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The link between the famous George Mallory and Mount Everest is set forth in the tale of the renowned climber Conrad Anker, whose life is chronicled in the documentary “Meru.” What most do not know is Anker is the very man who stumbled on the corpse of Mallory in 1999, which as expected was a widely publicized event. Anker also appears to me to completely buy into the theory encapsulated by Mallory’s three most renowned words: “because it’s there.” So much of the desire to do the seemingly impossible is captured in that oft-quoted phrase. That said, it is also taken as evidence for why one should do something illogical. There is the argument, which is equally valid, that explains the lack of rationale for going to the moon or Mount Everest because nobody comes back from the brink of death. The story of the men of “Meru” is that of a self-deluded attempt to climb a rock face that no one had set eyes upon before. It is quite fascinating. Still, and this is the complicated part of watching a documentary “movie,” the movie itself is not so good.
In my opinion, a little too much time is allocated to glorifying the sheer determination shown by these men while completely ignoring that what matters is the footage on the mountainside. It is a story that needs no introduction and therefore, all the talking heads who emphasize explaining it to us are annoying.
Ever since The Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru has been the most sought-after prize in mountain climbing. An astonishing absurdity from Mother Nature, existing at over 20,000 feet, it is flat but straight up and is not a mountain but a wall. While climbers do find it challenging to get a two-hundred-meter head start within a single day, it actually is a portion of the daunting smooth surface they have to tackle. If you have made poor plans and are confronted with bad weather, then prepare yourself to say goodbye to your family. It is, as the film states, the anti-Everest. Forget about Sherpas, no one is there to help you. With no one available to do the secretarial work, you are forced to attempt an ascent on a barren, featureless surface all by yourself.
In October of 2008, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk attempted to climb Meru. Some of the footage they captured emerges as the best in ‘Meru.’ The best parts of the movie are when the climbers are left to overcome Everest’s elements without background scores. It’s incredible how much physical effort it takes to climb that mountain. In 2008, the trio failed. They appear to be so close to the top, yet during one scene, they realize that the sun is setting fast, they don’t have any camping equipment, and their chances of surviving in the harsh conditions are none. They’re in a position where it seems as if they can shout something high and the top can be reached, only for them to notice that they have to stop, turn back, and trek the entire distance back down. The trio was so close only 100 meters away.
To be defeated is to go back to square one but looking at the trio it looks grim. In the chapter’s curious detail, there was little attention paid to Jimmy’s revelation that climbers not reaching the summit successfully made him motivated to try again. Why is it so easy to do this? Excitement. While many people attempt to climb mountains, fewer reach the top, and being second to accomplish something extraordinary is less enthralling. After getting through several amazing speed bumps in their path, the trio decides to give it another shot.
Where “Meru” really succeeds is in its “You Are There” moments. You remember heavy breathing, the elements whip the tent and you think the world is ending. At one point in the first climb and this is really why it failed they get trapped, and I mean TRAPPED, on the side of the mountain for FOUR DAYS, as the elements made everything impossible to move. Why would anyone in their right mind do this? Negative twenty-degree weather while resting in the shade. Why does it pass “Because it’s there”? “Meru” doesn’t really go into that which would be good if it did not spend so much time focused on detail on mountain climbing. The film is burdened with interview footage, a lot of which is basically fan service how great these guys are, and how courageous they are. And I’m not arguing that they’re not, just questioning the cinematic value of such an approach. “Meru” is marketed as an incredible nature documentary, and it works best when it tries to be one.
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