'The Ghosts Above' by Renan Ozturk Documentary Review: The power of the mind to explore

It's rare that you'll find a good quality documentary legally uploaded to YouTube, while most these days come straight from independent filmmakers, there's a lot of companies which are slowly finding out that releasing documentaries on those who use their products to the Internet is actually free advertising. That is the case with much of this documentary, though it isn't a bad thing. Filmmaker Renan Ozturk explores the world with cameras, telling stories on the great discoveries of our world. The cultures and diverse locations rich in nature, as well as the hardest environments on the planet, in search of stories from previous centuries. Storytelling in this manner is incredibly powerful, and Ozturk relies on Sony cameras as a result for both the videography and photography side of things; therefore this documentary was uploaded to the Sony YouTube channel. But while I mentioned that this sort of is an advertisement, this is one of Ozturk's films on one of his travels. And by no means is it focusing whatsoever on the gear used to create it. So, that's just a little bit of context on the backstory of the documentary. A little bit of an agenda from Sony, while the impressive filmmaker Ozturk focuses on the stories that interest him. In this case, it's a documentary on wanting to find the body of one of the first explorers to attempt to reach the summit of Everest. A tale that took place over a century ago. Only one of the bodies was found, while the other remains lost to this day. To no surprise, Everest is a dangerous environment. And people still perish up on the mountain and never get removed.

It's a crazy concept to think of: people climbing a mountain so relentless, that the bodies of its climbers remain frozen on the way up, ignored by the few that dare to follow in their steps without suffering the same fate. Some probably call it luck at that point. Everest's difficulty results in bodies being left there, removing them is an incredibly complex task, and risks the lives of those who have climbed up in the first place. This results in many that get lost during an ascent or descent being left behind. At the point of no return. Despite all the gear that climbers now use, it only goes so far. Even still, will all that support in technology and clothing we now have, it's common for people to end up seriously injured or killed in the process. There are countless documentaries on the mountain, the people that climb it, and the culture behind the native Sherpa that live and breathe the mountains, touring foreigners up and through them with the risk of their own lives. It's almost a requirement at this point to bring them with you, to have them guide you through the challenges. Though, still with no certainty that you'll make it back down, in any state. The Ghosts Above ultimately is about those who don't return. With a focus on the very first that attempted to reach the top. And the present challenges for climbers that hold the ambition to find the final body and bring that side of history its closure. This documentary focuses on one team, and their process from the bottom, all the way to the top.

This documentary starts off with a bit of context on the original explorers. It's insane to think that these two people were courageous enough to attempt to reach the summit with the equipment they had. One of which was a photographer, and it's said that his film camera would still be with him, with rolls of film that could depict the historic importance of their attempted climb. For filmmakers and climbers, this is a great risk to pursue. The idea that they could find the body, but also some additional evidence that shows their attempt on film would be quite the discovery. There's an assumption of where the body might be, and there's only one way to find out whether it is there or not: they have to climb. The crew try to ask the Sherpas if they'd be fine with taking them to that area, and it's something that's too risky and bad for their careers and they just aren't taking it. The crew acknowledge this, it's reasonable, after all. But they form a plan: to reach the summit, give the Sherpas what they want, and to quickly make an attempted escape at the last minute to take a quick look. This means defying their advice, ignoring their requests to remain as safe as possible. After all, if anything happens to anyone, it's on the Sherpa people that have been hired to keep them guided and safe on the way up and down. It's a relatively short documentary, but it's one that holds so much to it that you really feel the danger and struggles of trying to climb up a mountain.

The filmmaking in this documentary is incredible. The visuals are beautiful. And it's impressive how a person can remain so engaged in the artistic side of telling their adventure when in the face of so much death. Ranging from seeing the bodies on the way up the mountain, to witnessing their fellow climbers coming down with multiple blood clots that could've been fatal had they not made the descent immediately. Even going as far as finding abandoned camps and using those frozen tents for shelter due to their own exhaustion in the evenings. Incapable of setting up their own tents and eating their own food, they roam the abandoned camp for scraps. It's crazy to think of how people can pursue a lifestyle like this, to have that drive to discover and keep pushing forward, no matter how close to death they are. And there's a particular moment when Ozturk reaches the summit himself and speaks of how he felt his own body starting to shut down, the narration detailing the pain he felt, the urge to look through the camera instead of just distract himself and think of something else instead of the very real possibility of death at the summit. Though, never really reaching the summit, the refusal to reach the top and claim conquer over the mountain God of the Sherpa. A respect for the mountain, and its challenges. The idea that it's never conquered, because it hammers you in a way you don't forget.

With the narration, the film is an incredible experience. Ozturk really puts us into those locations. We feel and see the harsh environment that they battle against. We feel the emotion within his voice as he details those struggles alongside such a passion for the effort that goes into defying nature's hardest challenges. While respecting the strength it has. I'd say this is well worth the watch.