Review: Tenzing

Streaming service original films often fluctuate in quality. There was a time when many of Netflix’s own films were really good, but nowadays they feel very much like fast food – rushed, ill-conceived, and half-baked. One service that actually often succeeds, both with series and films, is Apple+. Tenzing is the latest addition. I have always liked this genre: real-life adventures, or man vs. nature. So, what is it about?

Tenzing depicts the little-known story of a gifted Himalayan climber who, together with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. With encouragement from his wife Dawa, Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson. Together, they convince the expedition leader that Tenzing belongs in the British climbing team, and shouldn’t just serve it. Where Western climbers see “Everest” as something to conquer, Tenzing reveres the mountain as the sacred mother goddess. What follows is an ascent marked as much by the tensions between different backgrounds, social classes, and competing ambitions as by the dangers on the mountain itself. But high above the world, empire, rank, and ambitions fall away, leaving two outsiders united by mutual respect and trust – and for Tenzing the fulfillment of both a lifelong dream and a spiritual calling.

The film is directed by Jennifer Peedom and it is her feature film debut. However, she has directed a number of documentaries, many of which are about adventurers. In 2015, the documentary Sherpa was released. It was filmed in 2014 at Mount Everest, during one of modern history’s greatest avalanche disasters which led to the deaths of sixteen Sherpas. A very successful debut, I can reveal. The script, written by Peedom, Luke Davies and Ed Douglas, feels well-thought-out. The characters are built up in a good way and the dialogue is believable. One thing I like very much is that they didn’t “go Hollywood” and have everyone speak English. The indigenous people speak Tibetan among themselves, which of course adds a dimension of authenticity. And as a feature-debuting director, it must be something of a luxury to work with such a talented ensemble. The title’s Tenzing is played by Genden Phuntsok, who is absolutely superb. He hasn’t been in an excessive number of films and this appears to be his first (partially, again) English-language one. By his side, he has Tom Hiddleston (Loki, Night Manager), who is always worth watching, and here I’ll throw in a personal anecdote. There were rumors for a while that he might take over as Bond, something I told my then-partner that I liked, to which she replied, “But he looks like Gunde Svan.” Now that’s the first thing I think of as soon as I see Tom. And congratulations to those of you who will also experience the same thing from now on. Tom Svan is, in any case, a really good actor. As expedition leader John Hunt we see another favorite, namely Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, Nosferatu). Caitríona Balfe from Outlander also has a small role.

We get to follow along both during the expedition to climb Mount Everest, or Chomolungma as the mountain is called in Tibetan, and in a series of flashbacks that tell of Tenzing’s journey from childhood until he succeeds in becoming part of Hunt’s great adventure. I have seen a large number of films on the theme of mountaineering, some of which are based on true events. You know roughly what to expect, and I don’t mean that negatively. What stands out here is specifically that it is told from Tenzing’s perspective. He is not counted as a Sherpa because he was born on “the wrong side of the border” and has to struggle to be accepted by the others, which becomes an important theme for the film. In addition to being, as previously mentioned, well-acted and well-written, Tenzing is also a technically handsome production. The environments are beautiful and I have read that it was filmed in both Nepal and – the parts with the actual climb – in New Zealand. Although, dramaturgically, it is a typical adventure and biographical film, I think they manage to avoid the unnecessarily sentimental Hollywood traps. The group dynamics are built up nicely, Tenzing’s path from lost and counted out to respected is well-crafted, and his friendship with Hiddleston’s Ed Hillary is truly beautiful.

It also offers quite a bit of tension and never feels long-winded. In summary, this is a really successful combination of biopic and adventure. Two hours well worth investing if you’ve grown tired of half-baked streaming movies or crime series. Excellent acting, an interesting life story, and beautiful imagery. But it doesn’t exactly make me want to take up mountain climbing, even if this isn’t as bleak a film as, for example, Baltasar Kormákur’s Everest. And I would love to see Genden Phuntsok in many more films.