I Am Heath Ledger

Family and friends give a loving tribute to the late famous actor. It's nice to see so much admiration. There are things I didn't know like making music videos and his filmmaking aspirations. I did forget about his breakup with Michelle Williams. It's not unexpected that she's not doing those talking head interviews. There are a couple of hints about his depression which is blamed on his lack of sleep. What these people are describing is endless energy that builds to almost manic obsession although they put it into the most favorable light. He is a magic being to them and I don't expect anything less. This doesn't get too deep into his death. It is only really a tribute.

I was basically introduced to Heath Ledger via his Joker performance in "The Dark Knight", a movie that completely blew me away in large part because of that incredible acting. I was shocked and saddened just like everyone else when Heath unexpectedly passed away shortly afterwards, and was not on hand to receive his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, provide further quality work, or be a father to his child. I really didn't know much of Heath's background before his "Dark Knight" years, so "I Am Heath Ledger" was a very informative (and of course emotional) documentary for me.

Basically, this documentary chronologically covers the years of Heath's short life, both in terms of his acting roles and family life. His love of adventure and creativeness are heavily referenced, as they made up such a large portion of his life and made him such an engaging figure. Heath's mother, father, and sisters talk about Heath from a family perspective, while noted creative luminaries & friends (Naomi Watts, Ben Mendelsohn, Dijmon Hounsou, Emile Hirsch, Ange Lee, Catherine Hardwick, & Ben Harper, to name a few) give their unique perspectives as well.

Despite the fact that Heath's life ended in tragedy, "I Am Heath Ledger" does not revel in it or take a somber tone (until perhaps the final few minutes). Mostly, this is a positive view of Heath's life, not unlike a wake of sorts where fond memories of the departed are shared in order to heal and try to move forward. I appreciated his approach, as it allowed me as a viewer to get a much clearer picture of who Heath Ledger was pre-Batman.

The only reason I won't give this doc the full 10-star treatment is because, in all honesty, I wish it would have discussed the circumstances of Heath's death more directly. All we get here is a brief "he had his demons" line of dialogue. I realize that directors Adrian Buitenhuis & Derik Murray wanted to keep the tone positive (and it is clear they are always striving to do that), but I wonder if more could be learned from Heath's unfortunate demise by examining it frankly. Sure, no one wants the "Ledger was a druggie" myth to perpetuate (untrue as it may or may not be), but from my knowledge Heath died because of prescription medication abuse. Sad as it was, I would rather examine the issue for what it is instead of clouding it in mystery. Perhaps a lesson can be learned for future adventurers like Heath in order to better control their specific set of problems.

Overall, though, "I Am Heath Ledger" is an excellent documentary that gives a very well-rounded picture of Heath's acting, relationships, and life in general. Fans of him specifically or just actor stories in general will be satisfied (as well as emotionally touched) by the final product here.

I love his vlogs!! Love all the clips Heath shot to record lots and lots of bits of ingenious and beautiful moments in his life. He was probably one of the earliest persons to shoot vlogs with certain artistry. He playing basketball in his living room reminds of Uma Thurman in the Pulp Fiction, when Mia is dancing wildly in her parlour and is absolutely oblivious of the surrounding world. All those familiar faces, Naomi Watts, Ang Lee and Ben Mendelssohn and their recollection of Heath presented what a generous person he was. He would've produced and even directed great films. Surprisingly ignorant as I was, I didn't know the relationship between Michelle and him until I watched this. The way Ang Lee and Health's friends recalled how they had met and fell in love during Brokeback Mountain and the way Michelle looked at him at the premiere are sweetly plaintive.

In the sea of young upcoming actors, Heath Ledger was unique. Like Patrick Swayze, I remember where I was when I heard about his passing. It was a bombshell, let me tell ya. I honestly thought my ears were that January summer day, on the way to the beach. This excellent top form documentary recounts his life, and his real self, away from the camera, catching those truest of moments. We are introduced to a variety of other close friends, U.S. and of course more Australian, all mostly actors, where we learn't this multi talented artist dabbled in other things, including song writing, directing and etc. We of course hear a little bit of his method acting approaches as well as snippets, from an impressive C.V of films in a less than ten year span, his joker, his greatest and unbelievably brilliant feat. If still alive, I know we would of seen much great acting work and accolades, awards, what have you,from him. It would of been good to see younger work from this actor, like his five day Home And Away stint, but I think more actors who have risen high about that, don't want to visit original territory, and put their H a A days way behind em'. Ledger himself, said, "you won't learn much about acting, spending 5 days on Home And Away". I solely agree, for here is an actor, a role model, for accepting challenges, and going all out to achieve your dream. The greatest inspiration to budding actors, this guy is, who like James Dean, lived fast and died young, a waste of what was so much more to come. Absorbing, and involving viewing from start to finish. For H L fans, a must see, and a trifle bit, memorably sad, in it's final minutes, as in the actor's short lived life himself.

A refreshing look and celebration of the life of a wonderful actor rather than a cynical detective story of his untimely death. It's not a particularly deep documentary, and the lack of input from someone like Michelle Williams or Ledger's daughter is understandable but ultimately disappointing, but it sheds what may be a new light on a young man we were truly gifted to share 28 years with. The insight into his creative process and his pure love for what he did is more than enough to make it a worthwhile watch for anyone curious to learn more about Ledger's life as an actor.