Presenting both sweat-drippingly tension and mind-bogglingly beautiful views, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s documentary, Meru, is the perfect film for nature lovers, avid climbers and people looking for a bit more adventure in their lives. The almost surreal, dramatic and unbelievably true excursions of renowned alpinists Conrad Anker, Renan Ozturk and Chin on the unclimbable mountain. Meru will leave you gasping in awe and shaking in excitement.
The first few minutes of the film felt genuinely distressing in the best way. Suspended precariously thousands of feet above the ground in a tiny portaledge, we are introduced to the three climbers as the theatre fills with the sounds of their shallow breathing. The shot perfectly captures the feeling of helplessness and the knowledge that your life is no longer in your hands but is instead at the mercy of nature itself — it's both terrifying and oddly calming.
The entire movie is built upon the idea that failure is an all-too possible option. However, the audience knows exactly how this story ends as the climbers themselves appear in interviews alive and well. Despite this, the uncertainty is still there and that’s what makes it so irresistible.
The movie plays less like a documentary and more of a thriller inside the skin of a documentary. Its many terrifying twists and fearsome feats feeling more suitable for a drama or a thriller. While this is good in its own captivating way, it does make the progression and overall feel of the movie choppy and even disorienting at times. It could go from the hideous howling and freezing cold of a cataclysmic storm to the mellow murmuring of an interview in a calm and quiet room in the blink of an eye. This sometimes broke the immersive feel and took the viewer out of the scene entirely. When it does bring us back to those beautiful cliffs, we’re no longer in the mood.
However, this is just a minor setback compared to the stunning cinematography. Every single scene on the mountain was shot by Chin and Ozturk themselves. They don’t just simply capture the view as their cinematography is so excellent it becomes art. When you watch Meru, you are no longer in the theatre. You are there — dangling from a rope into the abyss or witnessing the world from 17,000 feet. If there had been nothing in the movie except for the view, it’d still be amazing.
There is so much more to write about this masterpiece, but it would take a novel to get it all down. Do yourself a favour and watch this brilliant documentary – you won’t regret it.
Meru is showing on September 29, 2015 at the Rio theatre.