Title: Nordwand (North Face)
Rating (out of 100): 60
Mood: contemplative, sad, introspective
Timeout / Culture Critic: http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/86376/north-face.html / http://www.culturecritic.co.uk/cinema/north-face/
(German, with subtitles): Set in the historical context of a Germany ruled by Hitler, and based on real-life events, the movie focuses on the attempts of several climbers to conquer the north face of the Eiger - one of the most difficult (and previously unclimbed) parts of the mountain. The movie also examines the sacrifices (personal, professional) that people make in the fight for glory, whether it is the climbers, or a journalist or a photojournalist in the making. Overall, the movie is beautiful showing vast expansive mountain ranges that take your breath away. There are even some comedic moments in the early part, but the movie really takes off with the start of the actual climb. That is where you see the personal struggle within each person about what they want to achieve in life and what sacrifices they are willing to make. Overall, the movie was relatively interesting and engaging. I thought the additional element of the film (the journalist and photojournalist in the making) added to the story, rather than detracted from it. But for some reason, I couldn’t get so emotionally invested in the film. Somehow, I felt as if the audience was being kept at a distance. Without giving too much away, the movie was a bit of a downer despite the attempt to create a happy ending. All in all a decent movie, but not one of the best I’ve seen of this genre. For a mountain-type movie, some of the other movies that have been release in the past were much more beautiful.
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