The Quest aims to reach the top of the highest peak of mountains, culture, and documentary film

INDIE FILM REVIEWS
WRITTEN BY JOE COMPTON

THE QUEST: NEPAL 

(DOCUMENTARY)

Climbing the most iconic mountain in the world, Everest, while unveiling the culture of Nepal.

Filmmaker: Alex Harz

WHAT THIS DOCUMENTARY DOES WELL: There are many, many Everest and highest peak, overcome adversity, climbing films both in the Documentary and Narrative forms but I am not sure I have ever felt it more clearly what an arduous, treacherous endeavor this really is until Alex Harz' film.

  

It is clear that Alex did his homework in the pre-production and was well prepared for every contingency, every obstacle, and every moment he was climbing and scaling these mountains. The clarity and set up of every shot is meticulous, it is engaging, and fraught with a sort of vicarious peril that even when you know it is going to be alright, you don't feel like it is going to be alright. An incredible way to tell that aspect of this story. 

Here's the thing that's only half the story. What Alex has done and done so well is he has combined a pseudo Bourdain's No Boundaries approach with a journey throughout the cultural aspects of the town in which this mountain range presides in Nepal. We get exclusive access to places no one has been or experienced unless you have actually been there. There are so many amazing and touching moments driven by the purity of experiencing what Alex experiences. 

A very useful design that really serves the purpose of getting the experience without getting the experience. Now not everything is connected, there are a couple subtle lulls here and I have never been one for a ton of voiceover talking but when it works it works. In fact it works so well that you get over the moments that you aren't really all that there for by being blown away by the moments you may never forget. I, as a filmmaker myself, am in awe of the amazing framing and shots here and how the drama and truth were simultaneously created and explored. This equally as thought provoking and rewarding as it is anything else.

WHY CHAMPION THIS DOCUMENTARY: As you will come to learn in a Spolight Episode we did with Alex this is the beginning of what he hopes will become a series. We hope so too because his approach is very unique and skillset is top notch when it comes to capturing the emotion, the excitement, and the drama. I think for anyone who needs a little breather from heavy handed documentaries that make you feel like "fuck humanity", The Quest will definitely restore your faith in that aspect. It will also give you an IMAX like experience without having to pay too much for it. It really marvels your senses and engages your emotions like a great documentary should do. 

YOU CAN SEE THIS MOVIE ON AMAZON PRIME HERE