MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 2, 2024: MOUNTAIN QUEEN: THE SUMMITS OF LHAKPA SHERPA
Following the trail blazed by Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, who in 1993 became the first Nepali woman to summit Mt. Everest, Lhakpa Sherpa has now repeated that achievement 10 times over — and she’s not done climbing yet. Filmmaker Lucy Walker tells Lhakpa’s story in the fascinating, inspiring documentary Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, following her ups and downs (both literally and figuratively) as she returns over and over to the mountain that she loves.
Born in 1973, Lhakpa grew up in a tiny Nepalese village, with Everest a constant presence in her life. From her earliest days, she remembers the mountain calling to her, and she dreamed of ascending its cloudy heights. Because women weren’t allowed to be porters, she cut her hair and passed as a boy, learning what it took to get up to Base Camp and beyond. And eventually, she managed to lead an expedition herself, summiting for the first time in 2000, then repeating the feat nearly every year from then until 2006. During that same time period, she met and began a relationship with Romanian climber Gheorghe Dijmărescu, who brought her to the United States and was the father to her two daughters (she also has a son, born before she met Dijmărescu).
Mountain Queen weaves the details of Lhakpa’s mountaineering achievements together with the tumultuous history of her relationship with Gheorghe. After his initial pursuit and wooing of her and their early, exciting adventures on Everest, he came to both resent her abilities and take her for granted, belittling and abusing her. Trapped in Connecticut with two small children and very few resources, Lhakpa did whatever she had to to get by, returning to Nepal and Everest when she could and never letting Gheorghe’s treatment of her stifle her dreams for very long.
While Lhakpa’s mountaineering accomplishments are undeniably impressive, what will likely linger with viewers longest after watching Mountain Queen is her indefatigable spirit. Spunky, outspoken, and brash, she always seems to be able to keep going in the face of adversity. As she shares her story — and her love of Everest — with both viewers and her teen daughters, the grit and determination that drive her become as clear as the world’s tallest peak on a sunny day. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Sherin Nicole Mountain Queen chronicles the literal and spiritual climbs of Lhakpa Sherpa, an Everest-conquering mountaineer and single mom. A woman who defies the odds and the men who seek to dominate her. Directed by Lucy Walker, he documentary whisks us from Nepal’s majestic peaks to the hustle of immigrant life in Connecticut and back, capturing Sherpa’s record-shattering tenth ascent of Everest. Interweaving perspectives from Lhakpa and her daughter Sunny—while handling abuse with gentle candor—this doc makes us feel like we’re on the inside. As though we’re sitting within Lhakpa’s circle. Emotional and edifying, Mountain Queen is the ballad of a fierce and compassionate woman; one the world now knows is unstoppable.
Loren King Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa is a stellar companion piece to the inspiring documentary Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest. That film likely introduced many viewers to Pasang Lhasa Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1993. Pasang blazed a trail to the mountaintop for Lhakpa Sherpa, the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest and survive. Director Lucy Walker’s magnificent film recounts the many times that Lhakpa Sherpa accomplished that feat since 2000. Read full review.
Nikki Fowler: Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa Is a story of pure strength and a woman who endured not only the danger and risk of her history making climbs, but a life riddled with horrific physical and emotional abuse by the father of her children and sometimes climbing partner. Even when all was said and done and she finally received justice for the life altering abuse at his hands, Lhakpa was still telling him to fight for his life when he was diagnosed with cancer, yet ultimately dies. You can tell the character of a person who has the grit, love and forgiveness that Lhakpa represents. Mountain Queen is an awe inspiring look at the life of a woman who survived adversity, broke records in the most successful Mount Everest climbs and fiercely protected her children — all from 29,000 feet.
Leslie Combemale As someone who enjoyed Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest, about the first woman to summit the famed mountain but died before coming back down, Mountain Queen is fascinating. That’s not only because Lhakpa Sherpa herself was inspired by Pasang as a young climber, but because both films also highlight the women as individuals. Despite extreme personal challenges Lhakpa pursued her dreams. She overcame not only what seemed like incessant mansplaining from male climbers and fellow sherpa, but abuse and gaslighting from the father of her children and fellow mountaineer. Through it all, she shows herself a badass, eternally optimistic, and determined. She is an inspiring reminder that if we can dream it, persevere, and work hard, we can do it, and that goes for any interests, not just climbing Everest. Exciting, compelling, and uplifting, anyone looking for a dose of inspiration should watch Mountain Queen.
Jennifer Merin In Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, documentary filmmaker Lucy Walker follows the daring and determined Nepalese Lhakpa to the summit of Mount Everest, chronicling the expert climber’s record as the woman who has had the greatest number of successful ascents to the summit — earning her the honorific nickname ‘Mountain Queen.’ Lhakpa has shattered the Himalayan glass ceiling ten times!!! Walker also delves into Lhakpa’s personal history and circumstances, revealing the hardships she’s faced while trying to practice a highly skilled profession that is traditionally reserved exclusively for and dominated by men. In 2002, Lhakpa married Romanian climber George Dijmarescu and immigrated to the United States, but the relationship became abusive and she left the marriage, taking her two now teenage daughters, named Shiny and Sunny, with her. When she was not on an Everest expedition, she supported herself and her daughters by working in a Whole Foods store in West Hartford, Connecticut. She confides that the Whole Foods job made her feel like she was in jail! Lhakpa’s story is fascinating. She is a charming and charismatic character, and you can’t help but root for her. And, the documentary’s production values are extraordinary, especially the cinematography by Matthew Irving, Aaron Phillips and Devin Whetstone which makes you feel like you are climbing with Lhakpa — so, if you are afraid of heights or have a tendency towards vertigo, anchor yourself well before watching!
Sandie Angulo Chen: Mountain Queen is a fabulous, feminist documentary about Lhakpa Sherpa, the woman Sherpa with the most Everest summits. The film, directed by Lucy Walker, chronicles Lhakpa, a magnetic mountain climber with a record-number of ascents. Her backstory isn’t a happy one, including a prolonged familial estrangement and an abusive marriage. Despite all the personal and financial challenges, Lhakpa, a mother of three, is compelled to return to Everest again and again as a guide, eventually summiting the highest peak on earth. An uplifting film about the power of a small but fierce woman’s drive to greatness, for herself, her daughters, and all womankind.
Liz Whittemore A life filled with strife, fame, love, and pain, Lhapka Sherpa has nothing and everything to prove. With nine successful summits of Mount Everest, one final attempt is not merely another record for this incredible woman but a chance to have her story understood in full. The film utilizes interviews from 2000 onward, tracing Lhakpa’s professional, personal, and emotional journey for years. The cinematography is breathtaking, no pun intended. The editing is a feat of its own. Juxtaposed with Lhakpa’s memories are her daughter Sunny’s recollections of a fear-filled childhood. With her youngest daughter Shiny by her side in Nepal, we slowly delve into her dark history with the girls’ father, George. The complex tornado of generational trauma unfolds alongside Lhakpa’s numerous record-breaking climbs. The doc is a perfect companion watch to the 2022 film Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest. Lhakpa’s spiritual connection to Pasang Llamu makes so much sense. Both women were told they could not become Sherpa climbers or guides, but defied the odds. Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa is a triumphant reclamation of power and catharsis for an inspirational woman
Cate Marquis Lucy Walker’s documentary Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa is the astounding story of a remarkable woman like no other, who truly is the queen of the mountain – the mountain being Mount Everest. Lhakpa Sherpa not only holds the record for the woman who has summitted Everest the greatest number of times – ten – but also was the first Nepalese woman to summit Everest, while she was in her 20s. A few years later, she set the record for most summits of Everest by a woman and she has been topping her own record ever since. You’d expect a documentary about a woman who summitted Everest ten times to focus on her struggles in climbing the mountain but mountain climbing to her is not a struggle but a joy. Lhakpa Sherpa seems to have been born to do this, a woman of incredible strength, drive and good humor, who finds joy in climbing the mountain she loves. Where her struggles lie are off the mountain – including overcoming Sherpa cultural barriers to women climbing mountains, coping with an difficult marriage, and caring for her children. What drives her on, is even her escape, is climbing her mountain. This jaw-dropping documentary covers Lhakpa Sherpa’s life on and off the mountain she loves, in an inspiring story that will leave you wondering “how is this incredible woman not more world famous?” Maybe now she will be.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Director: Lucy Walker
Release Date: July 21, 2024
Running Time: 105 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Documentary
Distribution Company: Netflix
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
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Edited by Jennifer Merin
