My Everest

You could never accuse Max Stainton-Parfitt of taking the easy option! Suffering from cerebral palsy and married to the hugely supportive and independently-minded Candy, he gets a great deal of his beneficial physical exercise by riding an horse. This is frequently a painful and strenuous endeavour, not just for him - but for all concerned. Imagine the gasps when he declares that he wants to get to the base camp of Mount Everest over 17,000 ft up in the snow covered Himalayas. What now ensues is a rather candid documentary following this trek - warts, tantrums, struggles and joys - as his illness at times lays him low, at other times galvanises his undoubted spirit. The hand held photography is at times quite potently intimate, but at other times it's uncomfortably intrusive and it has to be said that he is not a man who is always the easiest to like, nor understand. His determination to stand out from the crowd is laudable and appreciable, but it sometimes also smacks of ego and presumption and by the conclusion I was in awe of the achievement but not remotely of the man. A team effort across the board - from the film makers to the team of sherpas who kept everyone fed, watered and alive - and as a testament to human endurance and a lesson in refusing to conform, this is well worth ninety minutes of your time.