Everest

Dir: Baltasar Kormákur

2015

****

Baltasar Kormákur's compelling 2015 film tells the tragic story behind what is known as the 1996 Everest disaster. It was the deadliest day on the mountain up to that point with twelve people in total perishing in the bitter cold weather conditions. It highlighted the dangers of the commercialization of Everest at the time and Kormákur's film goes some way in asking why people still continue to tackle the deadly mountain, given that so many people have died since, with 2014's record of sixteen dead broken just one year later in 2015 with eighteen reported as perished. The script was written using material picked from several books written by people who were on the mountain that day and survived. There is an interesting scene whereby Jon Krakauer, a journalist who was writing about the expedition for a well-known magazine, asks everyone why they want to reach the top of Everest knowing full well how dangerous it was. His answers were varied with most people suggesting simply because 'It's there' but a couple of the climbers had personal and rather touching reasons. By the end of the film, Kormákur delivers the message, quite tastefully, that no matter how poetic the reasons may sound, they just aren't good enough and the risks are simply not worth it. Since the event, many of the survivors have written about their ordeal and many of them still disagree with each other about the turn of events. It's no surprise that some disagree with Kormákur's script but personally I think it is more than balanced, with no one person or organisation blamed for the deaths, rather that everyone knew the risks, the conditions killed the climbers and a lack of organisation between expedition companies didn't help. The character development of each individual was nicely handled, there is the utmost of sympathy given by the script writers and actors, giving the film the poignancy the story deserves. This isn't the big action/disaster film many might expect and while there are miraculous instances of bravery and survival against all odds, it is at heart a touching and tragic drama. For every scene of action or peril, there is a scene of a loved one at home, waiting by the phone. The acting is superb and the structure and direction of the film is perfectly delivered. It's certainly not what you'd call a popcorn movie, the conclusion stayed with me for some time after viewing, which is a reflection of a film well made. A film that deserved much more recognition upon release.