Meru

The aptly named Shark's Fin of Meru Peak in the Himalayas pierces the sky and culminates in a slick, vertical 1,500-foot wall with a tip so tiny that it barely accommodates a single climber. At 20,700 feet, Meru is considered the anti-Everest, towering high above the sacred Ganges River in Northern India; here there are no sherpas setting ropes, carrying gear, and escorting thrill-seeking tourists. Three courageous American mountaineers tackled Meru's challenge not once but twice. In October 2008, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk embarked on a seven-day trek that disintegrated into a harrowing, 20-day ordeal. Within sight of the summit, they were forced to turn back. In September 2011, the team reassembled to climb arduous Meru again—lugging 200 pounds of equipment, including digital cameras—encountering blizzards and avalanches, as well as frostbite and trench foot, while camping in a small tent clinging to the side of the mountain. Reminiscent of Kevin Macdonald's Touching the Void, Jimmy Chin and his wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's documentary Meru features interviews with the climbers and their loved ones, along with insightful commentary from Into Thin Air author Jon Krakauer, who describes Meru's location as “the point where heaven and earth and hell all come together.” Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (one with directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi; the other with climber Conrad Anker), a Sundance Film Festival interview with the filmmakers (31 min.), a Q&A at the Full Frame Festival (26 min.), bonus expedition footage from Mount Meru (24 min.), a Q&A from the Chicago premiere (16 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a gripping documentary.] (S. Granger)