Shadows on the Wall

Tenzing

dir Jennifer Peedom
scr Luke Davies
prd Liz Watts, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Jennifer Peedom, Luke Davies
with Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe, Caitriona Balfe, Tenzin Dalha, Samdrup Dorje Lama, Thinley Lhamo, Johnny Flynn, Tenzin Jigmey, Thomas M Wright, Harry Greenwood, Tom Dawson
release US 9.Oct.26,
Aus/UK 16.Oct.26
26/Australia 2h08

TORONTO FILM FEST

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For her first narrative feature, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Peedom adeptly deploys actual newsreel footage to set up a biopic about the Sherpa who led the first summit of Everest. It's skilfully shot by Stefan Duscio in spectacular locations (seamlessly mixing Nepal and New Zealand), while Luke Davies' script finds surprising depths. It helps that the characters are vivid and engaging, pulling us into a cleverly constructed multi-strand narrative.

Herding yaks on the Tibetan Plateau in the 1920s, young Tenzing Norgay (Lama) first encounters foreigners as a child in the 1924 when George Mallory (Flynn) attempts to climb Chomolungma, also known as Mount Everest. As a young man (now Dalha) now living in Nepal, Tenzing and his wife Dawa (Lhamo) move to India, where he manages to break into the closed world of the Sherpa. After accompanying several expeditions, the now experienced Tenzing (now Phuntsok) leads the 1953 British team organised by John Hunt (Dafoe). And he befriends observant Kiwi climber Edmund Hillary (Hiddleston).

It's shocking to see the Sherpas, without whom none of this could happen, being treated almost like subhuman labourers. "We are paid to carry," one says, "while they pretend to be heroes." As a member of the prestigious climbing group, Tenzing struggles to maintain camaraderie with Sherpas who see him as an outsider. Performances are earthy and real, peppered with terrific moments of interaction that highlight these kinds of underlying themes.

Tenzing's momentous life story is intercut with the 1953 expedition, providing a glimpse of how he grew up as a foreigner. This offers strong scenes for all three actors playing the role: Lama is magnetic as the hopeful child, Dalha shines as the charming romantic, and Phuntsok brings these together as a thoughtful man who carries his past with him. Hiddleston is excellent, creating a strong bond between them. And Dafoe is superbly nuanced, as is Balfe as the expedition's administrator.

As a child, Tenzing sees Chomolungma as his mountain, as if it's always been his destiny. A monk comments that the mountain is calling him home. During the ascent, Tenzing observes that the British attitude of conquering nature is a problem; for a Sherpa, climbing is about seeking to better know a sacred place. He is also driven by his two daughters and the memory of his late wife, who believed in him and in their future. So the gruelling final push to the top is thrilling and also moving.

themes, language, suspense 2.Oct.26

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