that would require hours and hours of planning and practice to pull off.
This documentary will have you on the edge of your seat. Don’t miss it.