Sundance review: 'Whirlybird' captures the rush of '80s helicopter journalism and a dysfunctional journalism family

‘Whirlybird’

★★★1/2

Playing in the U.S. Documentary competition of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Running time: 103 minutes.

Screens again: Tuesday, Jan. 28, 9 p.m., Park Avenue (Park City); Thursday, Jan. 30, 9 a.m., PC Library (Park City), Friday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m., Redstone 7 (Park City); Saturday, Feb. 2, 3:30 p.m., Rose Wagner (Salt Lake City).

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Equal parts time capsule and dysfunctional-family drama, the documentary “Whirlybird” captures a unique view of Los Angeles from a sky-high vantage point.

In the world of “if it bleeds, it leads” journalism, nobody was better or more driven to get the story than Bob Tur. In an interview, Zoey Tur — her name since 2014, when she transitioned from male to female — talks about her old life as Bob, a freelance videographer who could get across town first, whip out a camera, and get the footage L.A. TV stations wanted, whether it was police chases, drug busts or wildfires.

The old Bob Tur so identified with his work, it’s what he and Marika Gerrard did as a first date. Soon, the two became a couple, both personally and professionally, working together in Bob’s business, the Los Angeles News Service.

Not long after they married, Bob had a brainstorm: Get the video from the air. He rented a helicopter and got his pilot’s license (which was revoked from time to time, because of his reckless nature). Bob flew the plane, and Marika leaned out the side door with the camera. They were one of the first airborne video journalist teams, and soon every station in L.A. wanted one — or they wanted to hire Bob and Marika.

Still, family intersected with work. When Marika gave birth to the couple’s first child, Katy, the baby sometimes rode in the back seat of the car on the way to a crime scene. Today, Katy — now an anchor for MSNBC, and author of a best-seller about her experiences covering the Trump campaign — realizes that’s not the way normal kids grow up, but then it seemed like what families did.

Director Matt Yoka has plowed through countless hours of archived footage from the Turs’ high-flying work. The resulting captures the high spots, such as getting the footage of the riots after the Rodney King verdict or being the first helicopter team to spot O.J. Simpson’s white Ford Bronco. The footage also captures the low moments, like the verbal abuse Bob spewed at Marika when she wasn’t getting the perfect shot.

The footage creates a mosaic of Los Angeles in the last quarter of the 20th century, from freeways to oceans and every newsworthy person in between. Combined with candid interviews with the family and colleagues, “Whirlybird” shows what it takes to be an adrenaline-fueled action newsperson, and what it takes from a person.