Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gripping docu about thrill-seekers has extreme peril, death.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Skywalkers: A Love Story
What's the Story?
The stars of SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY, Angela Nikolau and Vanya (Ivan) Beerkus, are two of the world's most renowned "rooftoppers," or social media stars who climb the roofs of the globe's tallest buildings. But more than that, they are also a couple. The film tracks their individual journeys to their unusual career and captures their first collaboration. From there, the pair fell in love and attempted increasingly more daring climbs. But their relationship also complicated their work. The film shows all of this in the buildup to their biggest climb ever: the Merdeka building, the world's tallest, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Is It Any Good?
It's rare for a documentary to create enough suspense to cause sweaty palms and nail-biting, but this one does. That's because Skywalkers: A Love Story brings viewers right along with "rooftoppers" Angela and Vanya as they climb the world's tallest buildings, via drone and GoPro footage. The couple has shown bravery not just in these daredevil feats, but also in allowing the cameramen into some of their most intimate moments of falling in love and bickering their way to a temporary breakup. Then again, the film is clearly one more part of their hustle. The two make their living this way and the documentary does a good job providing the backstory of their home lives in Russia, where few traditional career opportunities await.
The pair vow to stop climbing after the feat that bookends this film, but they're young. That youth is on clear display throughout the film, but perhaps especially when Angela proclaims that she can't live a "plain" life because nobody will talk about her when she's gone. What she learns, though, is that the show—skywalking—is actually a means to a larger end, which is love. Good on directors Zimbalist and Bukhonina for looking for this bigger story. They certainly have enough material with the pair's unusual career choice, but rather than limiting themselves to the heights, they also try to dig deeper.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Angela and Ivan risk their lives to do what they do in Skywalkers: A Love Story. What are some of the motivations revealed in this film?
An interviewer asks Angela if she's worried others will try to copy her and risk their lives climbing buildings. Do you think that's a danger of this documentary? Why or why not?
Almost all of Angela's original group of climbers died on rooftops. What does that tell you about this pastime/career? Do you think the film shows the dangers?
How do Angela and Ivan show courage and teamwork, not just in climbing rooftops, but in their poses and also in allowing cameras into their lives?
How does this compare to other documentaries you've watched?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : July 19, 2024
- Cast : Angela Nikolau , Ivan Beerkus
- Directors : Jeff Zimbalist , Maria Bukhonina
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Adventures
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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