Let's be honest: this documentary has all the ingredients for something meaningful—a brother's quest for closure, the drama of Everest, unresolved family grief—but it just doesn't land. The ratings tell the story: 2.6/5 on Letterboxd is brutal, and even casual viewers gave it a meh 5.9 on IMDb.
The core problem, according to reviewers, is that Spencer and his family come across as emotionally flat, turning what should be a moving journey into something that feels more like a vanity project. The mountaineering community wasn't impressed either, calling out the family for not accepting that high-altitude climbing is inherently dangerous and bodies often can't be recovered.
If you're fascinated by Everest or have older teens interested in extreme sports, there might be some value here for discussing risk, grief, and closure. But there are far better mountaineering documentaries (Free Solo, The Alpinist, Touching the Void) that are both more gripping and more insightful. This one's a skip unless you're really committed to the topic.




