Everest: The Other Side, 2026.
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
SYNOPSIS:
An intimate portrait of two people bound by love, ambition, and the pursuit of the impossible. Elite ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson fell deeply in love while reaching the pinnacle of their sport: Everest’s north face.
Free Solo was a huge hit on release in 2018 for directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, earning the pair the Oscar for best Documentary Feature. Subsequent films, particularly 2021’s The Rescue have also proven successes, the pair charting extreme feats of human endurance like few others. Their latest film Everest: The Other Side follows couple Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they seek to become the first climbers to scale the north face of Everest and ski back the same route. Purely from the description its enough to send a chill down your spine. To put the scale of the task into context, the south face is the usual route climbers and sherpas take up, at the point the documentary was made, there had only been five successful attempts to climb the north face, let alone ski back down.
As you might guess Jim and Hilaree are determined to achieve their aim no matter the cost. What you think is going to be one kind of film, quickly becomes something different altogether as Hilaree passed away in 2022 during one of their attempts. The film then becomes more about Jim’s attempts to immortalise her legacy by achieving the feat they sought to make together. The mountain and mother nature have other ideas, hurling obstacles at every attempt to make this most difficult of climbs and descents.
As with the duos previous films, the visuals are what truly make this film soar. The awe and spectacle of Everest caught like it rarely has been before, making this attempted endurance feat even more inspiring (and terrifying). On the big screen it makes for at times uncomfortable viewing as we witness the effect of landslides on the crew. The descent attempts in particular are both jaw dropping and petrifying in equal measure.
Everest: The Other Side is a reflection of Jim Morrison’s determined spirit and his efforts to honour Hilaree and his other deceased family members. It is awe-inspiring, frightening look at his and the crew psyche and their dogged determination to overcome a multitude of hurdles thrown their way. It may not always be the most comfortable viewing but the grandeur and scale of Everest is a true marvel and the footage of the climb and descent attempts is some of the best ever put to film. It further cements the pair as two of the best documentary filmmakers working today.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
