The Bear (French: L’Ours) is a 1988 French adventure film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. It tells the story of an orphaned bear cub struggling to survive in the wilderness and forming an unlikely bond with a large adult male grizzly. Unlike typical wildlife documentaries, The Bear presents a narrative with animal protagonists, minimizing human presence and dialogue.

The film opens with a mother bear and her cub in the mountainous wilderness of British Columbia. The cub is playful and curious, learning the ways of the wild from his mother. Tragedy strikes when a rockslide kills the mother, leaving the cub alone and vulnerable. The cub encounters a large male grizzly, initially fearful and wary. The adult bear, while not explicitly friendly, tolerates the cub’s presence. Gradually, a bond forms between the two as they navigate the challenges of survival together: hunting for food, evading predators (including pumas and two hunters), and facing the harsh realities of nature. The film portrays the world from the bears’ perspective, showcasing their instincts, behaviors, and interactions with their environment. Human presence is limited to two hunters whose actions sometimes pose a threat to the bears.