MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 12, 2024 – PASANG: IN THE SHADOW OF EVEREST
Even if you’re someone who, whenever you see a movie about people climbing Mt. Everest, can’t truly understand why anyone would want to subject themselves to that special brand of extreme-sports misery, you’ll find yourself cheering for Pasang Lhamu Sherpa as she fights to become the first Nepali woman to summit the world’s tallest peak. The compelling story of her persistence and perseverance is told in Nancy Svendsen’s absorbing documentary Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest.
Pasang was born in 1961 in a place and community centered on mountaineering, but — as a female — was expected to stay home rather than pursue the passion and work that so many male Sherpas had excelled in. But once she found love with Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa and they moved from the mountains to Kathmandu and started their own business coordinating and equipping trekkers from other countries, it wasn’t long before she wanted to try climbing herself. She successfully made it to the top of Mount Blanc, Mount Yalapic, and more, but Everest eluded her: Three attempts all fell short of the final summit.
Svendsen builds suspense in telling the story of Pasang’s journey toward her fourth and final expedition, interviewing family members, veteran climbers, and mountaineering experts and intercutting them with vintage footage of Pasang from the 1980s and early ’90s. She comes across as a vibrant, energetic woman who wouldn’t let social convention stop her from pursuing her dreams. It’s fascinating to see her evolution from a traditionally clad Nepali woman tagging along on a trek to an experienced climber decked out in the brightest cold-weather gear the late ’80s had to offer.
Ultimately, the picture that emerges is that of a fiercely determined trailblazer who knew that even if she wasn’t the fastest or most nimble mountaineer, her achievements would mean something, both to the Sherpa people and to the world. And in telling Pasang’s story, Svendsen draws respectful, important attention to the Sherpas — an identifier that has often been interpreted as a job description but is really a distinct ethnic group with a proud history of ascending to the world’s most dizzying heights. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Pam Grady: Pasang Lhamu Sherpa was born for one kind of life: an arranged marriage and a domestic existence in her tiny home village. But she had other ideas, starting a business with her husband in Kathmandu and becoming a world-class mountain climber, like so many of her fellow Nepalese. But while those climbers, all men, worked as guides shepherding professional climbers and wealthy mountaineering tourists up the world’s highest peak, Pasang made it a personal goal to become the first Nepalese woman to conquer the summit. Nancy Svendsen’s documentary widens her lens beyond one extraordinary life to place Pasang in context of not just the social mores she grew up with but also the politics roiling her country during a time of rapid change. The figure that emerges out of this tapestry is a fiercely independent woman, an ambitious elite athlete, an entrepreneur, a wife, a mother, and a role model for anyone who aspires to a larger existence than society would assign. It is an exhilarating and poignant portrait of an individual who refused limitations as she determined her own path through her time on Earth.
Sherin Nicole Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest features landscapes beautiful enough to stop your heart. What starts it again is the legend of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa—her dream, her verve in writing her name on the pages of history, and how she kicked ‘backing down’ in the shins. The documentarian, Nancy Svendsen follows Pasang’s daughter, Dawa Futi Sherpa, as she searches for a deeper understanding of her mother’s goal to climb Everest and how that passion made Pasang a symbol of Nepalese pride. The film is gorgeous but also personal; for the family but also for women who still bear the burden and the fulfillment of being “the first woman who…”
Leslie Combemale Being a hero isn’t just about being an extraordinary person, but being a normal person doing something extraordinary. Nancy Svendsen’s documentary on Pasang Lhasa Sherpa’s experience really captures one woman’s choice to do something so extraordinary that the positive reverberations continue to this day. The archival footage and interviews of Pasang, as well as the recent interviews of her family, friends, and colleagues done for the film show how much one person’s bravery and determination can impact society. Pasang was a true feminist, in that she believed in the importance of equality for women, and it is a belief she embodied in her every decision. Viewers of Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest don’t have to climb Mt. Everest to find inspiration in the film.
Jennifer Merin Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest takes us to Nepal where we follow Pasang Lhamu Sherpa’s path to fulfillment as the first Nepalese woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Nancy Svendsen’s documentary is both a tribute to and memorial for the beloved Pasang, who died during her descent from summiting, Pasang defied traditional culture in order to pursue her dream to become a mountain guide. We also learn that the traditional culture of the Sherpa, a mountain people whose ethnic identifier has become synonymous with mountain guide, is insistent that women stay at home. Read full review.
Sandie Angulo Chen: There’s something irresistible about documentaries about mountaineering, particularly Mt. Everest. Usually in those films, Sherpas are the much-praised (literal) supporting characters, and women are usually on Base Camp or back home, encouraging their husbands and partners from afar. Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest stands out because it’s about a Sherpa woman, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, who decided in 1990 that she would become the first Nepalese woman to summit Mt. Everest. Despite multiple obstacles (starting with the fact that unlike her husband, who led expeditions up the mountains for their family business, she was not an experienced climber), Pasang dedicated herself to her mission, even though it took her four attempts to make her dream come true. Directed and produced by Nancy Svendsen with a crew of mostly women — including co-editor Sari Gilman and director of photography Martina Radwan — the documentary is a stirring tribute to a woman whose name deserves to be better known.
Loren King What an illuminating introduction to Pasang Lhasa Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1993. Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest is an inspirational, against-the-odds documentary that gives an unsung hero her due. But director Nancy Svendsen also crafts a fascinating look at the cultural and political climate of Nepal at the time. Women were second class citizens. Although women from India, France and Britain were among the adventurous climbers making the daring trek up and down Everest, (aided by Sherpa, the native ethnic minority in Nepal), Nepali women did not have the resources, institutional backing or financial support to do so. That’s what makes the story of Pasang’s quest so captivating and moving. Read full review.
Nikki Fowler: Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest is a fascinating and inspirational documentary about the power of one woman to challenge racism and sexism and achieve the status of becoming the first Nepalese woman to climb Mt. Everest. In a sea of privilege, foreigners are financially sponsored to make attempt after attempt and fail. with massive casualties to Sherpas, local climbing guides from Nepal who risk it all to help mostly foreign men make the climb year after year. Read full review.
Liz Whittemore Fearless and feminist, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa’s relentless determination carved a path for Nepalese women as the first woman in her nation to summit the world’s highest and most dangerous peak. Through years of pushback and failed attempts, Pasang’s passion is crystal clear in Nancy Svendsen’s documentary. Told through archival footage, stunning cinematography by Martina Radwan, and the endearing words of those who knew her best, Pasang: In The Shadow of Everest is an inspiring film about firsts and faith in oneself.
Cate Marquis Nancy Svendsen’s inspiring, moving documentary Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest tells the story of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit Everest. A Sherpa summiting Everest may not sound so remarkable, as Sherpas and Everest are forever linked, but it is only Sherpa men who climb mountains and guide expeditions. In their traditional mountain culture, women did not climb. But Pasang was no ordinary Sherpa woman, but rather a woman of enormous will and a rule-breaker from the start, who fell in love with mountain climbing. The documentary interviews several climbers who knew her and her family members, and includes archival footage and stills of Pasang, as it tells her story, including the discrimination she faced in the first of her three unsuccessful attempts to top Everest, before she finally summited it in 1993, which made her a Nepalese national hero and an inspiration Nepalese women to this day.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest
Director: Nancy Svendsen
Release Date: January 19, 2024
Running Time: 72 minutes
Language: English and Nepalese with English subtitles
Screenwriters: John Dilly, Sara Gilman, Adam Keker (documentary)
Distribution Company: Slice of Pie
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Nikki Fowler, Pam Grady, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
Other Movies Opening This Week
Edited by Jennifer Merin
