How Oscar-Winning Directors of Free Solo Confronted Tragedy and Filmmaking on Everest’s Other Side
A shift in the story
Vasarhelyi and Chin have made films about people testing their physical and spiritual limits. Their work includes Free Solo, Meru and Nyad, which follows a swim across the Straits of Florida.
For Everest: The Other Side, they also had to confront the consequences of portraying dangerous pursuits. The project led them to question their own role as filmmakers.
A shared Everest ambition
Before the pandemic, the directors planned a film about mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson. The pair fell in love and set out to climb Everest’s North Face, then ski down it.
The documentary follows their romance and the early part of the climb. Vasarhelyi was drawn to Nelson, whose approach differed from that of many male subjects in the directors’ earlier nonfiction films.
Reconsidering the film
The camera crew recorded Nelson dying in an avalanche during the ascent. Her death prompted questions about whether the directors should continue and what the film should become.
Vasarhelyi said the filmmakers had to move from a story they had wanted to tell to one that felt more personal and difficult. She spoke at a live post-screening question-and-answer session at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
Key points
- Everest: The Other Side began as a documentary about Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson’s climbing goal.
- The crew recorded Nelson dying in an avalanche during the ascent.
- Her death led the directors to reconsider the project and its purpose.
- Vasarhelyi discussed the film’s difficult shift at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.