As much as people love to gush over the next new superhero flick when they’re released, movie goers everywhere dazzled by how real Hollywood can make things look, there does exist a small microcosm of human beings that are able to perform real superhuman feats. In reality, most of what’s shown on television or in the media has little to no truth in it. Once in a while however, someone comes along and shocks the world with their ability to do the impossible. Nimsdai Purja is living proof. So much so in fact, that Netflix granted him his own special.
Nimsdai is a Nepalese mountain climber who has dared to do what no one ever has. His journey is documented in Netflix’s 14 Peaks:
Nimsdai is a Nepalese mountain climber who has dared to do what no one ever has. His journey is documented in Netflix’s 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, wherein the fearless climber makes the bold attempt to scale every existing mountain of which stands above eight thousand meters within record time. Nimsdai is aware, as most mountain climbers are, that the record for doing this previously took about seven years with the first to ever do it having taken as long as sixteen years. Against all odds, he believes he can set a record the likes of which would probably never be broken. His goal? Seven months.
This documentary is not unlike most documentaries, right up until the point where it is. Director Torquil Jones gives audiences near limitless access into the expeditions that take place, involving not just Nimsdai, but also his companions and some of his relatives as well. Interviews with family, friends, and other climbers give great insight to Nimsdai’s mission and his unfailing will to try what’s never been achieved. Jones also explores Nimsdai’s personal life and upbringing, offering the audience a look into what led him to mountain climbing and his thirst to test his limits in proving himself to the world. If that weren’t all enough to get viewers interested, then there’s the footage of the mountains. Combining cell phone clips, go pros, and drones, 14 Peaks provides incredible visuals of the peaks. The aerial shots are so crisp that if feels like being there in real time, as opposed to watching it on a screen. The up close footage of the expeditions themselves make the documentary more intimate and less formal. The emotions of everyone involved are captured as they happen, reminding those watching that this is not a movie. This is real life.
If it hasn’t yet sunk in, just know, the bar has been set pretty high for a documentary after this one. Torquil Jones perhaps was the fortunate one, as getting the opportunity to direct something like this, while not easy, is nothing short of a privilege. Although, it’s Nimsdai Purja that makes this a worthy watch. Anyone can “direct” a project nowadays. Just understand though, as it can’t be understated: Nimsdai had to DO this. He couldn’t fake it, he couldn’t embellish it, and he didn’t try. His experience is real, and now, others can enjoy it from their couch.
