Film Review: "Race to the Summit" ("Duell am Abgrund") (2023).

From Netflix and Germany comes Race to the Summit (Duell am Abgrund). This Germany documentary film directed by Nicholas de Taranto and Götz Werner. Fearless alpine climbers Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold enter into a daring rivalry to set speed records on the great north faces of the Alps.

On October 4, 1976, the Swiss rock climber and alpinist, Ueli Steck, was born. He was the first to climb Annapurna solo via its South Face (though this is disputed by some), and set speed records on the North Face trilogy in the Alps. In 2009 and 2014, he won two Piolet d'Or awards. Having previously summitted Mount Everest, Steck died on April 30, 2017 after falling during an acclimatizing climb for an attempt on the Hornbein route on the West Ridge of Everest without supplemental oxygen.

On February 22, 1984, Swiss extreme mountaineer, Dani Arnold, was born. He is famous for his fast climbs, holding speed records on several routes including the Matterhorn in Switzerland and the Cima Grande di Lavaredo in Italy.

Sometimes, a blur is the best way to convey the mechanics of motion. Sometimes, physical momentum is the only way to express emotional stillness. The best outdoor documentaries can thrill you like you've been on the mountain yourself, without having to leave the comfort of your own couch, and the film does just that. The film shows us the teamwork, the dedication, the national pride, the astonishing vistas, and the reason that Steck and Arnold deserve to be as renowned as Sir Edmund Hillary, maybe more. This is an unforgettable documentary about a free-spirited nonconformist who lived his life to its fullest while engaged in the extreme dangers of free solo mountain climbing. It's an intriguing insight into a particular kind of obsessive drive, and a portrait of a man who, as one of his contemporaries remarked, feels almost too comfortable on the side of a mountain. By raising questions not only about our fascination with these climbers, but also about their pursuit of life-threatening challenges, the film reaches new heights. Steck and Arnold's stories go in a slightly different, somewhat unexpected direction. The film-makers' enthusiasm for their clarity of purpose is all well and good, but it does leave the film prone to hyperbole. The film is an interesting balancing act between giving the subject the space he requires and capturing some of the boldest climbs in history. The filmmaker clearly finds catharsis in telling his own story, but moviegoers will discover value, too, in this poignant glimpse into the allure of danger, and the grief that can be left behind. If there's a bit of slick corporate impersonality to the Netflix packaging, the content remains involving, and the swift editorial pace has no lulls to risk losing viewer attention. When de Taranto and Werner used a camera to capture Steck and Arnold's remarkable feats, there's something poetic about them employing it once more for what seems impossible.

Simon says Race to the Summit (Duell am Abgrund) receives: