Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
A couple that illegally scales tall buildings, perching on cranes, spires, belltowers, and ledges at heights where one wrong step could lead to death—sounds both extremely exciting and incredibly stupid! But Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus refuse to admit they are adrenaline junkies, preferring to call themselves “artists.” The two earned social media fame by scaling some of the tallest buildings around the world, often illegally, capturing their nail-biting acts on camera.
Directed by Jeff Zimbalist, the Netflix documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story” tracks Angela and Vanya’s roof-topping journey together and how they managed to scale the second tallest building in the world—Malaysia’s Merdeka 118—in 2022. Illegally, of course.
The documentary begins with a glimpse of the duo encountering a major hurdle while trying to sneak into Merdeka’s towering spiral, then flips to news clips and voice-overs to introduce the main subjects of “Skywalkers: A Love Story.” Angela Nikolau’s parents were performing artists in a circus, so Angela was always fascinated by aerial acrobatics and has been a gymnast since childhood. However, the documentary doesn’t shed any light on Vanya’s background, except that he is a loner who loves the thrill of climbing rooftops. Why do they risk arrest, injuries, and even possible death? Because both the high and payoff is a lot more lucrative than any regular job they’d have to take up. Besides, Angela is almost candid about craving applause, attention, fame, and wanting to have her name live on even after death.
“Reaching new heights, illegally climbing buildings. Dangerously scaling cranes. It’s called rooftopping. Angela and her accomplice Vanya Beerkus are the latest social media sensation. A dizzying sky-high catwalk show has turned Angela and Vanya into risk-taking royalty,” says one of the news clips in the documentary about the duo.
For a documentary about a daredevil couple, “Skywalkers: A Love Story” is a stunning visual spectacle, with plenty of dizzying drone footage of Angela and Vanya climbing heights that might give some viewers goosebumps. Director Jeff Zimbalist and team pick some great dramatic background music to complement the “rooftopping” moments. However, there’s a very artificial construction in the narrative, especially because the two of them are always putting on a show for the camera, constantly recording themselves, well aware of what will get them more “followers” or “likes” on social media.
It’s hard to distinguish genuine moments from those staged for the documentary, like a scene in the first half where Angela’s grandmother complains about her cheap government-issued hearing aids, and towards the end, Angela gifts her a new pair. I had mixed feelings watching the documentary, mostly just nonchalant intrigue over what drives youngsters like Angela and Vanya to live such risqué lives. There’s a sad truth to their adventures that the creators do not address: many of these young daredevils are often unemployed youth from broken families, with little to lose and much to gain from their risky exploits on social media. But I guess we just have to read in between the lines don’t we? For instance, once Covid19 struck and the couple couldn’t travel, Angela seemed content pivoting to modelling for money and quit roof-topping for good, however, a restless, sidelined Vanya didn’t want to depend on her and refused to take on an ordinary job.
One cannot help but wonder if Angela and Vanya’s love is carefully curated story to sell their stunts better and get more sponsors? Who knows. “Skywalkers: A Love Story” isn’t the compelling romantic tale it tries to be, but the clickbait title is perfect for drawing in viewers, and it does deliver an interesting look at the sketchy world of “rooftopping”. The couple has been arrested once in France for illegally climbing a building, and if they face more serious consequences for their illegal activities in the future, it will be a risk they knowingly took. Just as their daring exploits bring them fame and sponsors, they must also accept the potential fallout when their luck runs out.
Rating: 6 on 10. Stream ‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ on Netflix.
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