Everest The Other Side Movie Review

The opening shot of this movie is snow blowing off of the mountains surrounding the cinematographer; splendid. You can feel it hitting your face. More hits you when the helicopter above them scatters it around​.

It’s beautiful in an almost frightening away. You have to see it on an IMAX screen to understand why I say that. The goal here is for elite open-air pioneers and skiers, Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson, to reach the top of the highest mountain in the world, Everest, and then ski back down. She thinks it’s fun and scary at the same time but doing it makes her “feel alive.” The north face of Everest is the goal for everyone. It’s the area everyone avoids. They don’t want to anymore. Hilaree has lost a husband due to her drive to reach the top. That said, she then met Jim and is happier. To her, life is chaos. She has a job, her family and her passion. She does miss her boys, though. Her children miss her, too, and wish she was home more often. She does admit to being afraid of dying and leaving her children without a mother, but for now, she has them and can spend time with and love them. Her youngest doesn’t want to ski and climb as she does, but she tries to force him to… not a good moment. He finally does it at only twelve and is proud of himself, as she knew he’d be.

Visually, this documentary is magnificent. It’s riveting and doesn’t stop. You can’t look away. It’s directed by the very talented, married couple Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi who won an Academy Award for “Free Solo,” one of the most thrilling documentaries I had seen at the time. This film follows in its footsteps. It’s just as intense and deeply visceral experience. Weeks before the end of skiing season is shown to let you know how far their trek has been and what a day brings them. We also get a moment with Jim’s mom who talks about the attraction between him and Hilaree being magnetic almost immediately. Something is mentioned about Jim and his family that I’ll not give away here. See this film for the strength of this man in building himself a life a second time and having the love within to continue with all he has been through which is unimaginable grief. Getting to the summit will be healing for him and nothing is going to stop his endeavor.

I want to tell you more but can’t. What I will say is the correct way to see this film about a couple in love, who had a dream and refused to give up on that dream, is at an IMAX theater this weekend if possible. It will pull from you every possible emotion you can imagine from a sports documentary. You will be touched; the camera work is remarkable and everything about the surroundings is beautiful. Stay away from trailer, just see this film.