The Summit of the Gods (dir. Patrick Imbert), 2021

In May 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzig Norzay of Nepal became the first recorded explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Almost 30 years earlier, English explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared attempting to reach the same summit. Discovery of the bodies, and the portable camera they carried, may solve a global mystery as to whether they may have reached the summit first. In The Summit of the Gods, based on a 1990 manga series of the same name, Japanese journalist Makoto Fukamachi, receives a tip that once-notable climber Habu Joji may have found the camera and holds the undeveloped film that could finally provide answers. Fukamachi then undergoes an investigative journey to uncover Habu Joji's whereabouts. Yet, as the investigations unfolds, Fukamachi finds himself more drawn to the mystery of extreme climbing and what propels these climbers to seek new summits to conquer despite the dangers.

I had come across The Summit of the Gods while pondering my annual Oscar predictions. The likely animated feature category is a mixture of high and lows, ranging from Flee to Encanto, and I had wondered whether this domestic Netflix release may pose a surprise spoiler in snagging a nomination. From what little I had seen, the animation was stunning and the investigative journalism edge seemed engaging enough. Pleasantly, I was surprised to find this film is an underseen gem (and that perhaps Oscar buzz can, at times, lead us to valuable films regardless of ultimate recognition).

Rarely have I seen animation capture the beauty of cityscapes and landscapes in unison, further enlivening both through story and score. As Fukamachi investigates the early life of mysterious climber Habu Joji, the film weaves through urban Japan and mountain summits across the world. An equally stunning aid to the visuals is the story, which at first unfolds as an investigative piece designed to solve a real-life climbing mystery, before unraveling into an investigation into the mysteries of the human mind, our desires, and obsessions. While the narrative is less successful during an action-adventure pivot over its the last third, the concluding acts bring the story full-circle providing a uniform soundness. Though it may seem tailored for those with predetermined interests in climbing, The Summit of the Gods quite beautifully captures the universal human desires of knowing, purpose, and self-satisfaction.

Rating: 7/10