Sitting On Top Of The World-“Everest” (2015)- A Short Film Review

DVD Review

By Seth Garth 

Everest, starring Jason Clarke, 2015  

I am still scratching my head (as was the person I saw this film with) about why seemingly rational people would go to the expense, take the time, and put themselves in harm’s way fighting injury or death in order to place some kind of flag on the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. The source of that bafflement is the film under review titled appropriately Everest since in the end as all participants recognized it was about the mountain whether you personally made it or not.

One of the most poignant moments in the film was when a journalist who was on the expedition covering it for a hiking magazine asked point blank the question “Why?.” Lots of individual answers were given from person goals to some kind of testing of the soul. The first collective answer seemed at the conclusion of the film to be the right one-“because it is there.”

By the time of the expedition, the ill-fated expedition which I do not believe is giving anything away, in 1996 thousands of people had been led up to the summit by the Sherpa guides mandatory on such trips. And several hundred had died from causes like oxygen debt, slippage, exhaustion and faltering mental toughness. In the film there were so many separate expeditions trying to take advantage of the “window” to climb to the summit that it looked like a small city. All jockeying for position, including the expedition out of New Zealand led by Rob (played by Jason Clarke) and his hiking operation.  

As far as the action of the film goes unlike a documentary where the footage would be about the climb here we got to know the characters, got to care that they got up and back whatever we might think about that goal. There were various styles displayed among the various expedition leaders Rob and his team were “hand-holders” which in the end would be fatal to him. Partly because he gave in to one climber who had failed the year before and who he stayed behind to make sure got to the summit and down. The exhausting down part combined with a horrendous wind storm is what did both men and a couple of others. One man was saved by a heroic effort from Nepalese helicopter pilot. At the conclusion photographs of those who actually perished were shown which added to the sense of danger involved. Yeah, in the end it was all about the mountain. A fast-paced riveting film.