The Quest: Nepal
One of the most vivid, and extraordinary, experiences I’ve ever had as a filmgoer remains the 1998 IMAX documentary, “Everest,” which helped chronicle the 1996 tragedy of a climbing expedition to the summit of Everest, as well as taking us on the journey to the top of the highest peak on Earth like no one had before. Needless to say, that’s quite a standard to set for someone for anyone else who chronicles Everest afterwards.
For director Alex Harz, climbing Everest has been a dream since childhood. We all have those types of dreams as children; that he managed to make his a reality is admirable, and in doing so in “The Quest: Nepal,” he takes us on a travelogue journey through Nepal, the history, the culture, before he makes his climb. I think any story that involves doing something relatively few in the world have ever done is worth telling- the question is whether Harz does justice to his own story.
Ironically, I think the biggest point of interest to me in “The Quest: Nepal,” part of a series of documentaries by Harz, is also the film’s biggest weakness when it comes to Harz’s personal journey. Outside of my honeymoon in the Bahamas, I’ve never left the United States, so- until I can afford to do so, documentaries such as this are one of my main ways to see the world, and to learn about other cultures. In particular, the countries of Nepal, Tibet, and Buddhist cultures fascinate me. The union of the spiritual and physical in terms of man and nature is something I remember vividly feeling when we would go to Philmont Scout Ranch when I was young, and cinematic experiences such as “Everest” helped instill that in me further as I started to form my own views of the world. When Harz is taking us through Nepal before making his trek up Everest, it’s insightful and engaging to this side of me. Unfortunately, it also feels as though it throws the balance off of Harz’s story, his own spiritual journey. I don’t really feel that need from him to accomplish this great feat out of the film. For a film about something deeply personal the filmmaker is trying to do, it doesn’t really feel personal- it feels like a filmmaker touring an area for our benefit, not theirs. I’m grateful for the journey they take me on; I wish it had felt as much about theirs, as well.
