Film Review: ‘Tenzing’ Tells an Old Fashioned Story in an Effectively Traditional Manner

The traditional dramatic biopic is becoming less and less the norm for the genre. More and more, filmmakers are seeking to tackle biographical cinema in new ways, hoping to stave off the staleness that has been creeping in over the years. With Tenzing, the execution of this biopic is effective, if traditional, yet what sets this one apart is the subject. Instead of being about Edmund Hillary, the man who we all know summited Mount Everest, the film is instead about Tenzing Norgay, the sherpa who reached the top of Everest with him. In doing so, the movie has a unique angle that works to its benefit.

Tenzing has some nice performances and strong third act visuals, but the central hook is that we’re focused in on Norgay, not Hillary. The flick works because it becomes an underdog story, given that it’s certainly easy to root for this man. It’s still a fairly simple film, one that has somewhat small ambitions, but it does manage to hit the mark in that regard.

The film tells the story of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), the Himalayan climber who was the lesser known of the two men who became the first to summit Mount Everest. Tenzing is a footnote in history, while New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston) is the one who got all of the glory. That’s where the movie, ends, but how did he get there? The story fills in the blanks, flashing back from his time on the mountain to parts of his life as both a little boy and also a young man.

Before he can even get to the mountain, he’ll have to persuade the team to actually have him be a part of it. Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing gets to work. With an ally in the expedition’s secretary, Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe), they convince Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) to have him on the British climbing team. Now, instead of being their sherpa, he’ll be a fellow climber. Hillary and company see Everest as something they can ascend and conquer, while Tenzing revers the mountain, known as “Chomolungma” in his culture. His respect and reverence doesn’t just earn Hillary’s friendship in the end, it’s a major reason why they succeed in their quest.

Tom Hiddleston is the biggest name in the cast, and he’s certainly good here, but the true star here is Genden Phuntsok. Hiddleston and Phuntsok eventually have a nice chemistry, but the latter is who we’re almost exlusively focused on. It’s a star making turn for the actor, too, who deserves many more roles after this soulful and effective work. Caitríona Balfe and Willem Dafoe are solid in small roles, though certainly in the shadow of Phuntsok. In addition to the aforementioned Thinley Lhamo (also good), the supporting players include Johnny Flynn, among others.

Director Jennifer Peedom and writer Luke Davies (both share a Story By credit as well) keep things fairly simple. The film runs a little long and can occasionally be dry, but once they get to the mountain, things do open up. The most interesting parts of the movie center on Tenzing’s relationship to the mountain, which Davies leans into, while the third act has the best looking moments, courtesy of Peedom capturing the scale of Everest.

Tenzing is a solid flick, plain and simple. If this had been called Hillary, it might have been forgettable, given how that’s the story we’d expect to be told. Instead, we get to follow who almost all other films would consider to be the sidekick, In doing so, the movie separates itself from the biopic pack and justifies its own existence.

SCORE: ★★★