Howie Dewitt

While the footage of the mountains and climbing scenes are absolutely breathtaking, there is something wrong with celebrating reckless behaviour that cost not only the protagonists life but also another climber, who received little to no attention. No doubt that the athletic accomplishments of this Alpinist are staggering, but at what cost? Should it be inspiring to a younger generation? Born out of a youth fuelled with drug binges, the protagonist turns to an extreme sport, celebrating a lack of safety and preparedness. The moral of the story cannot be that he is celebrated as a hero because he lived his dreams while we all are too afraid. Risking one’s life and eventually also someone else’s is not an act of heroism, but of selfishness. I wonder how someone with a deadly disease feels like watching this, or someone in a war zone, fighting for their life. In the end the documentary seems like a glorified ad for a picturesque suicide.