High Ground

An engrossing award-winning documentary, High Ground reminds viewers that in addition to the thousands of deaths of American military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade, hundreds of thousands of soldiers have sustained brain injuries, lost limbs, suffered burns, and continue to struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. Here, 11 veterans who survived terrible injuries in battle decide to face their pain and demons by climbing the 20,000-foot Himalayan giant Mount Lobuche. Led by blind guide Erik Weihenmayer and other summiteers, the climbers turn to one another for support and collective courage while traveling to Nepal and slowly scaling Lobuche's sheer peak with far more than the usual hindrances. Along the way, filmmaker Michael Brown interweaves the climbers' personal stories, revealing the source of each survivor's disability (including blindness and amputation), while also touching on the residual pain, trauma, and sometimes guilt that everyone feels. Among the climbing party is a former combat diver who took the brunt of an underwater explosion; a soldier who watched as a rocket-propelled grenade came towards him but was powerless to protect himself; and the mother of a soldier who died heroically. Wonderful moments occur when these men and women share with one another, and there is much to enjoy in scenes set in a monastery and later at a base camp where joyous rituals take place. A powerful, inspirational film, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)