10 Mountains 10 Years
I feel like a monster for writing this review. Saying anything negative about this film is like talking poorly about puppies, the Holocaust, or babies. Oh wait. 10 Mountains, 10 Years is a great idea for a documentary. It is about a fundraiser for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research which consists of climbing a different mountain every year for ten years.
It’s inspiring, innovating, and necessary. This is a wonderful organization, but it’s important to separate the group from the movie. After unveiling its premise, the movie feels completely flat. This is the opportunity to really display some of the most personal stories, but everything melds together in this film.
There are scenes that should totally work on paper, but have no pulse on screen. During the climb, the mountaineers are reading aloud letters from those who are sick. With the location and the people and the words, there should be tears but the filmmaking betrays these moments. (Too many of them as well). It’s difficult to focus on the words because the film isn’t providing the pathos and energy.
What does work is the saddening stats about these diseases. Actually seeing the people worked better than any of the interviews (Again too many of them). This is an organization that should be praised and there should be a more effective film to talk about it. This just seems like a DVD extra or something to present to companies. Even with Anne Hathaway narrating, it isn’t lifted towards something cinematic.