New doc is a terrific peak at extraordinary accomplishment
If you feel like you need some motivation to get back in shape after your long Thanksgiving weekend of feasting and resting, I recommend you watch the new Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible stat. The film tells the story of Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja, who became the first person to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks in under seven months. The feat–and the movie about it–are both exceptional and inspiring.
To truly appreciate how incredible Purja’s accomplishment is, consider that, before him, Italian climber Reinhold Messner held the fastest climbing record for the 14 8,000 meter-plus peaks–but he took 16 years to scale them all. Purja did the same in just six months and six days, breaking six mountaineering world records in the process. And while Messner achieved the goal without using supplemental oxygen, Purja only used oxygen when he got above 8,000 meters, and still completed Messner’s 16 year odyssey in under seven months. The feat was heralded not only by the mountaineering community, but also by an international audience, as the success of “Project Possible,” as Purja dubbed his record-breaking attempt, awed and inspired the world.
British documentary director Torquil Jones and writer Gabriel Clarke bring Purja’s story to life in a thrilling and cinematically stunning picture. The film plays like an old-fashioned adventure story, complete with some pretty cool animations to illustrate experiences from Purja’s past for which there is no photographic record. Those with an affinity for true-to-life risk taking tales won’t be surprised to learn that documentarian couple Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi executive produced the film. Jones’s picture fits right in with Chin and Vasrhelyi’s previous edge-of-your seat, against all odds docs Meru, Free Solo, and, most recently, The Rescue.
Similar to those other films, Jones and Clarke immerse us in the world of a protagonist whose singular drive and determination surpass those of an average human. Purja, who served in Nepal’s elite Gurkha military force, indeed seems to possess superhuman physical and mental strength. On more than one of his ascents, Purja returns to a mountain he has just finished scaling–often in dangerous conditions–in order to rescue or help a climber in distress, sometimes being the only climber to do so.
In addition to the inherent danger of mountain climbing itself, with its low oxygen levels, ever shifting weather, and unforeseen terrain and visibility changes, Purja and his team faced a myriad of other challenges on their quest. Nepalese tradition dictates that the youngest son should care for his aging parents, but Purja, the youngest, makes the difficult decision to forgo the responsibility of being with his rapidly ailing mother in order to pursue his passion. That decision causes much family strife, especially with his older brother, and leaves Purja questioning his choices. Other issues, including securing funding for the project and a needed permit from China for the last of the 14 peaks, would derail a less committed climber. But Purja’s resolve never wavers, and he tackles each challenge with the same ferocity with which he tackles each peak.
Purja’s overarching philosophy is that “it doesn’t matter where you come from… You can show the world that nothing is impossible” (hence the “Project Possible” name for his expedition). As a non-Western climber, Purja also feels the weight of bringing attention to his home country–where Westerners who climb Everest typically thank their Sherpas in general, but rarely state their guides’ names. Purja comments that if a Westerner or European had accomplished the same feat as he, no doubt the press coverage would have been much greater. The Nepalese climbers are often “underappreciated and underrepresented”, as Jimmy Chin, who’s interviewed here, acknowledges. But Purja never comes across as bitter, only as unflappable in his focus to achieve his goal, for himself, his family, and his country.
“When you are in the mountains you find out who you really are. You want to survive. You want to live,” he says. Jones and Clarke convey that drive so beautifully that you may find yourself digging out your hiking boots to head outside and attack a trail or two yourself. And as for Purja, when asked what’s next for him, he replies cryptically, ”Just wait and see.” And whatever that may be, no doubt it will make for another exhilarating documentary.
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14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible premieres on Netflix today.
