Meru
⋆⋆⋆½ out of four stars
Rating: Rated R for language.
Theater: Lagoon.
When three men, including Mankato-born filmmaker Jimmy Chin, set out to scale the Shark's Fin on Mount Meru in subzero temperatures 21,000 feet above the Ganges River, they knew they were in for the toughest climb that the Himalayas can dish out.
They didn't yet know that their trek, recorded deftly and beautifully by Chin, would include avalanches and extra challenges like a raging storm that kept them confined to their hanging cot for several days.
Whether or not mountain-climbing documentaries are your thing, "Meru" is likely to draw you in. It's as much about trust, personal goals and human bonding as battling the elements at their fiercest.
In place of the swaggering machismo you might expect from the extreme athletic and problem-solving expertise required, Chin delivers a moving story that keeps you rooting for the courageous trio even as you marvel at their perseverance.
The breathtaking footage alone is also worth the ride.
Chin captures the terrible beauty of rolling snow mid-avalanche, and jaw-dropping moments of ascending sheer walls of rock where one false step means death.
Expository commentary by well-known climber/author Jon Krakauer ("Into Thin Air") provides added context. But it is the combination of Chin's two passions — filmmaking and climbing — that make this doc soar far above average.
