The directors frame this as a pure testament to human will, focusing on the sheer audacity of skiing down the world's highest peak.
Reviewers are whispering that the documentary feels haunted, suggesting the 'tragedy' isn't just a plot point but a shadow over the entire production.
Variety published the review on September 5, 2026. The film features climber Jim Morrison and is directed by the team behind the Oscar-winning 'Free Solo'.
When the 'Free Solo' crew comes back, you expect triumph. Getting tragedy instead? Thatβs a different kind of summit.
Listen up, because the hype train has left the station and itβs dragging a body bag. The directors behind the Oscar-winning documentary "Free Solo"βthe ones who made us all hold our breath while Alex Honnold climbed El Capitan without a ropeβare back. Their new offering, "Everest: The Other Side," hits the review circuit with a headline that stops you cold: "Tainted by Tragedy." This isn't just another adventure flick; it's a follow-up to one of the most successful sports docs in history, and the stakes are higher than the mountain itself.
The film centers on present-day climber Jim Morrison (yes, the same name as the Doors legend, but don't worry, no one is doing the lizard king dance on the North Face). The review opens by referencing the famous, possibly apocryphal, quote from British mountainer George Mallory: "Because it's there." Mallory died on Everest in 1924, never knowing if he reached the summit. Morrison, however, didn't just want to climb it; he wanted to ski down it.
The Variety review asks the inevitable question: Does the same non-answer apply to someone putting their life on the line for a downhill run? The answer, apparently, is complicated. What makes this juicy for us drama-hounds is the framing.
The headline explicitly states the doc is "Tainted by Tragedy." In the world of extreme sports documentaries, tragedy is often the price of admission. We saw it with Honnold's near-misses. But here, the word "tainted" suggests something more visceral, more personal.
Is the tragedy the death of a team member? A failed summit? Or is it the existential weight of the project itself?
The review text provided is truncated, but the headline doesn't mince words. This isn't a triumphant victory lap; it's a reckoning. The "Free Solo" brand is powerful.
It sold tickets, it won awards, it made climbing cool for people who get winded walking up stairs. But audiences are fickle. If this new film is indeed "tainted," it risks alienating the very audience that loved the clean, rope-free purity of the first film.
The internet is already speculating: Did the production cut out too much? Did the tragedy overshadow the achievement? We need the full text to know for sure, but the headline alone is enough to make you wonder if the directors bit off more than they could chew. And in Everest terms, chewing too much usually means you don't come back down the same way.
