Reviews

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  ★★★★ review by Eli Hayes on Letterboxd

  The foolishly fantastic 
  
  power of passion, the 
  
  dangers of dreaming.

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  ★★★★½ review by Jared on Letterboxd

  There's something inexplicably profound about these guys and their apparent need to climb mountains. I've seen probably four or five of these types of movies and each time; I come away with the same question. Why is this particular display of arrogance and needless risk so full of rich truths and awe-inspiring revelations? Meru specifically follows three men of varying levels of experience as they seek to triumph over the legendarily difficult and dangerous Meru mountain. Two attempts are made, in between which we see the enormous adversity each climber has encountered. Whether it be horrific injury, past traumas or seemingly miraculous near-death experiences; we see how close these men live to death every day. It's easy to scoff at their struggles and merely assert that maybe they should just quit the climbing business; but what Meru kinda-sorta proposes is that it's not really a choice. Recklessness is sort of built in to humanity on some level; and it's expressed in each of us differently. For these guys, it's the experience of overcoming enormous odds and "conquering" a peak. Whether it be a promise to an old friend, a rapid recovery from a horrific injury or a simple existential issue of identity and purpose; these guys find some sort of answer or validation when they reach that peak. My all-time favorite documentary, >Man on Wire functions similarly to Meru. It's just a beautiful film.

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  ★★★★ review by Kyle Faber on Letterboxd

  Scavenger Hunt #12
  
  Film #8
  
  Task #17: A documentary film about a subject you don't have much interest in

  "Jimmy & Conrad have climbed Everest four or five times. Jimmy even skied off of the top. But Meru is the anti-Everest."
  
  -Jon Krakauer

  Meru tells the story of three men - Conrad Anker, Renan Ozturk, & co-director Jimmy Chin - as they attempt to reach the summit of Mount Meru, one of the most dangerous peaks of the Himalayan Mountains.

  This is one of those documentaries that is great because of content instead of form. The at home shots are very cliche, with tracking shots done with DSLRs on sliders abound. The great thing about this movie technically is how much footage was shot. Extraneous conversations, accidents completely separate from the Meru climb, * climbs made a decade before Meru are all fully documented for thee talking heads to refer to. The climbs are also a sight to behold.

  But this isn't a movie people watch for the technical aspects anyway. This is about the human spirit. This is a film about three men doing everything in their power to overcome the dangers of their craft to achieve their goal. And it's one of the most inspiring documentaries I've ever seen.

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  ★★★★½ review by Jason Alley on Letterboxd

  An absolutely stunning documentary about the expedition undertaken by a tight crew of three mountain climbers attempting to reach the top of the notoriously dangerous Mount Meru (while filming the whole thing!), how MERU didn't snag an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary is beyond me. It is thrilling, gripping, emotionally powerful, visually spectacular, and it certainly doesn't wear out its welcome at a swift 90 minutes.

  It makes me angry that I saw the lame, forgettable EVEREST on a big screen last year, and not this instead.

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  ★★★½ review by Cully❄️ on Letterboxd

  Okay but I can’t even get to the second step of the attic ladder without my fear of heights kicking in

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