SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY is a jaw-dropping Russian documentary that works as both a thriller and a romance. It follows the story of young Russians Angela Nikolau and Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus as they hatch a daredevil plan to be the first people ever to climb the world’s second-highest skyscraper. The challenge is a test of their skills as the world’s most popular “rooftoppers,” extreme athletes who climb insanely high buildings and cranes and document them with video to achieve social media stardom. It also tests their relationship, because they must have total trust in each other as they climb.

While the movie is a nail-biting experience from nearly start to finish, and viewers are led to cheer the couple on in their quest, the movie is marred by the fact that their rooftopping escapades rely just as much on trespassing and deception as they do on physical and mental endurance. The frequent subtitles of the couple show a somewhat heavy amount of foul language and some strong profanities.

SKYWALKERS rivets the audience from the start by showing the high-stakes risk that Angela and Ivan took in choosing to climb the Mekada 118 tower in Malaysia on the night of the World Cup championships in 2022. They hoped that the massive crowds of fans in the streets would distract police from noticing their illegal attempt. Backed by narration from the duo, the movie quickly shows viewers a fast-paced and breathtaking montage of their most challenging climbs and artistic poses around the planet.

Writer-Director Jeff Zimbalist also paces the movie well by slowing down at times to show the childhood backstories of the couple, and how they were drawn together as admirers of each other’s videos on social media. They seem loving and at times ecstatic in describing their teaming up both professionally and romantically. However, the narrative suddenly jumps two years later to reveal that they are stressed on both professional and personal levels by the fact that the COVID pandemic cost them their sponsors and restrained these free spirits from continuing their death-defying adventures.

Ivan tells Angela that Malaysia’s 118-story Mekada skyscraper, 2200 feet high at the top of its rooftop spire, is nearing completion. She replies with a gung-ho insistence that they have to try to be the first people on Earth to top it. The idea is to shoot a video of acrobatic poses at the top and sell them as digital artworks, which could lead to great wealth. However, Ivan is worried the climb might prove too dangerous, not only in terms of life and death and but also in the risk of getting caught by Malaysian authorities and doing serious prison time.

The two ultimately decide to go for it, setting off a thrilling mix of grueling preparations, planning and at least one serious setback.

Can Ivan and Angela overcome the odds and challenges and achieve their mission? Will the strains it puts on their relationship tear them apart, or bring them closer together?

Angela and Ivan make attractive, charismatic, compelling figures in SKYWALKERS. Their story draws viewers into its incredibly exciting true-life tale. The two use lots of GoPro cameras to film their exploits, but director Zimbalist also makes many of the daring climbs depicted thanks to his own extensive rooftopping experience. He combines close-up footage of both their daringly public and personally intimate conversations with Ivan’s stunning drone-shot footage at some of the planet’s highest points. As a result, SKYWALKERS is a technical marvel to behold. Anyone with a fear of heights should be duly warned, however, that the movie is packed with stomach-turning moments. Viewers willing to watch the movie all the way through, however, will be rewarded with a highly unique viewing experience.

In SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY, Angela offers a completely fresh take on the male-female dynamics of personal relationships. She says at one point that every couple “has a flyer and a catcher.” The flyer is the one who sets goals and dreams, while the catcher acts as the grounded and protective voice of reason.

SKYWALKERS is a nail-biting experience from nearly start to finish. It encourages viewers are led to cheer the couple in their quest to climb the second tallest skyscraper. However, their “rooftopping” escapades rely just as much on trespassing and deception as they do on physical and mental endurance. Also, the couple’s statements include a fair amount of strong foul language, including nearly 15 “f” words and two strong profanities.

There is also a brief clip of Angela showing her bare buttocks while wearing thonged pants, and the couple are shown briefly laughing in a bubble bath together. Ivan also appears shirtless two times. In addition, when Angela teases Ivan about wanting to get married, he makes a “pinkie swear” with her and says that’s all the commitment they need.

The combination of these factors warrants extreme caution toward SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY. However, the movie ends with a surprisingly spirited gospel song with a rousing chorus of “Stand on the Word, the Word of God” with Ivan and Angela considering their final climb to be miraculous.