The Last First: Winter K2

Drugs can make us act irrationally, selfishly. If climbing is a drug, then the limits of what the human body can do also necessarily include things which would not be morally accepted at sea level.

You come to truly care about the people featured in the documentary, making the victories even sweeter and the heartbreaks when disaster strikes even more devastating.

Bar-Lev’s film balances compassion for the surviving relatives of those who lose their lives with a clear-eyed view of the realities of nature. It’s a salutary lesson in the climate-change era, when a small percentage of humanity is taking a risky gamble, betting that human ingenuity will win out against physics.

Taken as a whole, the faction-shattered drama between exploited tourists, reckless experts, proud pros, and the unforgiving mountain is as brutal and clear as ice.

It’s a movie that shows us the dark side of literally getting high. That’s engrossing, to a point, but it’s not exhilarating.

Ultimately, The Last First: Winter K2 resonates as a complex story of human resilience, accountability, and survival.