TENZING

(director/writer: Jennifer Peedom; screenwriters: Luke Davies, Ed Douglas; cinematographer: Stefan Duscio; editor: Simon Njoo; music: Rebekka Karijord; cast: Genden Phuntsok (Tenzing Norgay), Johnny Flynn (George Mallory), Samdrup Doria Lama (Roy Tenzing-9 yrs.), Bhuchung Kala (Sherpa), Lhakpa Tsamchoe (Kinzom), Jampa Kalsang (Mingma), Caitríona Balfe (Jill Henderson), Tom Hiddleston (Ed Hillary), Thinley Lhamo (Dawa, Sherpa’s wife), Willem Dafoe (Col. Hunt); Runtime: 125; MPAA Rating: PG; producers: Liz Watts, Emile Sherman, Luke Davies, Jennifer Peedom, Iain Canning, Desray Armstrong;Apple TV, See-Saw Films; 2026-UK/Australia/USA)

“An old-fashioned mountain climbing film.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
 
Veteran Brit filmmaker Jennifer Peedom (“River”/”Sherpa”) presents a thriller about the successful first expedition to Mount Everest in the Himalayas that took place on May 29, 1953, by the New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston) and the lead Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok, Chinese actor of Tibetan heritage) from Tibet. The expedition was organized by the Brits.

The story is told from the POV of the Sherpa, as an old-fashioned mountain climbing film that gives proper credit to the Sherpa for his part in the expedition. It’s competently made with no surprises and has excellent visuals. It tells Tenzing’s heartfelt story with flashbacks to his childhood.

Colonel John Hunt (Willem DaFoe), head of the Brit team, made the 20-year-old Tenzing, a former guide, a climbing team member on the expedition, but the team still saw him as a Sherpa who was not equal in rank to the other 400-team members because of a class divide (thought of him as a laborer).

The Nepal-Tibetan sherpas were used to carry the equipment on the mountain to the base camps, and were essential for the expedition’s success. Hillary received most of the attention for being the first to reach the top, while Tensing was second to reach the top.

Hillary was knighted for his achievement, while Tenzing’s story is less known. Here his story is more fully told than in previous films. Genden Phuntsok’s sensitive performance is the heart of the pic. It lets us know the Brits attitude was as a conquest of nature, while for the Sherpa it’s a way for reaching a sacred place.

It was filmed in New Zealand and Nepal.

It played at the Telluride Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 10/16/2026  GRADE: B +
dennisschwartzreviews.com