Reaching the summit of Mount Everest is looked upon as one of the most exemplary feats one could ever achieve. The combination of bravery, skill and endurance needed to complete such a journey is rarely come upon. Erik Weihenmayer, however, had it all, but it was what he didn’t have that made his topping of Everest even more special: his sight.
Sabriye Tenberken, a blind educator and founder of a school for the sightless in Lhasa, Tibet, wrote a letter to Weihenmayer shortly after his triumph. Telling him how his accomplishments inspired her students, Tenberken held out hope that the adventurer would pay them a visit. What she did not expect was that Weihenmayer would not only come to her school, but also decide to lead her students on an expedition of their own.
Blindsight, the documentary from director Lucy Walker (Devil’s Playground), captures this extraordinary journey while exploring the lives of the six blind teens who join Weihenmayer on a climb up Lhakpa-Ri, a 23,000 foot peak on the side of Mount Everest. Although the film’s events are entirely factual, Blindsight has a dramatic narrative that is as emotionally investing as nearly any scripted movie out there.
Weihenmayer discovers quickly that the students joining him – Kyila, Sonam Bhumtso, Tashi Pasang, Gyenshen, Dachung and Tenzin – have no rock-climbing experience whatsoever. After some extensive training, though, the group gains confidence in their abilities and embarks on the ambitious endeavor. It is immediately evident that the trip is not going to be an easy one, as the potentially fatal risks involved are established from the beginning.
The beautiful Tibetan landscapes are captured in their full glory by the filmmakers, giving the audience a true idea of the trek’s epic scale. But Blindsight’s strongest suit is clearly the heartwarming story of these courageous people and how they use determination and unity to help them strive toward a common goal.
In addition to the happenings during the trek, Walker also delves into the back stories of the six teenage climbers. Largely rejected by Tibetan society because of their impairments, the blind are oppressed within their communities and even shunned by their own families. Stories such as Tashi’s, in which he is reunited with his parents eight years after they abandoned him, give the audience a deeper understanding of exactly who these students are and what they have had to overcome in their lives.
These segments, seamlessly inserted between the stages of the climb, make the audience fully aware that no matter what happens, simply making it to the mountain in the first place is a tremendous accomplishment. However, when some climbers are faced with the idea of being sent back prematurely, it becomes obvious that they do not want to settle for a moral victory and truly hope to see the expedition through to its conclusion.
Ultimately, the trip turns out to be so much more than a physically challenging climb. For these students, the experience is all about the bonds they form and the obstacles they overcome. Toward Blindsight’s conclusion, it, of course, is Weihenmayer who puts it best: “This is more about friendship and togetherness than about mountains.”
tfloyd1@umd.edu
Rating: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
