Everest (2015) in one word: Heartwrenching

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2017)

I had a pretty good idea of how Everest would play out. I read Krakauer's account of the 1996 tragedy, Into Thin Air, a number of years ago. I could recall the general story- a lot of people die. But, I couldn't remember who died exactly, so some of the story's suspense was preserved for me.
However, that suspense is likely to be present regardless of whether or not the viewer knows the details of the story. You almost can't help but be filled with dread as the movie progresses. The cinematography is breathtakingly vertigo-inducing at times, as the camera pivots under and around characters, highlighting the immense depths of chasms and the brutal, potential consequences of a misstep. Early in the film, it becomes evident that there is a problem of overcrowding on the mountain. Everest expeditions are businesses, and ones that seek to all accomplish the same goal in the same brief window, once per year. Rob Hall, played convincingly and endearingly by Jason Clarke, attempts to gather the different companies and work out some sort of solution. The tension between characters in this meeting serves as a precursor to the tension and confusion that will manifest itself near the mountain's summit.
There are many characters in Everest, yet I feel that all of them are adequately developed. They are developed to the point that when characters die it is genuinely heartbreaking. The death of expedition leader Rob Hall is particularly moving. In contrast to the deaths of other characters, several of whom simply fall off a ledge, Rob's is not quick. We spend extensive amounts of time with him, as team members and his wife (Keira Knightley) attempt to motivate him to keep him alive and moving. It is watching someone at the very edge of human limits, and it is painful.
There has long been debate about the veracity of accounts and depictions of the 1996 Everest expeditions. Krakauer, for one, is not a fan of the way Everest portrays what happened, calling it "total bull." It is, however, unlikely that we will ever be able to hash out all the details of the tragedy. Everest is successful in depicting perhaps the most important element of those events in 1996- that many passionate mountaineers, on a mountain that pushes people to limits, found their limits, and lost their lives.
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