I Am Heath Ledger

I am a huge fan of heath ledger since his early work and I am a firm believer his portrayal of the joker in the "dark knight" is the greatest performance by an actor I have seen. This film touched me in so many ways that I feel that I knew the man personally as strange as it may seem. The personal accounts of people who knew him best, his own personal "vlog" footage really showed the true nature of heath and who he really was. A kind and joyful man who sadly lost his life too soon. I shed a tear many times especially to Bon iver's- Perth at the credits. I highly recommend this roller coaster of emotions to fans of heath and those who respected what he has achieved. It really is a fitting tribute to who the man was.

I Am Heath Ledger is a great movie. It is just great. The movie has Heath Ledger's family members and friends tell their experience with Heath and his life. The film is heartwarming and sad at the same time. It goes from Heath's family talking about his experience making films such as The Patriot, Brokeback Mountain, and The Dark Knight, and his joy making them, to the sadness throughout the time of his death within their family and around the world. It is a great film. It made me cry. If you are a fan of Heath Ledger and his work, definitely check this one out. 10/10.

I believe with this piece of work, we finally have taken off heaths mask that he portrayed himself as the Joker. We now see a side to heath that the world had to see. I believe it leaves the light on who he was as a artist and just how he was able to tackle and perfect not only the joker in dark knight, but also how he was a father, a friend loved by many and a creative individual who shocked the 21st century with what method acting was really about. The devastating and sudden death that rocked the world just around ten years ago had a huge impact on many. I found this project as an interesting and insightful one. Right from the beginning there is close personal creative genius from this guy. If you think Heath ledger-the actor? Incorrect. The love of film and photography is evident throughout, along with home videos of heath turning the camera on himself and friends. Footage of Heath acting along the best actors in the business, we see the humanity in Heath and just how he was human, he did suffer from the constant overwhelming fame, and in my opinion enjoyed his work rather than his benefits from it. Creating film was heaths love. Also we see a insight into how heath found his wife and love in his tender years that he did live. I believe this documentary went to a place that needed to be searched when we think about the guy that was Heath Ledger. Heath was a guy who lived life to the fullest and never really took a break because of his love for film. Alongside Dean, Brando and Day-Lewis, Heath Ledger was an iconic method actor, that held qualities of a rare breed and should be a image for young actors today. The ethos of this entire documentary holds this idea I believe.

Greetings again from the darkness. Lao Tzu wrote "The flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long". Though the math might be a bit off, that phrase aptly describes the too-brief life and career of shooting star Heath Ledger. As a 20 year old from Australia, his talent seemed to leap from the screen in 1999's 10 Things I Hate About You. As his popularity soared, so did his commitment to avoid being typecast as the charming and handsome love interest by the desperate directors of every upcoming rom-com project.

It seems inconceivable (that word means what you think it means) that Mr. Ledger only made 15 more movies before an overdose killed him in 2008 (at age 28). Adrian Buiterhuis and Derik Murray co-direct this portrait of the man, the artist, the friend, the father. We see the young Heath, nearly always with camera in hand, flouncing about with his buddies as he seeks his next adventure. The home videos and photos fill the screen with luminosity that we recognize from his movies … the camera loved his face, and he seemed to love everything about filmmaking.

Interviews, often the bane of biographical documentaries, provide a real sense of the admiration and love that Ledger attracted. His father, mother, sister, childhood Aussie friends, agent Steve Alexander, former lover Naomi Watts, and close friend Ben Harper pay tribute not just to the star who burned out too soon, but also the warm-hearted man they all connected with.

The film walks us through some of his key movies: his chance to work with his acting idol Mel Gibson in The Patriot, A Knight's Tale, his devastating performance in Monster's Ball, The Four Feathers, Ned Kelly, reminiscing with Catherine Hardwicke on Lords of Dogstown, his stunning turn in Brokeback Mountain, and his final movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus with his beloved director Terry Gilliam. Of course, there is also a full segment on his most famous (and his own personal favorite) role as The Joker (a guy with a plan) in The Dark Knight. The role not only won Ledger a posthumous Oscar, it became the most talked about film performance in years.

Even more interesting than the recollections from the various movie sets are the bits and pieces we get of Ledger as guy sharing the journey with his buddies, approaching master status as a chess player, as an artist dedicated to his craft, or as a photographer honing his style (in music videos) in what surely would have been an intriguing path as a director. Director Ang Lee brings us closer to understanding what we have missed out on in regards to Ledger as an artist, and with actress Michelle Williams, the mother of his daughter Matilda, choosing not to participate in the film, we still have the distance between fan and man that allows for due respect.

I'm one who does not have the best knowledge of Heath Ledger. I know some of his movies and think he was very good at both Brookeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. I have not seen all the movies he played in. This documentary gives real insight into his life, motivation, his wonderful attitude to life, his love for friends and pride for the family. Unlike other documentaries I've seen about celebrities, this is much closer and personal. It is full of feedback and reflections from his good friends, family and business partners. This makes the film credible and strong. We also see many private recordings that Heath did, either by himself or by others. We also get insight into his deep interests for other forms of art such as music and art. Overall, a deep dive in the life of an exciting, talented and inspiring man who died too soon.