THE SUMMIT OF GODS
I’m convinced that the renaissance of hand-drawn animation is upon us, and Patrick Imbert’s beautiful THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS (trailer here) is only further proof. Based on a manga series by Jiro Taniguchi, the French-language film follows a Japanese photojournalist named Makoto Fukamachi and his fixation on climber Habu Joji, who Fukamachi believes to hold the secrets of legendary mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. With breathtaking visuals and a powerful score by Amine Bouhafa, THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS is honestly more evocative than some live-action climbing films. And while many animated movies have questionable English dubs that make the subtitle route far preferable, this dub is notably strong—with Darren Barnet (Paxton from NEVER HAVE I EVER) voicing the lead! This is a unique and moving narrative told with painterly detail; be sure to catch it on Netflix for a breath of fresh mountain air.
—Alicia Devereaux, Executive Assistant
