Man’s best friend is a common title given to domestic dogs, referring to their multi-millennia-long history of close relations, loyalty, friendship, and companionship with humans – we all know. In truth, maybe we don’t know the depth of the meaning of that phrase because none of us has ever run an Iditarod with a pack of these loyal coequals. Without Warning shows us and relegates the old adage to a vast understatement.
The 77 minute Steve Scearcy documentary gets right down to business. A furious drum beating score ushers in the perilous Alaskan wilderness. An angry looking wolf, cascading snow, howling wind, and a Native American delivering the unrelenting truth of mother nature; “Some dangers give no warning.”
Thus, the stage is set for Bridgett Watkins emergency call from the trails. She’s in serious trouble, and her friend Chris Jones fires up his snowmobile in an effort to try and save her.
But first, we learn the why and the how. Why would anyone traverse the unforgiving 1000 mile track, which the cinematographic framing details in expansive form, and how it is possible?
Love at first sight essentially satisfies the why. Bridgett got her first sled-dog team when she was 6 years old, and the world opened up for her. Expressing the chance for adventure through a synergy humans rarely achieve together, we are drawn in by the love fest.
Fourteen dogs and a human, the teamwork that drives the sled has Bridgett playing alpha dog, and under her care, trust is the motor. A difficult concept when no common language is shared. But Bridgett’s passion makes you believe that communication is second nature and so is their unyielding bond.
Enter the most dangerous animal in Alaska. Moose kill the most people every year, and the Whitney McLeren cinematography takes us there.
Her majestic framing and slow motion traverse of the beast, does more than fill the screen. The animal looks like it’s going to burst through the fourth wall, while its seven foot high, 1000 pound structure exudes complete disregard for anything in its path.
The moose in question is stalking the team. Only this monster has the actual brain power, and in Bridgett’s retelling, we feel the animal on our heels. That is until the creature actually crashes through the bow. The dogs and Bridgett imperiled.
The camera begins to shake, chaos is conveyed and Bridgett’s raw emotional recounting brings us face to face with the danger. So does the clever editing which splices still photos, restaged imagery and Bridgett’s terrified discourse.
The filmmakers choose not to show the actual aftermath – except for one very telling image that has been left behind. Maybe too bloody or heartbreaking, Bridgett paints a picture that is more than enough.
All a day in the life, the movie hasn’t even really started because one stray moose doesn’t compare when the full force of mother nature comes down. Recovery must first take place and not just the physical wounds.
Surgeries and lots of stitching up for the dogs, Bridgett has to heal on the inside, and while there was no pill or psychiatrist’s couch, she had something better. Once again, we witness the emotional connection between Bridgett and her dogs, and the viewer is ready to get back on the horse with her. Even so, Bridgett makes us feel the fear and the distinct possibility for catastrophe.
Nonetheless, triumph is next. She’s on the trail, living her dream and the beauty of Alaska brings us along for the ride.
Of course, she’s in the same denial as the rest of us when we can’t figure out how a beautiful sunny day can turn into a soul crushing rainstorm. In this case, it was a winter tsunami that has the potential to zap more than our spirit.
A visual that is conveyed despite not having any actual footage to show us. Alongside the anguished retelling of Bridgett, the driving storm imagery we see gives us a sense, and the added sound effects double down.
Not the only addendum, her husband joins the fray. At the mercy of distance, Scotty’s only respite is the tracking device that follows the path and his retelling comes off like the spouse of an astronaut. Completely powerless, all he can do is sit, pray and wait.
The edits again make the drama seamless but life and death isn’t the only thing at stake. SOS is a button push away, and even though rescue is not a certainty, forfeiture of the race is.
An easy decision from the warmth of our armchair, the leap is no easy one. More emotion, more angst, the dreams of a lifetime conflict with the bond that Bridgett holds so dear.
When this film crosses the finish line, you have just have witnessed the unbreakable will of a woman determined to finish the race she was born to run. A true testament to courage, faith, and the human spirit when pushed beyond its limits.
