The film Meru tells the story of how Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk make the first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru. Throughout the film Jon Krakauer narrates the climb to be understood for any audience. He also explains the history of the mountain and where the desire of climbing Meru came from. To make the first ascent of the Shark’s Fin was a dream of Mugs Stump – Conrad’s mentor and good friend. This was Mug’s dream, but after his death, the dream got passed on to Conrad. Conrad attempted the ascent in 2003, but was forced to go down due to weather. Unlike how most Himalayan expeditions rely on Sherpas and large crews to distribute the load of equipment, this expedition is limited to three climbers, carrying and hauling a total of 200 pounds of gear. On top of all the challenges Jimmy and Renan are also filming the climb as well. This requires more focus and energy than other climbs. Also, Meru is not just a walk up Everest; the Shark’s Fin has seen a history of failed attempts. It covers the full spectrum of climbing, from mixed ice and rock to big wall climbing above 20,000 feet. The climb is extremely technical and risky, but Conrad, Jimmy, and Renan show that they have the patience, experience, and personality to make the first ascent possible. The film shows trust, friendship, slight obsession, and what climbing is about.

The first attempt left Conrad, Jimmy, and Renan meters from the summit – so close you could throw a rock to it. If they continued to the summit that day, it would have required them to spend the night out exposed with the possibility of never making it back down. After being stuck in their portaledge for days eating all their food and already drawing the line of risk too many times during the expedition, they decided to go down. Three years later Conrad, Jimmy, and Renan return to Meru, but this film really speaks showing their lives between the first and second expedition.

The film is not just a documentary on climbing a mountain. The shots between the climbs also show their motivations on and off the mountain that make the ascent of the Shark’s Fin a story rather than an action film. Most books we have read in class talk about conquering the mountain, but Conrad, Jimmy, and Renan show that climbing is more than that. After the first attempt in 2008, Jimmy and Renan found themselves in major accidents. Renan was seriously injured in a skiing accident and Jimmy was caught in an avalanche that shook him up and left him hidden for weeks. With Renan being physically injured and Jimmy reflecting on the fact that he should have been dead, it only made the desire to summit the Shark’s Fin stronger. These two accidents also made the team stronger; it gave them the bond and motivation to make the second ascent possible but this time with a lot more risk.

Krakauer could not understand why Conrad had allowed Renan to go on the expedition again. He said this was not like Conrad, and the decision could cost them the summit or even worse. Krakauer considered this unacceptable risk that Conrad was not known for. Conrad’s wife also thought he was insane to even consider bringing Renan along in his condition. But to Conrad, even knowing that Renan could jeopardize them reaching the summit, kept the team together for this expedition because the relationship was worth more than the summit. For Renan, after his accident he was determined to train and recover for now the only thing he wanted.

Another huge theme that this film shows is the mentorship in climbing. Climbing technique is something that is adopted, refined, and passed on, much like a craft. Without a great mentor in climbing you can never really push what has happened before you. With a mentorship also come a bond of trust with you and your climbing partner. Conrad was Jimmy’s mentor, and even though this was Conrad’s dream for ten years, he gave the last lead to the summit to Jimmy. In the film Renan says that putting all your trust into your mentor can be a dangerous thing. And Jimmy only doing a few expeditions with Renan, trusted Conrad’s decision to bring Renan along. A mentorship in climbing is a very unique bond in the climbing community and Meru does a great job to share what that experience is like.

Having Renan and Jimmy who are experienced climbers and also experienced in film and photography really captures the soul of this film and climbing. They know the aspects of climbing and what the audience should recognize to know the value of climbing. The question of why people choose to climb is a hard question to answer in words, but you get a sense of the reason from watching this film. Meru shows how climbing is not just a sport, but a craft. It also brings up the misconceptions about climbing that most Hollywood adventure films too often show. After watching most climbing films the audience steps out of the theater thinking climbing is this aggressive adrenaline sport filled with meaningless thrills lasting a few seconds. Meru shows what climbing is really about, and how the craft is mechanical. Climbing involves precise calculations, the experience of judgment, the trust and bond between climbing partners, and risk management as all day activities. The film also humanizes mountaineers, it shows the fears, emotions, and the lives they have on and off the mountain.

Meru has the ability to speak to a wide audience, from non-climbers to professional climbers. It has captured what mountaineering films should be and portrays the systems involved in climbing. It is not only a turning point in climbing, but a turning point in mountaineering films. It will push the sport of climbing and inspire climbers to document whatever the next leap in the climbing world is. Future climbing documentaries should use Meru as a blueprint to capture the people in the climbing community rather than the aspects that most Hollywood action films create which speaks misconceptions in the climbing world.