August 17, 2024
by Carla Hay
“Skywalkers: A Love Story”
Directed by Jeff Zimbalist
Culture Representation: Taking place in various parts of Europe and Asia, from 2015 to 2022, the documentary film “Skywalkers: A Love Story” features a predominantly white group of people (with some Asians) who are connected in some way to Russian daredevil skyscraper climbers Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau.
Culture Clash: Beerkus and Nikolau, who became a couple in real life, have their relatonship and other aspects of their life tested as they increase the stakes of of their skyscraper climbing, also known as rooftopping.
Culture Audience: “Skywalkers” will appeal mainly to people who are interested in watching a well-edited documentary about daredevil athletes and the complexities of couples who work together.
With stunning cinematography, “Skywalkers: A Love Story” (about rooftopping couple Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau) is an absorbing documentary that shows the parallels between the highs and lows in the couple’s skyscraper stunts and in their relationship. People who get queasy at seeing views from extreme heights, be warned: If you watch this documentary on the biggest screen possible, you might feel uncomfortable or even feel some sort of vertigo. The journey is worth seeing if you have an interest in watching true stories about unconventional people doing extreme stunts.
Directed by Jeff Zimbalist, “Skywalkers: A Love Story” was filmed from 2015 to 2022. The documentary had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Some of the footage was previously filmed archival footage from Russian couple Beerkus (whose nickname is Vanya) and Nikolau, who became a couple because of their shared passion for rooftopping, the daredevil (and often illegal) athletic stunt of climbing to the top of extremely tall buildings or structures without using ropes, nets or other safety measures.
Nikolau and Beerkus give voiceover narration to talk about their personal background, how they met and fell in love, and how they feel when their relationship goes through its ups and downs. The footage that was filmed exclusively for “Skywalkers: A Love Story” features cinematography by Renato Borrayo Serrano. Drones were used for much of the documentary’s exclusive and archival footage. The documentary begins by showing Nikolau and Beerkus attempting to do their most extreme and most dangerous stunt at the time: climbing the Merdeka 118, a skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Merdeka 118 was under construction at the time the couple decided to do this stunt in 2022. With a total height of 2,227 feet (or 678.9 meters), the Merdeka 118 is the second-tallest building in the world. After showing a glimpse of Nikolau and Beerkus starting this stunt, the movie flashes back to the beginning of their love story and shows how their relationship developed and some of their rooftopping stunts in countries such as France, China, and Thailan. “Skywalkers: A Love Story” then circles back to the Merdeka 118 stunt for the documentary’s very dramatic, tension-filled climax.
Nikolau opens up about some childhood turmoil that she experienced that might explain why she chose such an unconventional profession. Her parents, who were circus performers, split up when she was a child because her father abandoned the family. Nikolau says after this breakup, her mother became severely depressed and was unable to be an emotionally present mother. Nikolau was then raised primarily by her grandmother, whom Nikolau decribes as “a caretaker who taught me to be strong.”
Nikolau adds, “For years, I didn’t let myself cry. I didn’t know who I was. I was searching for who I was.” She adds that having a tough exterior helped when she found a passion in rooftopping but got resistance and prejudice from the male-dominated group of rooftoppers who didn’t accept her because they think women can’t be just as skilled as men in rooftopping. Nikolau comments, “I don’t want to prove a woman is strong like a man. We have our own strength in femininity.”
As for Beerkus, his parents remained together, but he says he turned to climbing buldings as an escape from when he would hear his parents arguing. Beerkus (just like Nikolau) describes himself as an eccentric loner. However, he met his match with Nikolau, whom he credits for opening up his mind to being more artful in rooftopping photos and videos. It wasn’t long before Nikolau and Beerkus began collaborating and documenting their work together on social media. The documentary has some scenes of Nikolau interacting with her loving grandmother and Beerkus interacting with his supportive parents.
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” has a disclaimer in the beginning of the movie that says these stunts are illegal and should not be done by the average person. As seen in the documentary, the issue of possibly getting arrested is an essential part of rooftoppers’ planning, since they often have to find ways to avoid security employees and security equipment. The documentary has footage from 2017 of Beerkus and Nikolau getting arrested in Paris for climbing the Eiffel Tower. Beerkus and Nikola spend the night in jail before beng released. It’s mentioned multiple times that other countries have much harsher punishments than France for illegally climbing buildings and other structures.
Even though rooftoppers often trespass or break other laws to get to the top of these structures, they can still make a living from what they do from sponsors who seek out extreme athletes. Such was the case with Beerkus and Nikolau, who were able to make a full-time income from the rooftopping activities. The documentary shows how the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on their income and put a strain on their relationship. A minor flaw of the documentary is that some of the editing of the couple’s arguments is very much like melodramatic reality TV. It doesn’t ruin the tone of the movie, but it’s noticeable.
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” also shows how the physical danger of rooftopping often isn’t as risky or as scary as the psychological or emotional effects of these extreme stunts. One of the people in this daredevil couple starts to have panic attacks and has doubts about staying in the relationship. “Skywalkers: A Love Story” isn’t just about looking about a couple climbing tall structures. The bigger picture is about how trust and honest communication are essential in order for a relationship to stay healthy and survive.
Netflix released “Skywalkers: A Love Story” in select U.S. cinemas on July 12, 2024. The movie premiered on Netflix on July 19, 2024.