A strange passion for high risk

Johnson Thomas

Advertisement

This is a freaky yet breathtaking documentary about an acrobatic stunt couple ‘rooftopping’ through several countries around the world. It’s a strange trend no doubt, but these adrenaline junkies refer to it as high art.

Angela Nikolau and Ivan/Vanya Beerkus get to know about each other through the ‘rooftopping’ community they follow. Eventually, they become a couple as their extreme hobby calls for an end to their solo runs.

The passion that these two have for putting their lives at risk for Insta glory is quite incredible. They do train before every event but the variables during training and actual climbing are not the same in all cases. Since this is an illegal activity with a jail term at the end of it (depending on which country you are in) if you are caught, it’s also fraught with a criminality risk.

They did get off lightly while trying to scale the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but in another country, it would have meant several months of incarceration. That’s what Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary tries to highlight — the risks involved in skywalking. Thrill seekers, beware!

Of course, the love story also comes in for some footage. It’s not exactly a romance, but you do see two kindred, distressed souls shoring up their self-esteem through acts that earn them international fans and glory.

The Gen Next way of getting ahead appears to be through Insta-fed glory. The young couple here feel the need to expand their likes with ‘shocking’ entertainment. That’s how they expect to earn a living from their rabid audience, who might even be willing to pay a high price for their non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

This film opens in 2019 with scenes showing Nikolau and Beerkus preparing to climb to the top of the spire of one of the tallest buildings in the world — the 2,227 feet tall Merdeka 118 in Malaysia. The narrative then cuts back to Angela’s past, of being a child of circus artistes, and Ivan’s of having a dysfunctional childhood. We also get to see them interacting with the people closest to them. But much of the heist-like narrative is concentrated around their extreme sport and what it involves.

Are they brave or are they plain foolish? The jury is out for Angela’s fellow climbers, who have almost all ended up as dust. Angela and Ivan/Vanya may meet the same fate if they continue on their mega-risk journey together. The couple are already making promises of seeking a different life together, but will they stick to that plan after this incredible high?

The two are charismatic and impressive in their skill and balance. But their entire act feels compulsive and horrifying. It does seem like there are more and more people indulging in high-risk behaviour just to make money through the Internet. Are we heading towards a dark and dystopian future like the Hollywood blockbusters predict? Hopefully, our generation won’t be alive to see it, but the next might. I am already feeling guilty for giving legitimacy to this sport.

‘Skywalkers’ has the couple ascending heights we’ve never seen before. The cityscapes captured on camera are extraordinary. Objectively speaking, this film is a highly compelling true-life account and must be seen to be believed.